Speaking
Speaking
Medical Clinic
PATIENT You are a 60-year-old diabetic. You have managed your diabetes for a number of
years with diet and tablets. However, your doctor wants you to start having insulin
injections. You are seeing the nurse to be shown how to give yourself these
injections.
• When asked, say you’re a bit anxious and you’re unsure about starting insulin
injections; you’ve been managing your diabetes well until now.
• When asked, say you just don’t really like the thought of injecting yourself; you
don’t think you’ll be able to do it.
• Say you feel better about the injections now; you’re ready for the nurse to watch
you give yourself an injection.
Medical Clinic
NURSE Your 60-year-old patient has type 2 diabetes, which has been moderately well
controlled by diet and oral medication until now. However, recently the patient’s
blood sugars have been high. The doctor has decided to commence insulin
injections. You are seeing the patient to show him/her how to administer injections.
Children’s Hospital
PARENT You are the parent of a three-year-old girl. You have brought your daughter to the
Emergency Department because she has chest tightness, wheezing and difficulty
breathing. The nurse is assessing her in triage and has just taken her vital signs.
Your daughter is now with your spouse and is not present for the discussion.
• When asked, say your daughter has had wheezing and difficulty breathing for
about an hour. She was running around in the garden when she started having
difficulty breathing. The symptoms are less severe now than when they started.
You haven’t given her any medicine as you weren’t sure what to give her. She’s
never had anything like this before.
• When asked, say your daughter is generally healthy. She hasn’t been ill recently.
She isn’t taking any medication. Your spouse had asthma as a child, but you
don’t think anyone else in the family has had asthma, hay fever or eczema.
• Say you just want to know if your daughter has asthma; you’re pretty sure she
has asthma because of her symptoms and because your spouse had it as a
child.
• When asked, say you really hope you don’t need to wait too long for your
daughter to see a doctor.
• Say you’ll go back to the waiting room and wait for your daughter to be called to
see a doctor.
© Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment SAMPLE TEST
Children’s Hospital
NURSE You see the parent of a three-year-old girl who has been brought to the Emergency
Department because she has chest tightness, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
You are assessing her in triage and have just taken her vital signs. The child is not
present for the discussion.
• Find out more information about child’s symptoms (duration, possible trigger,
changes in severity, treatment given, previous occurrences, etc.).
• Explore further relevant details about child (general health, recent illness, any
medication, family history of: asthma, hay fever, eczema, etc.).
• Give examination findings (condition stable, all vital signs normal, mild wheeze, no
cause for concern). Outline next steps (e.g., assessment by doctor, possible
need for tests/further investigation, initial diagnosis, discussion about treatment,
etc.).
• Resist request for diagnosis (e.g., not your role, symptoms consistent with
asthma but doctor to make diagnosis, asthma difficult to diagnose at young
age/early stages, etc.). Find out any other questions/concerns.
• Reassure parent about waiting time (e.g., not very busy, number of doctors
available, likely to be seen soon, quick exam with doctor: enabling treatment with
salbutamol inhaler, etc.). Establish parent’s consent to return to waiting room.
© Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment SAMPLE TEST
NURSample03
D.O.B.: D D M M Y Y Y Y PROFESSION:
CANDIDATE DECLARATION
CANDIDATE SIGNATURE:
INSTRUCTION TO CANDIDATES
Please confirm with the Interlocutor that your roleplay card number and colour match the Interlocutor card before you begin.
Interlocutor signature:
www.oet.com
© Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment – ABN 51 988 559 414
1
OET SAMPLE TEST
ROLEPLAYER CARD NO. 3 NURSING
You are 18 years old and in your last year of high school. You are very anxious
about an approaching examination and are experiencing panic attacks (sharp pains
in your chest). You are seeing the nurse to get advice on managing them.
NURSE You see an 18-year-old patient, who is in his/her last year of high school. He/she is
worried about an approaching examination and is having panic attacks. He/she is
seeing you for advice on how to manage them.
• Find out details about panic attacks (symptoms, duration, previous occurrences,
etc.).
• Explore possible triggers of panic attacks.
• Explain patient’s symptoms are a ‘normal’ response (e.g., to feeling anxious,
nervous, fearful, etc.).
• Reassure patient about panic attacks (e.g., common before exams, can be
managed, etc.). Make recommendations for self-care (e.g., go to quiet space,
visualise something peaceful, practise healthy habits: resting, eating well, getting
enough sleep, etc.).
• Advise patient to return to community health centre weekly (e.g., exercises for
relaxation and breathing, etc.).
D.O.B.: D D M M Y Y Y Y PROFESSION:
CANDIDATE DECLARATION
CANDIDATE SIGNATURE:
INSTRUCTION TO CANDIDATES
Please confirm with the Interlocutor that your roleplay card number and colour match the Interlocutor card before you begin.
Interlocutor signature:
www.oet.com
© Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment – ABN 51 988 559 414
1
OET SAMPLE TEST
ROLEPLAYER CARD NO. 4 NURSING
Patient’s Home
CARER Your spouse is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and
requires continuous oxygen. Mobility is now a problem. You have been caring
for your spouse at home for two years but have recently returned to work. The
nurse has just completed an assessment of your spouse’s needs and is discussing
full-time care options with you. Your spouse is not present for the discussion.
• When asked, say you’ve recently had to go back to work (as a marketing
manager), so you’re balancing being a carer and working full-time. You’ve put a
fridge and microwave in the bedroom, and leave meals out every day, but you’re
worried it’s not enough.
• Say you knew that eventually your spouse would need more round-the-clock
support, but you’d hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. You have no idea what you’re
going to do now.
• When asked, say there is no way you can give up your job as a marketing
manager again to be a full-time carer; you need the money to pay the rent. You
think a nursing home is a good option but you’re not sure your spouse would
agree to it.
• When asked, say you don’t know how to find the best nursing home.
• Say some suggestions would be helpful. You’ll talk to your spouse about those
suggestions.
© Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment SAMPLE TEST
Patient’s Home
NURSE You are making a home visit to a patient who is suffering from chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) and requires continuous oxygen. Mobility is now a
problem. The patient’s spouse has been caring for him/her at home for two years
but has recently returned to work. You have just completed an assessment of the
patient’s needs and are discussing full-time care options with his/her spouse. The
patient is not present for the discussion.
• Find out how spouse has been managing since your last visit.
• Reassure spouse about his/her situation (e.g., doing all he/she can, caring and
working full-time: difficult, etc.). Give assessment of patient (now constant
monitoring necessary, round-the-clock assistance, etc.).
• Outline options (full-time carer, nursing home, etc.). Explore option of spouse
giving up work again.
• Explain benefits of nursing home to be discussed with spouse (e.g., high level of
round-the-clock care, experienced staff, etc.). Find out any other concerns.
• Advise on choosing nursing home (e.g., list of requirements, visiting different
options, speaking to staff/residents, etc.). Offer to suggest local nursing homes
for consideration.
D.O.B.: D D M M Y Y Y Y PROFESSION:
CANDIDATE DECLARATION
CANDIDATE SIGNATURE:
INSTRUCTION TO CANDIDATES
Please confirm with the Interlocutor that your roleplay card number and colour match the Interlocutor card before you begin.
Interlocutor signature:
www.oet.com
© Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment – ABN 51 988 559 414
1
OET SAMPLE TEST
ROLEPLAYER CARD NO. 5 NURSING
Clinic
PATIENT You are 51 years old and were overexposed to the sun in your teens. You have just
had a lesion removed from your hand following a diagnosis of squamous cell
carcinoma. The nurse has come to remove the stitches.
• When asked, say the doctor told you that you had something called squamous
cell carcinoma, which you think is just another name for skin cancer; you’re a little
worried.
• Say you have a better understanding of what squamous cell carcinoma is now.
Ask if you’re likely to need more surgery to remove other lesions in the future.
• When asked, say you always wear a high factor sunscreen, 30 or higher. You
wear a hat when you’re out in the sun, but you think it’s too late because the
damage has already been done; you spent too much time in the sun in your
teenage years.
• Say you’ll make sure to look after your skin from now on. When asked, say your
wound has been fine; there’s no pain or discharge but you still think it’s too early
to have the stitches out.
• Say you’re ready to have the stitches removed.
Clinic
NURSE Your patient is 51 years old and has had a lesion removed from his/her hand
following a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. He/she was overexposed to the
sun in his/her teens. You have come to remove the stitches.
PATIENT/CARER ROLE-CARD
Patient: You are at A & E after sustaining a dog bite. You were walking to a
friend’s house and a dog suddenly ran up to you and bit you on the lower leg. It
is a deep gash and is still bleeding a little.
Patient: You are attending to a man/woman who has sustained a dog bite on
his/her leg. He/she was brought to the hospital by her friend. The wound will
not need to be sutured (stitched) but he/she will need a tetanus shot.
Task:
▪ Find out about the wound (the dog bite)
▪ Explain what treatment will be given in hospital
▪ Give advice about wound care at home
▪ Explain the need for a tetanus jab
▪ Persuade the patient/explain the importance of the tetanus jab
NURSE
Your patient is a 71-year-old who has had a blood clot on his/her leg due to deep
vein thrombosis. You are visiting the home to check on the swelling and also to
check that the patient is doing the exercises recommended by a doctor. The
medical report indicates that the patient smokes, drinks more than the
recommended daily intake and is reluctant to do any exercise. The patient has
recently been widowed and the doctor has some concerns about his/her mental
wellbeing. You are concerned that the patient might develop a pulmonary
embolism.
TASK
PATIENT
You are a 71-year-old who is recovering from a blood clot on your leg as a result of
deep vein thrombosis. The swelling has not gone down much and you are still in a
lot of pain. Sometimes you forget to take your medication (blood thinning tablets),
and you don’t do much exercise. Your partner died last year, and you don’t have
much contact with other people. You are worried that you might get another blood
clot.
TASK
SETTING Hospital
NURSE Your patient is a 7-year-old girl who has sprained her ankle doing gymnastics. The
ankle is badly swollen and painful to walk on. The patient had an x-ray that showed
that there was no fracture. However, the patient’s mother insists that her daughter
needs another x-ray and is convinced the injury is a fractured ankle rather than a
sprain.
TASK
SETTING Hospital
PATIENT Your daughter has injured her ankle doing gymnastics. She fell heavily from a
beam and all her weight landed on her left ankle. At the time, an icepack was
used to reduce the swelling. An x-ray revealed that the ankle is sprained but the
ankle remains swollen, and your daughter is in a lot of pain. You are sure that this
is more serious than a sprain as she has had a sprained ankle previously and this
seems much worse. You think that the ankle is fractured and you want your
daughter to have another x-ray.
TASK
Nurse: You are talking to a 38 year-old mother of 2 young children who slipped over this
morning and hurt her back. She now has severe back pain. She took some painkillers at
home but they didn’t work. Her husband drove her in as she couldn’t drive herself.
Patient
You are a 38 year-old mother of 2 young children. This morning you slipped over some toys
on the floor and hurt your back. The pain is unbearable – it’s an 8 out of 10. In your lower
back and it’s like a knife if you try to move. You couldn’t even drive the car in to hospital.
Task
• You just want some strong painkillers so you can get back home.
• You really don’t think the dose of painkillers and the anti-inflammatories the nurse is
suggesting is going to do anything.
• Reluctantly agree to try the painkillers and anti-inflammatories and say you will take
them regularly but only if you can get stronger ones if they don’t work.
• Agree to try the exercises as well.
My profession is medicine
I've been working as a physician for 10 years. 5 years were in Egypt and
the other 5 years were in United Arab Emirates.
I'm working for 8 hours daily from Saturday to Thursday so I'm working a
bout 48 hours per week. Unfortunately, I've no enough time to spend with
my family.
6-Why did you choose medicine as a career?
Ooh! the most important advice I give to them is to choose their specialty
carefully by choosing what they actually like because they will spend the
rest of their life practicing it. I also advise them to outline their target at an
early stage to avoid wasting their time so I recommend them to find out the
different styles of post graduation qualifications before choosing a specific
one and to keep updated with the recent guidelines to help people well.
9-How to be a successful physician?
Ooh! What a difficult question! from my point of view I think that success
in the field of medicine mainly depends on early and proper planning for
your career pathway. You should fulfill two elements. The first element is
the good planning which will save time and effort for you and the second
one is hard continuous working. You should also have a lot of skills like
being a good listener, showing sympathy to your patients, respecting the
patients' time and confidentiality, building a trust bond between you and
the patients and continuously updating yourself with the new guidelines
I'm keen to get frequent training courses. The last one that I had was about
"advanced cardiac life support" which was about one month ago and
implied how to perform a cardiac and respiratory support in case of cardiac
arrest. It also taught us how to deal with the cases of life threatening
arrhythmias. It was really a valuable course.
No doubt that the medical field is one of the fastest developing fields in the world.
Nearly every month there are new researches, theories and guidelines. Diabetes
mellitus treatment is one of the most important tasks that is developing rapidly. I
heard about a new trend of the treatment of diabetic patients by putting a pump of
insulin under their skin to release proper amounts of insulin according to their need
which will help them to get rid of the needles pricks and gain a good control of their
blood glucose level all over the day.