OET Writing guide

OET Writing tips: how to move from C+ to grade B

A C+ in Writing is frustrating because it usually means you are close. The gap to B is rarely about learning more English; it is about making better decisions with the case notes and checking your letter against the criteria every single time. This guide gives you a practical routine to close that gap.

Grade requirements differ between regulators and professions, and both OET's score reporting and regulators' rules can change. Check the official OET website and your own regulator for the grade you need. LetterScore AI scores are practice estimates only.

What usually separates a C+ letter from a B letter

When we compare practice letters that sit just below and just above the B line, the difference is rarely vocabulary. It is usually these patterns:

Notice that four of the six rows are about thinking before writing. That is good news: decisions can be trained faster than grammar. For what each criterion rewards, see OET Writing criteria explained.

The five-step practice routine

Doing twenty letters without feedback often produces twenty C+ letters. A smaller number of letters, each worked through these five steps, tends to move scores more.

Step 1: Timed practice under exam conditions

Set a timer for 5 minutes of reading and 40 minutes of writing. No dictionary, no pausing, no looking at model answers. Write on paper or type, matching the format of your real test. The point is to see what you do under pressure, because that is the letter the assessor will see.

• Use a fresh case each time, and vary letter types: referral, discharge, transfer, and letters to non-medical readers.
• Record the minute you finish writing. If it is regularly after minute 35, your planning needs work.

Step 2: Selection check before anything else

Before looking at grammar, go back to the case notes with a highlighter. Mark every note you used. Then ask:

• Did I include something the reader does not need? Cross it out of your letter.
• Did I leave out something the reader must act on, such as a medication change, allergy, risk or follow-up date?
• Is every number and name copied correctly?

This one step targets Content and Conciseness & Clarity together, which is where many C+ letters lose the most.

Step 3: Criteria self-check

Now score your own letter honestly against all six criteria, using the checklist below. Write one sentence of evidence for each score, quoting your own letter. If you cannot find a quote that proves the criterion is met, it probably is not.

Step 4: Rewrite, do not just reread

This is the step most candidates skip. Take the two weakest criteria and rewrite the parts of the letter responsible, the next day if possible. For example:

• Weak Purpose, original opening: "I am writing regarding Mr Oyelaran, who attended the emergency department last night."
• Rewritten: "I am writing to request an urgent review by your falls clinic for Mr Oyelaran, who attended the emergency department last night after his third fall this month."

• Weak Conciseness, original: "Her temperature was 38.4 on Monday. On Tuesday it was 37.9. On Wednesday it was 37.1."
• Rewritten: "Her fever resolved within 48 hours of starting antibiotics."

Rewriting builds the habit; the next time you meet a similar note, the better sentence comes out first.

Step 5: Close the feedback loop

Get an outside view of the rewritten letter: a teacher, a study partner who has already achieved a B, or a criteria-based checker. Then keep a simple log:

After three or four letters the same issue will usually appear twice. That repeated issue is your real target for the next week. Our list of 12 common OET Writing mistakes can help you name what you see.

A sample weekly plan

• Day 1: timed letter (45 minutes), then selection check (10 minutes).
• Day 2: criteria self-check and rewrite of the two weakest areas (30 minutes).
• Day 3: get feedback; update your log (20 minutes).
• Day 4: focused drill on your repeated issue, for example writing five opening sentences for five different cases (20 minutes).
• Day 5: second timed letter of a different type.
• Days 6–7: rewrite, feedback, and a short review of your log.

Two complete cycles a week is realistic alongside a full-time job in healthcare, and is usually more effective than a letter every day with no review.

Grade B self-check checklist

For layout questions, the OET letter format template shows each part in order.

Three habits to build this month

1. Write the purpose sentence first, before any other part of the letter.
2. Say no to at least a third of the notes. If you used almost everything, you probably included distractors.
3. Protect the last five minutes for checking names, numbers and tenses.