OET Grammar Quiz 1 | Essential grammar for OET writing & speaking sections | OET Grammar Tips

OET is an international English language test that assesses the language communication skills of healthcare professionals who seek to register and practice in: Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (Doctors and Nurses only), Ireland, Singapore, and Dubai. It covers all four language skills (Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking) with an emphasis on communication in a healthcare environment.

You can apply to take OET by visiting www.occupationalenglishtest.org/apply-oet/.
How is the listening test scored?
Your answers for Part A are double-marked by trained OET assessors. These answers are randomly assigned to assessors to avoid any conflict of interest. Your answers for Part B and Part C are computer scanned and automatically scored.
For Part A, Listening assessors use a detailed marking guide that sets out which answers receive marks. Assessors use this guide to decide whether you have provided enough correct information to be given the mark. Assessors are monitored for accuracy and consistency.

How is reading ability assessed in OET?
Reading Part A (the expeditious reading task) tests your ability to skim and scan quickly across different texts on a given topic in order to locate specific information. For that purpose, Part A is strictly timed and you must complete all 20 question items within the allocated 15 minutes. To complete the task successfully, you will also need to understand the conventions of different medical text types and understand the presentation of numerical and textual information.

Reading Part B tests your ability to understand the detail, gist, or main point of complex texts commonly found in the healthcare workplace. To complete the task successfully, you will need to identify specific ideas at the sentence level.

Reading Part C tests your ability to understand the explicit or implied meaning as well as the attitude or opinion presented in a longer text. To complete the task successfully, you will need to identify the relationship between ideas at the sentence and paragraph levels. Part C also tests your ability to accurately understand lexical references and complex phrases within the text.

How is speaking assessed in OET?
The whole Speaking test is recorded and it is this audio recording that is assessed.
• The Speaking sub-test is marked independently by a minimum of two trained OET Assessors. Neither Assessor knows what scores the other has given you, or what scores you have achieved on any of the other sub-tests. Your test day interlocutor plays no role in the assessment of your performance.
• OET Assessors’ judgments are targeted and specific, not a general evaluation of candidates’ ability in spoken English.
• OET Assessors are trained to focus on how a candidate responds to a particular task on the day. They apply specific assessment criteria that reflect the demands of communication in the health professional workplace. Remember that OET is a test of English-language skills, not a test of professional knowledge.
• Candidates who are familiar with the assessment criteria and pay attention to the details of the specific role-play task have a better chance of demonstrating their ability in the key areas. Candidates who use memorized material or merely rely on techniques that worked in other circumstances tend not to perform to their full potential in the test.

How is writing ability assessed in OET?
Your performance on the Writing sub-test is marked independently by a minimum of two trained Assessors. Neither Assessor knows what scores the other has given you, or what scores you have achieved in any of the other sub-tests.
Your performance is scored against six criteria and receives a band score for each criterion:
• Purpose (Whether the purpose of the letter is immediately apparent to the reader and sufficiently expanded in the course of the letter)
• Content (Whether all the necessary information is included and accurate for the reader)
• Conciseness & Clarity (Whether unnecessary information is omitted so that the letter is an effective summary for the reader)
• Genre & Style (Whether the register, tone, and use of abbreviations are appropriate for the reader)
• Organisation & Layout (Whether the letter is organized and well laid out for the reader)
• Language (Whether the accuracy of the grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation communicates the necessary information to the reader)