A detailed breakdown of all four OET sub-tests — Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking — including format, question types, scoring criteria, and what Grade B requires.
Listening (approximately 45 minutes)
The OET Listening sub-test has three parts. Part A features two consultations between a health professional and a patient — you complete a healthcare professional's notes while listening. Part B consists of six short workplace extracts where you answer a multiple-choice question for each. Part C features two longer listening texts — a talk or interview — each followed by six multiple-choice questions.
Part A rewards accuracy and completeness; you are completing a real clinical form. Parts B and C reward your ability to identify the main point and detail within professional medical communication. To achieve Grade B (350+), aim for approximately 70–75% of marks across the sub-test.
Reading (approximately 60 minutes)
Reading has three parts. Part A is a speed-reading task: you have 15 minutes to scan four short healthcare texts and answer 20 questions. Part B presents six short texts from a workplace healthcare setting — notices, guidelines, policies — each with a single multiple-choice question. Part C offers two longer healthcare texts, each followed by eight multiple-choice questions.
Part A is time-pressured by design. Practising skimming and scanning under strict time limits is non-negotiable. Parts B and C test your ability to read critically and distinguish between stated facts, implications, and author viewpoints.
Writing (45 minutes)
The Writing sub-test is profession-specific. You receive a set of case notes about a patient and must write a letter — typically a referral letter, discharge letter, or transfer letter — to another health professional. The letter should be approximately 180–200 words.
OET assessors evaluate your writing across six criteria: Purpose, Content, Conciseness & Clarity, Genre & Text Organisation, Language, and Presentation. Many candidates lose marks in Content (failing to include all relevant information) and Conciseness (copying directly from notes rather than rephrasing appropriately). Grade B requires strong performance across all six criteria.
Speaking (approximately 20 minutes)
The Speaking sub-test consists of two role plays, each lasting approximately 5 minutes. You play yourself as a healthcare professional; the interlocutor plays a patient or carer. You receive a card with the scenario and have 2–3 minutes to prepare before each role play.
Assessors score your Speaking on Linguistic Criteria (intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness, resources) and Clinical Communication Criteria (relationship building, understanding & incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering, information giving). Many candidates underestimate the clinical communication criteria — it is not enough to speak correct English; you must communicate as a compassionate, effective healthcare professional.
How LIFE Academy Can Help
Our OET program at LIFE Academy covers every sub-test in depth. We run dedicated writing clinics where every letter is marked against the official OET criteria, and speaking sessions with role-play practice and detailed assessor-style feedback. Our listening and reading classes include timed drills to build speed and accuracy under exam conditions.
Students who join our full OET preparation course receive individual performance tracking so you always know exactly where to focus your energy before test day.
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