OET Writing practice · Medicine
Discharge after community-acquired pneumonia – GP
An original practice task written by LetterScore AI. Read the case notes in 5 minutes, then write your discharge letter in 40 minutes, about 180–200 words in the body.
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Case notes
MEDICINE — WRITING TASK (practice) Time allowed: Reading time 5 minutes, Writing time 40 minutes Read the case notes below and complete the writing task which follows. Notes: Today's date: 18/08/2026 You are a resident medical officer on Ward 4C (General Medicine), Hartfield District Hospital, Hartfield. Patient: Mr Georgios Papadakis, DOB 05/02/1945 (81 yrs) Admission date: 10/08/2026 Discharge date: 18/08/2026 Social background: - Retired restaurant owner. Widower, lives alone in bungalow - Daughter (Eleni) lives 10 min away; will stay with him for 1 week after discharge - Ex-smoker (40 pack-years, stopped 2010). Alcohol: 1 glass wine with dinner - Independent before admission; drives locally. Plays backgammon at community club weekly Medical history: - COPD (moderate), dx 2012; no admissions in past 3 yrs - Atrial fibrillation (2019) - Benign prostatic hyperplasia - Bilateral hearing loss, wears hearing aids - Influenza vaccine Oct 2025; pneumococcal vaccine not documented Medications on admission: - Tiotropium 18 mcg inhaled daily; salbutamol 100 mcg 2 puffs PRN - Apixaban 5 mg BD - Bisoprolol 2.5 mg daily - Tamsulosin 400 mcg nocte - Allergy: penicillin (rash, 1990s) Clinical notes: 10/08 ED: 4 days productive cough (green sputum), fever, increasing SOB, poor oral intake. Daughter reports confusion. O/E: T 38.7°C, RR 26, HR 108 irreg, BP 104/62, SpO2 88% on air. Coarse crackles R base. AMT 6/10. Ix: CXR – R lower lobe consolidation. WCC 16.8 ×10^9/L, CRP 214 mg/L, urea 9.4 mmol/L, creatinine 128 µmol/L (baseline 95), Na 133 mmol/L. CURB-65 score 3. Tx: IV clarithromycin, IV fluids, controlled O2 (target SpO2 88–92%), nebulised salbutamol. 11/08 Blood cultures: no growth. Urinary Legionella antigen negative. Sputum: Streptococcus pneumoniae (sensitive to clarithromycin and doxycycline). 12/08 Wt 58 kg. Apixaban reduced to 2.5 mg BD (age ≥80 yrs and weight ≤60 kg). 13/08 Afebrile 48 hrs. Confusion resolved (AMT 10/10). Switched to oral doxycycline 100 mg daily. 14/08 Constipated; senna 15 mg given × 2 nights, BO 15/08. 15/08 Creatinine 98 µmol/L, urea 6.1 mmol/L, CRP 48 mg/L. SpO2 93% on air at rest, 90% walking. 16/08 Physio: walks 40 m with stick, moderate falls risk. OT: shower chair recommended (delivered to home 17/08). 17/08 Appetite improving; usual weight 63 kg. Dietitian: oral nutritional supplement BD for 4 weeks. Pt asks when he can return to backgammon club; advised when feeling well. Medications on discharge: - Doxycycline 100 mg daily until 20/08 (inclusive) - Apixaban 2.5 mg BD (reduced dose) - Oral nutritional supplement BD - Tiotropium, salbutamol, bisoprolol, tamsulosin unchanged Plan: - GP review within 1 week: clinical status, weight, U&E - Reassess apixaban dose if weight returns above 60 kg - Repeat CXR in 6 weeks to confirm resolution (ex-smoker) - Offer pneumococcal vaccination when recovered - Advised not to drive for 2 weeks - Safety-netting: return if fever, worsening SOB or confusion Writing Task: Using the information in the case notes, write a letter to Dr Samuel Osei, General Practitioner, Brookside Family Practice, 22 Mill Road, Hartfield, who will be responsible for Mr Papadakis's care after discharge. In your answer: - Expand the relevant notes into complete sentences - Do not use note form - Use letter format The body of the letter should be approximately 180–200 words.
How to approach this discharge letter
- The reader takes over care after discharge. Open with who the patient is, why they were in hospital and that they are going home, then say what you need the reader to do.
- Give the current condition, medication changes and the follow-up plan. Summarise the hospital stay instead of retelling it day by day.
- Leave out resolved problems and background that does not change care at home.
Members also get the model answer, the note-selection table and task-specific tips for this task.