OET Speaking — Medicine

Scored on

• Intelligibility15%

  How easily a patient could understand the candidate's speech: clarity of individual sounds, word stress, sentence stress, intonation, rhythm and overall pace. An Indian accent is never penalised by itself; only strain on the listener is. Score high when every clinical term, dose instruction phrase and reassurance is clear the first time, pace is steady, and intonation signals questions, lists and emphasis. Score mid when the listener occasionally has to work, when word endings are swallowed, when key medical words such as antibiotic or physiotherapy are mis-stressed, or when speech speeds up under pressure. Score low when meaning is frequently lost, when words are run together, or when a patient would plausibly ask the professional to repeat themselves more than once in a role-play. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.

• Fluency15%

  The smoothness and naturalness of the candidate's speech across the whole role-play: rate of speech, length of pauses, hesitation, false starts, and whether the flow of the conversation is maintained when the patient pushes back. Score high when speech is continuous and natural, pauses are for thought about content rather than for searching words, and the candidate can switch from information giving to responding to an interruption without stalling. Score mid when there are noticeable hesitations before clinical explanations, repeated fillers, or self-corrections that slow the conversation but do not break it. Score low when long silences, fragmented sentences or restarts make the patient wait and the interaction feels effortful. Do not reward speed; a measured pace suited to an anxious patient is fluent. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.

• Appropriateness of language15%

  Whether register, tone and vocabulary suit a healthcare professional speaking with a patient, carer or relative. Score high when the candidate uses plain language instead of jargon, explains any necessary medical term immediately, adjusts tone for a distressed, elderly, angry or young listener, uses polite softeners and signposting, and avoids being either too casual or too formal. Score mid when jargon slips in unexplained, when phrases are stiff or textbook-like, or when the tone stays flat regardless of the patient's emotion. Score low when the candidate lectures, uses clinical shorthand such as NPO or BID without explanation, sounds dismissive or condescending, or uses language a lay patient could not follow. Also judge whether the candidate stays in the professional role rather than drifting into a general conversation. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.

• Resources of grammar and expression15%

  The range and accuracy of grammar and vocabulary available to the candidate, and whether limitations get in the way of communicating with the patient. Score high when the candidate produces a wide range of structures accurately, including conditionals for consequences, modals for advice and permission, passives for procedures, and reported speech for what the doctor said, with precise everyday and professional vocabulary and effective paraphrase when a word is missing. Score mid when meaning is clear but errors recur in tense, articles, prepositions or subject-verb agreement, or when vocabulary is adequate but repetitive and the candidate avoids complex explanations. Score low when grammatical errors cause misunderstanding, when the candidate cannot rephrase an explanation the patient did not follow, or when vocabulary gaps force long detours. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.

• Clinical communication criteria40%

  Score the five OET clinical communication criteria together, weighting them equally. Relationship building: a proper introduction with name and role, a warm and respectful greeting, attentive listening, acknowledgement of the patient's feelings and situation, and non-judgemental language even with a non-adherent or angry patient. Understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective: eliciting and exploring the patient's ideas, concerns and expectations, picking up verbal cues such as I'm worried or I don't see the point, and relating explanations back to what the patient said. Providing structure: an orderly sequence from opening to closing, signposting such as first I'd like to ask a few questions and then we'll talk about the plan, summarising, and checking the patient is ready to move on. Information gathering: open questions before closed ones, one question at a time, not interrupting, clarifying vague answers and avoiding leading questions. Information giving: finding out what the patient already knows, giving information in small chunks, checking understanding by asking the patient to say the plan back, using plain language, inviting questions, and tailoring reassurance to the specific concern rather than offering blanket comfort. Score high when all five are visibly present and the role card's tasks are completed within the patient's agenda; score mid when the tasks are completed but mechanically, with little exploration of the patient's concern or no check of understanding; score low when tasks are missed, the candidate talks over the patient, ignores a stated worry, or gives clinically unsafe or invented information such as specific dosages that are not on the role card. Map OET grade C to about 50, C plus to about 60, B to about 75, A to about 90.

Pass mark 60 / 100 · OET Speaking — two profession-specific role-plays