Occupational English Test Preparation
  • NEW
    • Home >
      • SLC: Alexandra
      • SLC: Anju
      • SLC: Bernadette
      • FAQ
      • Books
      • Contact
  • Reading
    • Reading: Breast Cancer Mortality Statistics
    • Malaria
    • Australian Children Activity
    • Reading: HIV in Queensland >
      • Insomnia: Reading Comprehension
      • HIV Testing and Treatment
      • Dialogue: Generic and Brand Names
    • Reading: E-Cigarettes >
      • E-Cigarettes v Cigarettes (2/18)
    • Reading: Statins and Heart Disease >
      • Blood Pressure and Pulse
    • Reading: Insomnia >
      • Reading: Spray on Wound Care
      • Sleep Terms
    • Reading: Eczema Cases Soar >
      • Medical Terms: Eczema >
        • Dialogue: Bedwetting
    • Treating Animal Bites
  • Speaking
    • OET Speaking: Dentists
    • OET Speaking: Nurses >
      • Dialogue: Dialysis
      • Fractured Clavicle
      • Dog Bite >
        • Dialogue: Dog Bite
    • OET Speaking: Pharmacy >
      • Dialogue: Discussing Statins
      • Dialogue: Acne Treatment >
        • Medical Terms: Acne
  • Listening
    • What is the OET Listening test like?
    • Listening in the Workplace >
      • Listening:Handovers
    • Developing Listening Skills
    • Liver Terms
  • Writing
    • Medical English: Spelling >
      • Spelling Silent C
      • Spelling Silent gh
      • Spelling: Silent 'g'
      • Verbs Used in Patient Care >
        • Verbs used in patient care: Activities
        • Palliative Care
  • Medical Terms
    • Medical Terms: Dentistry >
      • Mouth
      • Medical Terms: Dental
    • Medical Terms: OT >
      • Medical Terms: Occupational Therapy >
        • Occupational Therapy: Activities
        • OT: Hand and Writing Terms >
          • Hand and Writing Terms: Activities
    • Medical Terms: Obstetrics and Gyne >
      • Hysterectomy
      • Obstetric Terms
    • Medical Terms: Diseases >
      • Blindness
      • Patient's Condition >
        • Vomiting Terms
      • Describing Disease >
        • Illnesses: Easy
      • Anaemia
      • Parasite Diseases
    • Prefixes and Suffixes >
      • Colour Prefixes
      • Medical Prefix: dys
    • Medical Terms: The Elderly >
      • Falls Prevention >
        • Falls Prevention: Activity
      • Dementia
      • Pressure Area Care
      • Headache Terms >
        • Headache Terms: Activities
      • Toileting Terms
    • Medical Terms: Parts of the Body >
      • Ear
      • Head, Brain & Hair >
        • Hair, Skin and Nails >
          • Skin Disorders
          • Skin Disorders 2
        • Medical Terms: Kidney Function >
          • Kidney Function: Activities
          • Prostatitis >
            • Prostatitis Terms
        • Respiratory Secretions
    • Medical Terms: Pharmacy >
      • Medication with the Prefix 'anti-'
      • Types of Medication >
        • Types of Medication: Activities
      • Day and Night >
        • Day and Night: Activities

What Class-room Teaching Can Do for You

7/1/2017

4 Comments

 
Picture
  Last week, I had the opportunity of teaching an OET preparation class at the Sydney College of English, where I met a group of students who are preparing to sit the OET test this month.

 It was interesting for me to be on the 'teacher' side of the desk, rather than the 'writer of materials' side of the desk. It gave me the chance to make a few observations. These are:
1) The subtests in general
It is very important to understand the structure of the tests, so you can practise and become familiar with the form your answers will take. Take the writing subtest - You need to be able to write a letter which can be clearly understood and one which makes sense. Your ideas should 'flow' in a logical way. For example:
Paragraph 1: Should state why you are writing
* to refer for ongoing care and support (community nurses)
* to refer for a review of the case and advice on further management (doctor to a specialist)
* to refer for a specialist programme after discharge, e.g. rehab ( nurse/ doctor to physio/ OT)
* to refer (or transfer) to a nursing home / hospice for care after discharge

In paragraph 1, you should also introduce the patient, giving relevant medical and social background information as well as medication information, if needed.

Paragraph 2: Explain recent treatment/ surgery in hospital. Outline any complications that occurred or reasons why the patient may need assistance or further management after discharge.

Paragraph 3: Usually the time that you ask for the help for an issue which has triggered the need for referral. For example, the patient may not be well enough after surgry to manage personal care and not have family close by to help. The patient may have a dressing to be done after discharge. The patient may need blood tests and review by the GP after discharge.

So, paragraph 3 is often the 'request' paragraph. What you are saying is 'I've explained about the patient and why s/he needs your help. Now, could you please ......?

2) The role plays in the speaking subtest.
These also follow a format, always with the awareness that the interlocutor (playing the part of the patient/carer/relative) will try to take you off track. 
Read the tasks carefully and plan your dialogue, so that you can cover all the tasks.
Identify the language functions you are going to display - explaining something, giving gentle advice/ suggesting, giving strong advice/ warning about serious consequences.

Finally, never forget that your 'patient' is supposed to be someone with no medical knowledge or limited knowledge. You need to be able to talk in terms that your 'patient' will understand. Think of some of the procedures/ blood tests/ operations, you may have to explain during the role play. Write down 3 or 4 points which you will use in your explanation and practise with a friend.

For example, a podiatrist explaining to a patient how s/he will treat an ingrown toenail which has become very painful.

You will notice, that I gave an example for a podiatrist. This is because each of the 12 professions uses the same language functions in order to communicate well. Everyone has to explain something, speak empathetically, persuade patients to do something they don't want to do, give advice, make suggestions about lifestyle changes, respond to complaints, talk about embarrassing or sensative topics etc.

This means that you can look at any role play examples and 'rewrite' them for your profession, especially if there are few resources for your profesion, e.g. optometry, radiography or podiatry.

The heading of the blog today refers to the benefit of class-room teaching. Whilst I am a great fan of Blended Learning and online courses ( I write them after all!), I think f2f teaching and learning has an important place in OET preparation. Many candidates I speak to or receive comments from, access materials which are outdated or incorrect, when they practise OET skills. Some try to learn role plays off by heart - a disaster! A good preparation class gives you and your teacher the opportunity of pinpointing where the issues are - where you are going wrong, in effect.  


4 Comments
Ayesh
10/1/2017 05:17:16

It is so nice of you to explain both the expected structure of the writing/speaking subtest and the facts the candidate are expected to be professint at!
It would be great if you could provide some useful quotes, phrases that can be included in writting formal letters ( Not to learn by heart but to understand the amount of professionalism expected in the context)

Thank you!

Reply
Virginia Allum link
12/1/2017 21:05:17

Thank you for your positive feedback, Ayesh. I will look into developing a package of expressions which can be used in writing letters. Incidentally, when I am teaching an OET writing class, I usually give students a few options to use, when writing.
Virginia

Reply
Mariam Baurice
26/8/2017 16:28:20

MY NAME IS MARIAM FROM SOUTH AFRICA...I SAW THIS COMMENT ON POSITIVE BLOGS AND I WILL LOVE TO TELL EVERYBODY HOW MY STATUS CHANGES TO NEGATIVE, AND AM NOW A LIVING WITNESS OF IT AND I THINK ITS A SHAME ON ME IF I DON'T SHARE THIS LOVELY STORY WITH OTHER PEOPLE INFECTED WITH THIS DEADLY VIRUS...,HIV HAS BEEN ONGOING IN MY FAMILY... I LOST BOTH PARENTS TO HIV,. AND IT IS SO MUCH PAIN IVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET OVER.. AS WE ALL KNOW MEDICALLY THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO IT..AND MEDICATION IS VERY EXPENSIVE..SO SOMEONE INTRODUCED ME TO A NATIVE MEDICAL PRACTITIONER IN AFRICA..I HAD A JOB THERE TO EXECUTE SO I TOOK TIME TO CHECK OUT ON HIM.I SHOWED HIM ALL MY TESTS AND RESULTS.. I WAS ALREADY DIAGNOSED WITH HIV AND IT WAS ALREADY TAKING ITS TOWL ON ME.. I HAD SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SO I DECIDED TO TRY HIM OUT...I WAS ON HIS DOSAGE FOR 1 MONTHS. ALTHOUGH I DIDNT BELIEVE IN IT, I WAS JUST TRYING IT OUT OF FRUSTRATION... AND AFTER 2 WEEKS, I WENT FOR NEW TESTS... AND YOU WONT BELIEVE THAT 5 DIFFERENT DOCTORS CONFIRMED IT THAT AM NEGATIVE..IT WAS LIKE A DREAM,,I NEVER BELIEVE AIDS HAS CURE..AM NOW NEGATIVE,,AM A LIVING WITNESS..I DONT KNOW HOW TO THANK THIS MAN... I JUST WANT TO HELP OTHERS IN ANY WAY I CAN..HAVE JOINED MANY FORUMS AND HAVE POSTED THIS TESTIMONIES AND ALOT OF PEOPLE HAS MAIL AND CALLED THIS MAN ON PHONE AND AFTER 2 WEEKS THEY ALL CONFIRMED NEGATIVE..BBC NEWS TOOK IT LIVE AND EVERY.. HOPE HE HELPS YOU OUT.. EVERYBODY SAW IT AND ITS NOW OUT IN PAPERS AND MAGAZINES THAT THERE'S NATIVE CURE FOR HIV AND ALL WITH THE HELP OF THIS MAN,,HAVE TRIED MY OWN PARTS AND ALL LEFT WITH YOU,,IF YOU LIKE TAKE IT OR NOT..GOD KNOWS HAVE TRIED MY BEST.ABOUT 97 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED NEGATIVE THROUGH ME..AND THEY SEND MAILS TO THANKS ME AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED NEGATIVE,,THIS MAN IS REAL..DON'T MISS THIS CHANCE,,HIV IS A DEADLY VIRUS,,GET RID OF IT NOW..
case there is anyone who has similar problem and still

looking for a way out, and he those cast all kind of spell like ::
Love Spells
Luck, Money Spells
Health, Well Being
Protection, Healing
Curses, ex, Breakups
NEW! Combo Spells
High Priestess Spells
Vampire Spells
Authentic Voodoo Spells
Custom, Other Spells
Business spells
Health/Healing spells
Cancer healing
Curse removal
Job spells
Healing from all kind of diseases
Love binding
Barrenness(need a child)
Need love
Lottery Spells
Promotions
Success
Money rituals
winning court case
Divorce spells
Low sperm count
Infertility in women
Breast enlargement/reduction
Penis enlargement/reduction
Diabetes
Arthritis
sicklecell
YOU CAN CONTACT HIM HERE AS (dr.abalaka@outlook.com) and also his state based number text him here if you're in the US: 760-935-3804 if you need any question contact me via here as mariambaurice@gmail.com i wish you best of luck and good health.

Reply
Laurie Jane Spyros
15/4/2019 21:19:33


Attention!!!

Do you have a bad credit?
Do you need money to pay bills?
Do you need to start up a new business?
Do you have unfinished project at hand due to bad financing?
Do you need money to invest in some area of specialization which will profit you? and you don’t know what to do.

we render all kinds of loan in good services, contact us via email: inforamzanloan@gmail.com

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I am a medical English author of books and online courses. I have a particular interest in  OET preparation and am an OET premium preparation provider with my colleagues at Specialist Language Courses. I am based in the UK.

    Archives

    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    December 2015
    July 2015
    September 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    Categories

    All
    Dentists
    Listening Skills
    Medical Terminology
    Occupational English Test
    Oet
    OET For Dentists
    OET Listening
    OET Writing Subtest
    Readiness For OET
    Reading Skills
    Signposting Words
    Skimming
    Speaking Skills
    The Free Dictionary
    Youtube

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly