In Part 1 we went through the importance of context when introducing yourself to the role player/patient giving some examples. In Part 2 we will cover two more tips that will help you to achieve the best results you can in the speaking section.

1. Refer to the role play notes as often as you like! The actor opposite you is not your assessor.
Your role play will be recorded, it will not be videotaped – therefore you are only being assessed on what you say and not your body language. You do NOT have to memorise and act out the role play. Instead, refer to the notes as much as you like to make sure you are covering everything.

2. Mentally tick off each dot point as you go – if it’s easier for you, try to follow the dot points in sequential order
In the role player card you are given they will outline the context and what you are required to discuss/explain in dot points. Try to follow these in order to make sure you cover everything and since you are only being assessed on what you say, make sure you speak clearly and empathetically.

3. Acknowledge the feelings of the role player/patient when required to show you are empathetic and caring in your work as a nurse

a. If the patient in the role play is agitated/angry for example:

“Mrs Barnes I understand that you are frustrated with what has happened but I can assure you that myself and Dr X are doing the best we can to ensure that your care is optimal” etc

b. If a patient is scared for example:

“Johnny I know you’re afraid of needles as are a lot of other people and I understand that completely. However, you have nothing to be worried about as the pain is very minimal and with practice you will feel a lot more comfortable with using your insulin injections

Good luck! I hope this two part series has helped you feel more confident in your abilities to conquer the speaking section of the OET exam.

Nadishi Athulathmudali, OET Teacher

Having tutored many nursing students in the speaking test I have noticed a number of common areas in which improvement can be easily made. In this blog (Part 1) I will explain the importance of context in shaping how you begin your role play, giving examples of appropriate introductions.

1. Introduce yourself according to the context of the role play.

*Do not use the same introduction blindly each time (eg “Hi my name is Sarah, I am the nurse) as it may be inappropriate for the context.*

a. Sometimes you may be a nurse in the emergency department and you can simply introduce yourself by name, position and by asking what has brought the patient in today:

“Hi my name is Sarah I am the nurse here today. May I know your name? What has brought you in today? etc

b. Other times your role play may require you to make a house visit – in which case it is inappropriate to introduce yourself in the same manner as you would if a patient had come to the hospital. In this second scenario it would be more appropriate to introduce yourself by name and position (eg community nurse) and explain to the patient why you have come by to visit them:

“Hi Robert, my name is Sarah and I am the community nurse. I have been sent here by your GP to show you how to administer your insulin injections. How are you today?” etc.

c. In another scenario you might be relaying a message from the doctor in a hospital to a patient who is agitated at having to wait. In this case you will already know the name of the patient, and should communicate empathetically by acknowledging their frustration/anger and try to defuse the situation:

“Hi Mr Smith? My name is Sarah and I am one of the nurses here at the hospital. I have been sent here by Dr X to let you know that she is still attending to an emergency call and will be another ten minutes. I understand you must be frustrated but she is doing all she can to attend to you as quickly as possible.” etc

Good Luck!
Nadishi Athulathmudali, OET Teacher

Reading Part B can seem particularly daunting after the quick pace of Part A. Many students do well in Part A because they can quickly match the relevant word(s) to fill in each gap. However, many of these same students struggle to complete Part B as it requires a much deeper level of reading comprehension.

Here I will provide two tips to improve your ability to pick the correct answers in Part B, and hone your approach to answering each question.

• Read the questions before the text. Most of the multiple choice questions in Part B refer to one particular paragraph in which the answer is located. For this reason it is better to get straight to reading the questions and then reading the relevant paragraph only. This way you are not wasting time by reading the entire piece provided, then having to go back and re-read each paragraph as dictated by each question
• Once you have read the relevant paragraph look at the multiple choice answers to pick the correct answer. Many students make the mistake of reading the question and then reading the multiple choice answers immediately BEFORE reading the relevant paragraph. This is problematic sometimes because you may end up putting your own bias into the interpretation of the paragraph because your own prior knowledge or opinion on the topic has led you to have a pre-formed notion about which answer that you have read is most correct.

Hope this was helpful! Good luck!

Nadishi Athulathmudali, OET Teacher