OET Writing practice · Medicine
Suspected obstructive sleep apnoea in HGV driver – sleep physician
An original practice task written by LetterScore AI. Read the case notes in 5 minutes, then write your referral 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: 09/09/2026 You are a GP at Braeside Health Centre, 17 Loch Street, Glenmorran. Patient: Mr Hamish MacLeod, DOB 12/12/1970 (55 yrs) Social background: - Long-distance heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver for 22 yrs; night and early-morning routes - Married; wife (Morag) attended consultation - Ex-smoker (stopped 2015). Alcohol approx. 20 units/week (beer, mostly weekends; 3–4 pints on Fri and Sat) - Son's wedding 10/2026 Medical history: - Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, omeprazole 20 mg daily - Tinnitus (bilateral), audiology 2024 - R carpal tunnel release 2021 - NKDA Consultation notes: 26/08/2026 - Attended at wife's insistence. Wife reports loud snoring for years, now witnessed pauses in breathing and gasping at night; she sleeps in separate room - Pt reports unrefreshing sleep, morning headaches, nocturia × 2, poor concentration - Daytime sleepiness: dozes watching TV; 2 weeks ago drifted into neighbouring lane on motorway at 05:00, woke to rumble strip. No collision. Has started taking extra breaks - Epworth Sleepiness Scale: 16/24 - O/E: Wt 108 kg, height 1.78 m, BMI 34.1. Neck circumference 46 cm. BP 156/96. HR 78 reg. Mallampati grade 4. Nasal passages clear. Chest clear - STOP-BANG score 7 - Advised: must not drive until assessed; legal duty to inform driving licensing authority; pt upset, concerned about income - Ix requested 02/09/2026 (results) - HbA1c 44 mmol/mol (prediabetes range) - TFT normal - FBC: Hb 171 g/L (upper limit 170), otherwise normal - Lipids: total cholesterol 6.1 mmol/L - ECG: sinus rhythm, no abnormalities - Home BP average 150/94 → amlodipine 5 mg daily started 09/09/2026 - Has stopped driving; notified licensing authority 03/09. Employer has put him on unpaid leave – significant financial stress; wife anxious - Sleepiness unchanged. Mood low but not depressed - Advised: weight loss, reduce alcohol (especially evenings), sleep on side - Asks if he can "just use a machine" to get back to work quickly - Mild heartburn – omeprazole continued Plan: - Urgent referral to sleep physician for sleep study and CPAP assessment – professional driver, expedite - Lifestyle: weight loss, alcohol reduction - Continue amlodipine; review BP 4 weeks - Repeat HbA1c and lipids in 6 months Writing Task: Using the information in the case notes, write a letter to Dr Ingrid Solberg, Consultant Respiratory and Sleep Physician, Sleep Disorders Centre, Western Infirmary, 40 Kelvin Road, Glenmorran, referring Mr MacLeod for urgent assessment. 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 referral letter
- The reader has never met the patient. State the reason for referral, and how urgent it is, in the first paragraph.
- Select the history, findings and investigation results that support the referral, and group them by topic rather than by date.
- End with what you are asking the reader to do, and any action you have already taken.
Members also get the model answer, the note-selection table and task-specific tips for this task.