Free Clinical Case

Get a B in OET Writing — using real clinical cases

Practice exactly what OET examiners assess:

Most candidates lose marks not due to language, but due to poor selection and organisation of information.

The case below is one example from my OET preparation course, here you’ll practice Listening, Writing and Speaking altogether using real patient scenarios. This approach is used in structured OET preparation to develop exam-relevant skills and clinical communication

Let’s see how you approach this case.


Start a short clinical case (5 minutes)

Free to try. Model answer and detailed explanation available after registration.

Case Overview

This is a case of a patient with sharp chest pain. Follow the steps below.

 

Task 1 — Listening (Consultation)

You should try to complete each task before checking the answers.

You are doctor Martins in A&E assessing a patient (Mr Wood) with chest pain.

 



Listen to the consultation and complete the notes. 

TIP: focus on the main complaint, key symptoms and any previous episodes

Patient’s details: 

Presenting complaint (PC):

Associated symptoms:

History:

Case Notes

Patient details:

Presenting complaint: intense chest pain

Associated symptoms:

History:

Note: These symptoms are red flags for a possible cardiac condition.

– Good morning Mr. Wood. I’m Dr. Martin, one of the doctors in A&E. What’s brought you here today?

-I’ve got this chest pain.

-And you seem to be having some trouble catching your breath?

–Yes.

-Would you like me to give you some painkillers before we go on?

–Yes please.

-Okay, we’ll get some for you and I’ll be as brief as I can.

–Thank you doctor.

-Can you show me exactly where the pain is?

– I’ve been getting it right here in the centre of my chest.

-Right, I see. And how long have you had it?

-For the past hour.

-The past hour. And is the pain constant?

–Yes, at the moment it’s there all the time.

-And does it go anywhere else?

–At the moment it’s just here in the centre of my chest. But it was in my left shoulder before.

-Can you describe the pain for me?

-It’s all over here. It’s not a sharp pain. It’s like a tightness, as if someone’s squeezing my chest.

-And when did the pain start first?

–It came on first when I was bending over in the garden about two weeks ago.

-It’s okay, take your time.

–And then I got this dull pain and I had shortness of breath.

-So it started with you bending over in the garden and the shortness of breath started at the same time?

–Yes. 

-Have you had this pain before?

–Not the pain in the chest, no. I had a pain in my left shoulder and arm when I was walking to work one morning about a month ago.

-Okay, I see from the notes that you’re a bus driver. 

–Yes, that’s right. Not the best of jobs to be  starting at five on a frosty morning.

-No, definitely not. Did you do anything about  the pain?

–I thought it was a touch of arthritis. There’d been a heavy frost and I’d just rub some liniment into it.

-How long did it last?

–Off and on for  about a week. And then I didn’t think any more of it.

-Okay, and have you felt sick at all?

–Yes.

-And have you been sick at all?

-No, I haven’t brought anything up.

-Okay,  I’d like to ask you some questions…

Patients often describe pain as “tight” or “squeezing”.
Not sure what this means?
? Learn how to describe pain in English →

Listen to the consultation and complete the notes. 

TIP: focus on the main complaint, key symptoms and any previous episodes

Patient’s details: 

Presenting complaint (PC):

Associated symptoms:

History:

Case Notes

Patient details:

Presenting complaint: intense chest pain

Associated symptoms:

History:

Note: These symptoms are red flags for a possible cardiac condition.

– Good morning Mr. Wood. I’m Dr. Martin, one of the doctors in A&E. What’s brought you here today?

-I’ve got this chest pain.

-And you seem to be having some trouble catching your breath?

–Yes.

-Would you like me to give you some painkillers before we go on?

–Yes please.

-Okay, we’ll get some for you and I’ll be as brief as I can.

–Thank you doctor.

-Can you show me exactly where the pain is?

– I’ve been getting it right here in the centre of my chest.

-Right, I see. And how long have you had it?

-For the past hour.

-The past hour. And is the pain constant?

–Yes, at the moment it’s there all the time.

-And does it go anywhere else?

–At the moment it’s just here in the centre of my chest. But it was in my left shoulder before.

-Can you describe the pain for me?

-It’s all over here. It’s not a sharp pain. It’s like a tightness, as if someone’s squeezing my chest.

-And when did the pain start first?

–It came on first when I was bending over in the garden about two weeks ago.

-It’s okay, take your time.

–And then I got this dull pain and I had shortness of breath.

-So it started with you bending over in the garden and the shortness of breath started at the same time?

–Yes. 

-Have you had this pain before?

–Not the pain in the chest, no. I had a pain in my left shoulder and arm when I was walking to work one morning about a month ago.

-Okay, I see from the notes that you’re a bus driver. 

–Yes, that’s right. Not the best of jobs to be  starting at five on a frosty morning.

-No, definitely not. Did you do anything about  the pain?

–I thought it was a touch of arthritis. There’d been a heavy frost and I’d just rub some liniment into it.

-How long did it last?

–Off and on for  about a week. And then I didn’t think any more of it.

-Okay, and have you felt sick at all?

–Yes.

-And have you been sick at all?

-No, I haven’t brought anything up.

-Okay,  I’d like to ask you some questions…

Patients often describe pain as “tight” or “squeezing”.
Not sure what this means?
? Learn how to describe pain in English →

Excellent – now you’ve described the present complaints and medical history.

These are the most important details examiners expect you to identify.

Task 2 — Writing (Referral Letter)

You are doctor Martins in A&E. Write a referral letter to cardiologist Laura Jackman for this patient. This is exactly the type of task you will get in the OET exam.



Using the information in the case notes, write a letter of referral to Dr Laura Jackman, a cardiologist, requesting
further assessment and a management plan.

In your answer:
● Expand the relevant notes into complete sentences
● Do not use note form
● Use letter format

Include:

Dear Doctor,

I am writing to refer Mr Wood, a bus driver, who presented to the Accident and Emergency department with acute central chest pain of one hour’s duration.

The pain is described as a tightness in the centre of the chest and was constant at the time of examination. The patient also reports shortness of breath and nausea.

Of note, he experienced a similar episode of pain radiating to the left shoulder approximately one month ago while walking to work. Additionally, he reports an earlier episode of chest discomfort and shortness of breath triggered by physical activity two weeks ago.

Given the nature of the symptoms and their progression, a cardiac cause cannot be excluded and requires urgent assessment a plan of management.

I would be grateful if you could assess this patient further.

Yours sincerely, 

Doctor Martins

Don’t worry if your answer looks different — focus on clarity and structure.

Using the information in the case notes, write a letter of referral to Dr Laura Jackman, a cardiologist, requesting
further assessment and a management plan.

In your answer:
● Expand the relevant notes into complete sentences
● Do not use note form
● Use letter format

Include:

Dear Doctor,

I am writing to refer Mr Wood, a bus driver, who presented to the Accident and Emergency department with acute central chest pain of one hour’s duration.

The pain is described as a tightness in the centre of the chest and was constant at the time of examination. The patient also reports shortness of breath and nausea.

Of note, he experienced a similar episode of pain radiating to the left shoulder approximately one month ago while walking to work. Additionally, he reports an earlier episode of chest discomfort and shortness of breath triggered by physical activity two weeks ago.

Given the nature of the symptoms and their progression, a cardiac cause cannot be excluded and requires urgent assessment a plan of management.

I would be grateful if you could assess this patient further.

Yours sincerely, 

Doctor Martins

Don’t worry if your answer looks different — focus on clarity and structure.

OET Writing is the most challenging part for most candidates. Even with good English, candidates often include irrelevant information, but miss key clinical details. They also fail to structure the letter appropriately. This is why many receive C+ instead of B.

Writing part is the most complicated for almost all students. Without deep understanding exam criteria, receiving B score becomes a real challenge. If you struggle with writing, I recommend you my free OET Writing course.

Try a free OET writing lesson →

Task 3 — Speaking (Role-play)

You are speaking to this patient in A&E. Explain the situation and what will happen next.

You should try to say your answer out loud before checking model answer.



Your role – Dr Martin in Accidents and Emergency Department

Your patient, Mr Wood, is anxious and in pain. They are worried something is seriously wrong.

You should:

 

Record yourself and compare with the model answer

This is an example of a clear and professional response

Mr Wood, I can see you’re quite uncomfortable, and I understand this is worrying. 

From what you’ve told me, the pain in your chest and the shortness of breath are symptoms we need to take seriously.

There are a few possible causes, but one of the things we need to rule out is a problem with your heart.

So what we’re going to do now is run some tests, including an ECG and some blood tests, to get a clearer picture of what’s going on.

We’ll also keep you under close observation while we’re doing this.

The important thing is that you’ve come in early, and we can investigate this properly.

Do you have any questions or is there anything you’re particularly concerned about?

There are many correct ways to say this — this is just one example

Follow the structure:

  1. Show empathy
  2. Outline risk
  3. Explain the plan
  4. Reassure the patient
  5. Ask an open question

Useful phrases:

Your role – Dr Martin in Accidents and Emergency Department

Your patient, Mr Wood, is anxious and in pain. They are worried something is seriously wrong.

You should:

 

Record yourself and compare with the model answer

This is an example of a clear and professional response

Mr Wood, I can see you’re quite uncomfortable, and I understand this is worrying. 

From what you’ve told me, the pain in your chest and the shortness of breath are symptoms we need to take seriously.

There are a few possible causes, but one of the things we need to rule out is a problem with your heart.

So what we’re going to do now is run some tests, including an ECG and some blood tests, to get a clearer picture of what’s going on.

We’ll also keep you under close observation while we’re doing this.

The important thing is that you’ve come in early, and we can investigate this properly.

Do you have any questions or is there anything you’re particularly concerned about?

There are many correct ways to say this — this is just one example

Follow the structure:

  1. Show empathy
  2. Outline risk
  3. Explain the plan
  4. Reassure the patient
  5. Ask an open question

Useful phrases:

This is how OET actually works

 

You’ve just completed a real OET-style clinical case. Imagine practising like this every day.

Most candidates practise skills separately.This is why they struggle in the exam.

Structured practice with integrated cases helps you:

Here are not separate exercises — but real communication in clinical situations. All cases are created for healthcare professionals preparing for OET.

Want more cases like this?


Start improving today

No long lessons. Just real practice.

I’ve created this free OET practice case for healthcare professionals preparing for the OET exam. (Read about me). It combines listening, writing and speaking tasks in one clinical scenario, similar to real exam conditions. Regular practice with integrated cases can help improve performance in OET Writing and Speaking.

Prefer to learn step by step?
Read my guide on describing pain →