OET WRITING BY PROFESSION · NURSES
OET Writing for nurses: the letter task explained
Most OET Writing advice online is generic, or written for nurses. The OET Nursing Writing subtest asks nurses for a specific kind of letter, built around the situations nurses already handle at work.
This page sets out what that letter task involves, what the six published Writing criteria reward, and how to practise it with feedback rather than guesswork.
THE LETTER TASK
The Writing subtest gives you 45 minutes to write a letter from a set of case notes, most often a referral or discharge letter to a community nurse, district nurse, or another carer taking over a patient. The skill being tested is selection: the notes always contain more than the reader needs, and grade B letters are the ones that choose the right details for that reader and leave the rest out.
WHAT THE SIX CRITERIA REWARD
WHO ACCEPTS IT
OET is accepted for nursing registration by regulators including the NMC (UK), the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia via AHPRA, NMBI (Ireland), the Nursing Council of New Zealand, and several Gulf health authorities. Most require grade B (350) in each subtest, and some accept scores combined across sittings. Requirements change, so always confirm the current rules on your regulator's own site before booking.
See the exact current requirement
LAST REVIEWED 9 AUGUST 2026
COMMON QUESTIONS
What does the OET Writing subtest involve for nurses?
The Writing subtest gives you 45 minutes to write a letter from a set of case notes, most often a referral or discharge letter to a community nurse, district nurse, or another carer taking over a patient. The skill being tested is selection: the notes always contain more than the reader needs, and grade B letters are the ones that choose the right details for that reader and leave the rest out.
How long is the OET Writing subtest?
45 minutes in total: 5 minutes to read the case notes and the task, then 40 minutes to write the letter.
Which criteria does OET Writing mark?
Six published criteria: Purpose, Content, Conciseness and Clarity, Genre and Style, Organisation and Layout, Language.
Which regulators accept OET Nursing?
OET is accepted for nursing registration by regulators including the NMC (UK), the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia via AHPRA, NMBI (Ireland), the Nursing Council of New Zealand, and several Gulf health authorities. Most require grade B (350) in each subtest, and some accept scores combined across sittings. Requirements change, so always confirm the current rules on your regulator's own site before booking.
Independent preparation service. Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, OET or Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment. Practice feedback is based on published OET criteria and is not an official evaluation. Regulator requirements change: confirm current rules with the regulator directly.
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