OET Writing Phrases: 50 High-Scoring Expressions You Need to Know

Most OET candidates keep recycling the same five phrases in every letter — and then wonder why their writing score plateaus. The assessor is not looking for complex vocabulary; they are looking for the precise clinical expressions that real healthcare professionals use in real correspondence. If your letters sound repetitive, your score will reflect it.

The right OET writing phrases prove that you understand register, clinical convention, and professional tone. The wrong ones — or a narrow, repetitive set — can drag your score down even when your clinical reasoning is flawless.

Below are 50 high-scoring words and phrases, organized by function, with example sentences showing exactly how each one works in a clinical letter. Whether you are a doctor, nurse, dentist, or pharmacist, these expressions apply across all OET professions.

1. Opening a Referral, Transfer, or Discharge Letter

The opening sentence of your letter must state the purpose immediately. Assessors look for a clear, direct opening — not a vague introduction. These phrases get you there in one sentence.

For a deeper look at how these openings fit into the four main letter types, see our full guide on OET writing for doctors.

2. Describing the Patient’s Presenting Condition

Once you have stated the purpose, you need to establish why the patient is being referred, transferred, or discussed. These phrases introduce the clinical background efficiently.

3. Describing Symptoms and Clinical Findings

This is where your letter demonstrates clinical precision. Use these phrases to report examination results, investigations, and the patient’s own account of their symptoms.

4. Describing Treatment and Management

Assessors want to see that you can clearly convey what has been done for the patient and how they responded. These phrases cover medications, procedures, and clinical decisions.

5. Requesting Action From the Recipient

A strong OET letter does not simply inform — it makes a clear request. The closing request tells the reader exactly what you need them to do next. This is critical for your Task Achievement score.

6. Closing the Letter Professionally

The closing sentence should leave the recipient with a clear sense of the clinical relationship — you are handing over care, offering support, or both.

7. Linking and Transition Phrases for Clinical Writing

Cohesion is one of the four OET writing criteria. These linking phrases help you move logically between ideas — from background to findings, from findings to treatment, and from treatment to recommendations.

Tips for Practising These Phrases

Knowing these phrases is not enough — you need to be able to produce them fluently under timed conditions. Here is how to make them stick.

• Write one practice letter per day. Use official OET sample case notes and challenge yourself to include at least five phrases from this list in each letter. Timed practice builds the fluency you need on exam day.
• Categorise as you practise. After finishing a letter, highlight every phrase and label it by function (opening, condition, findings, treatment, request, closing, transition). If one category is consistently weak, focus your next session there.
• Read model letters aloud. Clinical phrasing has a rhythm. Reading aloud helps you internalise sentence structures so they come naturally when you write.
• Swap and substitute. Take a sentence you have already written and replace one phrase with an alternative from the same category. For example, swap “was commenced on” for “was treated with” and see how the sentence changes. This builds flexibility.
• Combine with broader writing skills. These phrases work best when your overall writing technique is sound. Our post on 3 simple tricks to boost your writing covers foundational habits that apply to OET just as much as to IELTS or general academic writing.

Why Phrase Selection Matters Beyond the Exam

The OET is a test of workplace communication, not abstract language ability. The phrases in this list are not “exam tricks” — they are the standard expressions used in real referral letters, discharge summaries, and clinical handovers in English-speaking hospitals every day. Practising them prepares you not just to pass the test, but to communicate safely and effectively from your first day in a new clinical role.

If you want to understand why writing preparation for professional exams requires a fundamentally different approach from general English study, read our guide on what makes writing preparation different.

Final Thought

You do not need to memorise all 50 phrases at once. Start with two or three from each category, use them in timed practice letters, and gradually expand your range. The goal is not to use the most impressive language possible — it is to use the right language for the clinical context, consistently and accurately. Master that, and both your OET score and your professional confidence will follow.