OET Writing Rules That You Should Follow

The Occupational English Test is divided into four subtests, each test assessing your English skills related to the healthcare field. The writing subtest assesses the candidate's writing skills and is designed specifically for each profession. Usually, a candidate is required to write a referral letter by following the case notes and task instructions.

However, this simple writing task can seem too tough and stressful to non-native candidates which can impact their total score negatively. In this article, we will discuss some OET writing rules based on the assessment criteria used to score the subtest.

To excel in your OET writing subtest, you need to follow these rules - 

1. Purpose - Writing with purpose is an essential rule of the OET writing subtest. You need to identify the purpose of your letter with the help of the case notes and task instructions provided. After identifying the purpose, you must state this purpose in your letter effectively. Stating your purpose in the introductory sentence can help the reader save their time and get to the point directly. After stating your purpose, you can build the entire letter around that purpose by adding detail and information. 
2. Relevant content - This is the most important rule you need to follow. You cannot add every tiny and irrelevant detail in your letter. You need to filter the information given in the case notes and choose only relevant details for your letter. Without correct content, you cannot expect your letter to be comprehensible. After you have chosen the right content, it is equally important to represent it in your letter with precision. Keep in mind not to change the meaning of the letter and stay on your main point. 
3. Conciseness and Clarity - Conciseness and clarity is the most important rule to follow in your letter as you will be judged on this criteria. You need to keep your letter as concise and clear as possible. To ensure that, you need to avoid unnecessary and repeated information and sum up the case notes in your letter. A summary of the case notes can help you communicate easily with the reader and increase your chances of scoring well in the subtest. 
4. Genre and Style - While writing your referral letter, it is imperative that you use formal language. Writing a letter in the correct genre and style will help increase your band score. However, to write an accurate letter you need to have an understanding of how to write formally and how to identify the right tone for your letter. You also need to focus on your grammar and vocabulary as it can depict your professionality. 
5. Organization and Layout - You need to organize your letter structurally or thematically. A chronological letter will make it easier for the reader’s understanding. You need to make sure that your paragraphs are placed logically and are in sync with the next paragraph. You need to place the relevant information in an orderly way or it can cause you to lose some significant score. 
6. Language - To achieve a good score, you need to focus on all the English language elements like grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, and spelling. To be able to communicate the purpose of your letter effectively it is important to have a good command of the above elements. While the examiner judges you on the various elements of the English language, he will also judge your ability to use it in the right context. 

With the help of these writing rules, you can ensure a perfect score in your OET Writing Subtest. 

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