OET Writing: Transfer and Discharge Letters — Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a discharge letter in the OET Writing sub-test?

To request a consultation with a specialist
To summarize a patient's hospital stay and communicate care to the next provider (Correct answer)
To document a patient's medication history only
To inform the patient of their diagnosis

Correct answer: To summarize a patient's hospital stay and communicate care to the next provider

A discharge letter summarizes the patient's inpatient care and communicates essential information to the receiving healthcare provider for continuity of care.

Question 2: In an OET discharge letter, which information should typically appear FIRST?

Medication list
Patient's social history
Patient's identifying details and reason for admission (Correct answer)
Follow-up appointment instructions

Correct answer: Patient's identifying details and reason for admission

The letter should open with the patient's identifying information and the reason for admission to immediately orient the receiving provider.

Question 3: Which of the following is NOT typically included in an OET transfer letter?

Reason for transfer
Current treatment plan
Patient's insurance billing codes (Correct answer)
Relevant medical history

Correct answer: Patient's insurance billing codes

Insurance billing codes are administrative details not relevant to clinical communication in an OET transfer letter.

Question 4: In the OET Writing task, the case notes provided are meant to:

Be copied verbatim into the letter
Serve as a source of information to select and organize into appropriate letter format (Correct answer)
Replace the need for a formal letter structure
Provide the examiner's model answer

Correct answer: Serve as a source of information to select and organize into appropriate letter format

Case notes contain raw clinical information that candidates must select, organize, and rewrite in appropriate professional letter format.

Question 5: What tone is most appropriate for an OET discharge or transfer letter?

Informal and conversational
Overly technical with excessive medical jargon
Professional, clear, and objective (Correct answer)
Emotional and empathetic to the patient's personal feelings

Correct answer: Professional, clear, and objective

OET letters should maintain a professional, clear, and objective tone appropriate for healthcare professional-to-professional communication.

Question 6: When writing about a patient's medications in a discharge letter, you should:

List only the medications started during the hospital admission
Include dosage, frequency, and duration for each medication (Correct answer)
Write only the generic names of medications
Omit medications the patient was already taking before admission

Correct answer: Include dosage, frequency, and duration for each medication

Complete medication information including dosage, frequency, and duration is essential for safe continuity of care.

Question 7: Which statement about the OET Writing task expected length is CORRECT?

There is a strict maximum of 100 words
Candidates should aim for approximately 180–200 words (Correct answer)
There is no word guideline and length does not matter
The letter must be exactly 250 words

Correct answer: Candidates should aim for approximately 180–200 words

The OET Writing task expects responses of approximately 180–200 words, sufficient to cover essential information without unnecessary padding.

Question 8: In an OET discharge letter, which phrase is most appropriate when introducing the reason for the patient's admission?

The patient came in because they felt very bad.
Mr. Johnson was admitted on [date] with a diagnosis of... (Correct answer)
We had to keep this patient due to serious problems.
The above-named patient showed up at our facility.

Correct answer: Mr. Johnson was admitted on [date] with a diagnosis of...

Formal, precise language identifying the patient and admission details is the standard professional opening for an OET discharge letter.

Question 9: A patient is being transferred from a medical ward to a rehabilitation facility. Which piece of information is MOST critical to include?

The patient's dietary preferences
The name of the admitting nurse
The patient's current functional status and rehabilitation goals (Correct answer)
The hospital's visiting hours policy

Correct answer: The patient's current functional status and rehabilitation goals

For a rehabilitation transfer, the patient's functional status and goals are essential for the receiving facility to plan appropriate individualized care.

Question 10: Which of the following represents IRRELEVANT information in an OET discharge letter for a patient admitted for appendicitis?

Post-operative wound care instructions
The patient's childhood history of chicken pox (Correct answer)
Prescribed antibiotics and duration
Follow-up appointment with the surgeon

Correct answer: The patient's childhood history of chicken pox

A remote, unrelated childhood illness is not pertinent to the patient's current episode of care for appendicitis and should be excluded.

Question 11: When mentioning test results in a discharge or transfer letter, you should:

Include all results regardless of relevance
Report only clinically significant results with their importance noted (Correct answer)
Copy all results as raw numbers without any interpretation
Omit all laboratory results to keep the letter brief

Correct answer: Report only clinically significant results with their importance noted

Including only clinically significant results with their relevance prevents information overload and highlights what the next provider must act upon.

Question 12: Which of these is the best way to close an OET discharge or transfer letter?

Thank you for taking this patient off our hands.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further information. We look forward to your continued care of this patient. (Correct answer)
That is all we have to say about this case.
Goodbye and good luck with this patient.

Correct answer: Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further information. We look forward to your continued care of this patient.

A professional closing that offers further communication and expresses collaborative intent is standard practice in clinical correspondence.

Question 13: In an OET transfer letter written by a nurse, what is the most important wound care information to include?

The name of the nurse who performed dressing changes
The brand name and cost of the dressing materials used
Current wound status, dressing type, and required frequency of change (Correct answer)
The number of dressing changes performed during the admission

Correct answer: Current wound status, dressing type, and required frequency of change

Clinical wound care details including current status, dressing type, and change frequency enable the receiving facility to continue wound management safely.

Question 14: Which of the following BEST describes the skill of 'selecting relevant case notes' in the OET Writing task?

Copying every piece of information from the case notes into the letter
Choosing the most clinically significant information appropriate to the letter's purpose and recipient (Correct answer)
Using only the first three items listed in the case notes
Including as much information as possible to make the letter longer

Correct answer: Choosing the most clinically significant information appropriate to the letter's purpose and recipient

The OET assesses candidates' ability to identify and prioritize clinically relevant information from the full set of case notes for a specific communication purpose.

Question 15: A patient with Type 2 diabetes is discharged after a hypoglycemic episode. Which aspect is MOST important to emphasize in the discharge letter to the GP?

The patient's occupation and work schedule
The circumstances triggering hypoglycemia and any medication adjustments made (Correct answer)
The names of all staff involved in the patient's care
The hospital cafeteria meals the patient consumed during admission

Correct answer: The circumstances triggering hypoglycemia and any medication adjustments made

Informing the GP of the hypoglycemic trigger and medication changes is essential for preventing recurrence and ensuring appropriate ongoing diabetes management.

Question 16: Which structural element is typically found in BOTH discharge and transfer letters in OET Writing?

A bibliography of clinical references consulted
A signed patient consent form
A clear statement of the patient's current condition and ongoing care needs (Correct answer)
A financial summary of treatment costs incurred

Correct answer: A clear statement of the patient's current condition and ongoing care needs

Communicating the patient's current status and future care needs is a core structural requirement common to both discharge and transfer letter formats.

Question 17: An OET examiner would most likely mark down a candidate for which error in a discharge letter?

Occasionally using passive voice constructions
Including the patient's date of birth in the opening paragraph
Including the patient's recent holiday plans, which are irrelevant to their care (Correct answer)
Using sub-headings to help organize the letter

Correct answer: Including the patient's recent holiday plans, which are irrelevant to their care

Including irrelevant information demonstrates poor clinical judgment and writing focus, which is directly penalized in the OET Writing assessment criteria.

Question 18: What does the OET Writing assessment criterion 'Appropriateness of Language' primarily evaluate?

Whether the candidate uses impressively complex vocabulary
The use of language suitable for the professional context and recipient (Correct answer)
Whether the entire letter is written in very formal English
The number of medical terms used per paragraph

Correct answer: The use of language suitable for the professional context and recipient

Appropriateness of language means using register, tone, and terminology that fits the clinical context and the professional relationship between sender and recipient.

Question 19: When writing a transfer letter for a patient with mental health needs, which of the following is MOST important to communicate?

The patient's favorite recreational activities and hobbies
Current medications, risk assessment findings, and current mental state (Correct answer)
The names and contact details of the patient's extended family members
The patient's full employment history

Correct answer: Current medications, risk assessment findings, and current mental state

For mental health transfers, medications, risk assessment, and current mental state are critical safety information for the receiving provider to plan safe care.

Question 20: Which of the following best demonstrates effective paraphrasing of case notes in an OET letter?

Pt c/o SOB x 3 days, O2 sat 88%
The patient was short of breath.
Mr. Davis presented with a 3-day history of shortness of breath, with oxygen saturation recorded at 88% on admission. (Correct answer)
The man could not breathe properly for some days and his blood oxygen was low.

Correct answer: Mr. Davis presented with a 3-day history of shortness of breath, with oxygen saturation recorded at 88% on admission.

Effective paraphrasing expands clinical abbreviations into full professional sentences while retaining the specific clinical details from the case notes.

Question 21: A candidate writes: 'Please note that the patient is allergic to penicillin and has a history of severe anaphylaxis.' Where in the discharge letter should this appear?

Only within the medication section at the end of the letter
Prominently near the beginning of the letter, before the medication section (Correct answer)
Only in the closing paragraph as a final reminder
It is optional information and can be omitted if space is limited

Correct answer: Prominently near the beginning of the letter, before the medication section

Critical safety information such as severe allergies must be highlighted prominently early in the letter to ensure it is not missed by the receiving provider.

OET Writing: Transfer and Discharge Letters

What is the primary purpose of a discharge letter in the OET Writing sub-test?

🃏 OET Flashcards — Study This Quiz as Flip Cards →

📚 Want to go deeper? Read the Full OET Study Guide →

What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for OET

An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:

A timed, full-length OET mock exam — 4 questions in 170 minutes with a 60% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
A fixed OET question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
A printable OET cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
OET flashcards built from the same question bank.

Start the Timed OET Mock Exam →

These practice questions were written with AI tools. They are not real exam questions. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

cambridgeenglish.org — Time limit, passing score, score validity, test delivery · verified Oct 2026
support.oet.com — Score release, eligibility, retake policy, registration deadline, exam information · verified Oct 2026