Short answer: The official OET Writing samples are on OET's own website: the sample tests page has free sample tests for paper and for computer, and you choose your profession there. OET also publishes a graded Writing sample booklet with real candidates' letters, their grades and assessors' comments. Each Writing sample gives you a task and a set of case notes about one patient; your job is to pick what the reader needs from those notes and turn it into a clear letter. When you have used the official samples, OET Writing practice on our site gives you more case notes to write on, in a copy of the computer-based test.
Where are the official OET Writing samples?
Start with OET, because only OET's material is written by the people who set the real test. As of October 2026 there are three places to look.
| Where | What you get |
|---|---|
| OET sample tests | Free sample tests for OET on paper and OET on computer, covering all four sub-tests, Writing included. You pick your profession on the pages it links to. |
| Graded Writing sample booklet | Real candidates' letters with the grade each one received and assessors' comments on what worked and what needed improvement. It covers 10 of the 12 professions. |
| Ultimate Guide to OET Writing | OET's own guide to the six Writing criteria, with short examples from case notes and letters. |
On the paper sample pages, each profession has its own sample test packs. The Nursing page, for example, offers five packs, each with the test questions, an answer key and an audio file (Nursing sample tests). The Writing task sits inside the test questions.
The Writing task is written for your profession: OET describes it as a formal letter "on a profession-specific matter" based on case notes (OET Writing). So download the samples for the profession you will sit, not a colleague's.
What is in an OET Writing sample?
Every OET Writing sample has two parts: the case notes and the Writing task.
The case notes describe one patient. They are written in note form, the way a clinician writes in a patient record, with abbreviations and short phrases.
The Writing task sits at the end, just below the case notes. It tells you who you are, who you are writing to, and why. It also gives the reader's name, title and address, which OET says you should use in your letter (OET Writing).
The test lasts 45 minutes: 5 minutes of reading time, then 40 minutes to write (OET Writing). During the reading time you can read but you cannot write, underline or circle anything (OET on reading time). Once the 40 minutes start, you can look back at the task and the case notes as often as you like.
What do the case notes contain?
The case notes hold everything you need for the letter, and more than you need. OET's Writing guide says all the content for your letter comes from the case notes, but not all of the case notes will be relevant (Ultimate Guide to OET Writing).
The notes are set out under headings, and the headings change from case to case. You will usually meet these kinds of information:
- Patient details: name, date of birth or age, and the dates of admission, visits or discharge.
- Social background: who the patient lives with, family, work, home situation, habits. OET's guide gives an example where the notes mention the patient's children, grandchildren, profession and money, none of which the reader needed.
- Medical history: past conditions and operations.
- Medications: names, doses and changes.
- The current problem: what happened, the findings on examination and the test results.
- Treatment and progress: what has been done so far and how the patient has responded.
- The plan: what happens next. OET's guide says that if the task does not tell you the type of letter or its main topic, you can usually find it in this final section, just above the Writing task.
Some cases follow the patient over several visits or days, so the same heading can appear more than once with a date beside it.
What is your job with the case notes?
Your job is to write the letter the reader needs to continue the patient's care, using only what is in the case notes. OET puts it this way: the task asks you to "select and organise relevant information" and present it clearly and accurately (OET Writing).
In practice, that comes down to five things:
- Find the reader and the purpose. Read the Writing task first, then the final section of the notes. Who is the letter for, and what should they do after reading it? A referral, a discharge, a transfer and an update each need a different letter.
- Choose what the reader needs. Ask of every line in the notes: does this help the reader care for this patient or act on my request? If not, leave it out. A reader who already knows the patient needs less background than a new one.
- Keep the facts accurate. Change the notes into full sentences without changing their meaning. OET's guide shows how a wrong tense or a near-synonym ("living near her daughter" instead of "living with her daughter") gives the reader the wrong picture.
- Put it in a sensible order. Group related information together, so the reader does not have to search for it.
- Write it as a letter. Full sentences, not notes, in a polite, professional tone, with the reader's details from the task. OET gives a guide of about 180 to 200 words for the body of the letter, and there is no automatic penalty for going over or under (OET Writing).
Two OET assessors then mark the letter against six criteria: Purpose, Content, Conciseness and Clarity, Genre and Style, Organisation and Layout, and Language (OET Writing). Every one of them depends on how well you read the case notes, which is why the 5 minutes of reading time matter as much as the 40 minutes of writing.
Where can you practise more OET Writing samples?
OET's official samples are the place to start, but there are only a few per profession, and most candidates need more letters than that before test day. OET Writing practice on OET Ultimacy is built for the next step:
- Case notes for Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy, which you can filter by letter type: referral, urgent referral, discharge, transfer, update and request.
- A copy of the computer-based Writing test: the case notes open first for 5 minutes with the answer box locked, then the box opens for 40 minutes with a live word count while the notes stay on screen.
- Save a letter, come back to it later and keep timing it.
- Read letters other candidates wrote for the same case notes, so you can compare what they chose to include with what you chose.
One case per profession is open to everyone, so you can try the format before you decide. The full set comes with Ultimacy Premium. If you are still learning what OET is, start with What is OET?, and for what each grade means, see OET scores and grades.
Frequently asked questions
Are the official OET Writing samples free?
Yes. OET's sample tests page offers free sample tests for paper and for computer, and the Writing task is part of them. OET also publishes a graded Writing sample booklet with real candidates' letters and assessors' comments. Download them from oet.com rather than from copies on other sites, which may be out of date.
Where can I find OET Writing samples for nurses and doctors?
On OET's sample tests page, choose OET on paper or OET on computer, then choose your profession: Nursing, Medicine or any of the others. The Writing task is written for each profession, so a nurse should practise on Nursing case notes and a doctor on Medicine case notes.
Are there OET Writing sample answers?
The best official source of graded letters is OET's graded Writing sample booklet: real candidates' letters, the grade each received and assessors' comments on what worked and what did not. It covers 10 of the 12 professions. Read the comments as closely as the letters, because they show what the assessors reward.
What are case notes in OET Writing?
Case notes are the patient information you write your letter from. They are in note form and usually cover the patient's details, social background, medical history, medications, the current problem, treatment so far and the plan. Not everything in them belongs in your letter; choosing the relevant parts is part of the test.
Can I write on the case notes during the reading time?
No. OET says you cannot write, underline or circle anything during the 5 minutes of reading time. Use those minutes to read the task, find the reader and the purpose, and decide which parts of the notes you will need. You can write and keep checking the notes once the 40 minutes begin.
OET Ultimacy is an independent OET preparation provider and is not affiliated with OET or Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment. Test rules, fees and requirements can change, so always check oet.com and the body you are applying to.
