Top Strategies to Master OET Speaking

• Duration: 20 minutes

• Structure: 2 role-plays

• Role: Candidate plays a healthcare professional (e.g., nurse, doctor, etc.)

• Interlocutor: Plays a patient or relative (sometimes a caregiver)

Each role-play is 5 minutes long, with 3 minutes of preparation before each.

OET assesses based on two categories:

1. Linguistic Criteria

• Intelligibility: How clearly you speak (pronunciation, accent)
• Fluency: Smoothness of speech
• Appropriateness of language: Using professional and respectful language
• Resources of grammar and expression: Range and accuracy of grammar and vocabulary
2. Clinical Communication Criteria

• Relationship-building: Establish rapport, show empathy
• Understanding and incorporating the patient’s perspective
• Providing structure to the conversation
• Information-gathering: Asking relevant, clear questions
• Information-giving: Explaining things in simple, clear, logical language

Use 3-minute prep time wisely:

• Identify who you are, who the patient is, the situation
• Note each bullet point and think: Is this information-gathering or information-giving?

Structure responses around those bullet points.



Use the CARE Communication Framework

Letter Meaning How to Apply
C Connect Greet the patient, introduce yourself, use warm tone
A Ask & Acknowledge = Ask questions, actively listen, and acknowledge concerns
R Respond & Reassure= Provide clear responses, reassurance, and non-judgmental tone
E Explain & Educate = Break down information into simple terms, pause to check understanding

Empathy is critical in scoring high.

Examples:

• “I understand that this may be worrying for you.”
• “That sounds quite uncomfortable. Let’s see what we can do.”
• “It’s completely normal to feel anxious about this.”

Practice Key Functional Phrases

Function Useful Phrases
Starting = "Hello, my name is ___, I’m a ___." / “How can I help you today?”
Clarifying == "Could you please explain that a bit more?"
Reassuring== "I can assure you we’ll do our best to support you."
Explaining Procedures== "Let me explain what this involves…"
Summarizing =="So just to summarize, we’ve agreed that you will…"

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