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The New OET Writing Criteria: What Exactly Is Changing?

The "New" OET Writing Subtest: What is exactly is changing? image banner

+ Bonus Review Questions for the new OET writing criteria

 
As I’m sure many of you have heard by now. As of 3rd August this year, changes are coming in relation to the OET Writing Subtest. What may not be clear, however, is exactly what those changes will be and how they will affect future test-takers.
 
In this article, I will look at exactly what is and, most crucially, isn’t changing in relation to the OET Writing subtest. To help reassure and support those of you who have been preparing diligently using the current format.

What isn’t changing

 

Let’s look at what isn’t changing first of all as the good news is that, in the main part, the subtest is going to remain almost exactly the same. The exam task will remain the same. Candidates will have to write a formal letter, usually a referral letter. Using a set of case notes, which they will have five minutes to read.
 
Candidates will then have forty minutes to write their letters. They expect you to write full sentences. They won’t expect you to use note form. But they will still expect you to use a letter format.
 
The task will neither be more difficult nor easier than it is currently, as it is not actually changing. The skills being tested are the same as before and the recommended strategies for scoring highly in this task remain very similar too. So what exactly is changing, then?

The old grading criteria

 

The area where change will be taking place is in relation to the grading criteria. Previously there were five; namely:

1) Overall Task Fulfilment

2) Appropriateness of Language

3) Comprehension of Stimulus

4) Linguistic Features

5) Presentation Features.

Each of these criteria were graded out of a maximum score of 6 and the score you would get in each criterion would contribute 20% to your overall score in the OET Writing Subtest. All of this will change.

The new grading criteria

There are now six new criteria for OET Writing which are named as follows:

1) Purpose

2) Content

3) Conciseness and Clarity

4) Genre and Style

5) Organisation and Layout

6) Language

All of the criteria now have a maximum grade of 7, except for Purpose which will be graded out of 3. I will look at each of these criteria in turn to demonstrate the changes in the way the OET Writing Subtest will be graded.

Purpose

 

 

This criterion focuses on the way the candidate makes the purpose of their letter immediately apparent and clear. You should include the purpose in the first paragraph of the letter. For example: “I am writing to refer to the above-mentioned patient. Who is suffering from worsening osteoarthritis?
 
Your assessment and management are urgently required.” These two sentences placed at the start of the letter makes it clear to the reader why the letter was written. And what action needs to be taken on the part of the reader. It has always been important to include this information but now one of the criteria focuses specifically on doing this.

Content

This criterion focuses on whether you have included all the necessary information in an accurate manner. It replaces the Overall Task Fulfilment. And it deals with aspects of Comprehension of Stimulus.

 
To score highly here, you are also required to write a letter of the required length. This will still, usually, be between 180-200 words. But the word count itself is a guide and they won’t penalise you for writing under or over it. The important thing is to make sure you include everything that is necessary.

Conciseness and Clarity

 

This area operates alongside the Content criterion. Whereas with the Content criterion you will receive credit for relevant information you include in your letter.
 
For this criterion, they will mark you down for any irrelevant information you include. Especially if this irrelevant information makes the purpose of your letter less clear.

Genre and Style

 

This criterion assesses what was before covered under Appropriateness of Language. You should continue to write using a formal register. And you need to use language which is suitable for your target audience.

 
For example, certain technical abbreviations would be suitable when writing to a doctor. Which would not be suitable if writing to a parent. Your writing should also be clinical, precise and non-judgemental.

Organisation and Layout

 

This has replaced Presentation Features. But it has a specific focus on making sure that you organise your letter properly. In a way that makes the retrieval of relevant information as easy as possible.
 
This involves including the most relevant information early in the letter. And structuring paragraphs so that important information is observable. And it doesn’t become buried in overly-long sentences.

Language

 

This has replaced Linguistic Features. But it now focuses more generally on aspects of vocabulary and grammar. Grammatical accuracy, spelling, cohesion, and punctuation will all be graded under this criterion. There is also a special focus on using language. Which makes the retrieval of relevant information easy to the reader.
 
So using keywords and phrases in sentences such as: “An ECG needs to be conducted as a priority”. Or “Your urgent assessment is required”. It helps to focus the reader’s attention on the information which is most important. The range of grammar used in the letter is not directly assessed, only the accuracy.

Summary

 
So, overall, the task itself has not changed but being familiar with the new criteria will ensure that you are doing everything. To score highly in the exam from August and beyond.
 
The Purpose criterion is the only part that is completely new. Other areas have been repackaged. And help to clarify exactly what it is the examiners are looking to see in your letters.
 
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This is a VERY IMPORTANT article that you should take note of. You can also bookmark this article and save it so that you can come back to it anytime. If you have any questions about the OET writing changes, do not hesitate to ask us and put them in the message box below!

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Bonus Review Questions for the new OET writing criteria:

Here are some questions to check your understanding of the new criteria:

Answer the following questions as True or False

The writing task will change as of August 2019.
All of the new criteria are graded out of 7.
They will penalised you if you write more than 200 words.
Retrieval of language is emphasised in the new criteria.
The new criteria place specific importance on making the purpose of your letter immediately clear.
Range of grammar is assessed as part of the Language criterion.

Which of the new criteria deals with the following aspects?

Use of appropriately formal language
Spelling and punctuation
Ensuring all relevant information is included
Ensuring all irrelevant information is excluded
Making sure important information is highlighted early
Making sure the reason for your letter is made clear from the start

Answers

False
Not True
False
True
True
False
Genre and Style
Language
Content
Conciseness and Clarity
Organisation and Layout
Purpose

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11 thoughts on “The New OET Writing Criteria: What Exactly Is Changing?”

  3. Nasrin

    Hi dear .
    May I ask the gap between each paragraph is still mandatory or no need any more?
    Another one is that true that we have to start with thank you for accepting ( patience name) , then continue the letter ?
    Thanks
    Nasrin

    Reply
  4. Gibsy john

    What are the recent updates in oet writing.Is( ; ) punctuation is needed after writing the name of medicine like Metformin ; 500 mg
    Another one ,Is it important to write purpose first and then diagnosis in introduction paragraph.

    Reply
    1. Swoosh English Team

      Hi Gibsy, great question.
      It’s fine to use commas writing simple lists, for example, “he takes metformin, lisinopril and atorvastatin.” This sentence is clear because the information is simple, with commas used to separate the three different medications.

      However, if the information you need communicate is more complex, using commas can make it unclear, especially if you are providing extra detail such as the dosage and frequency of the medication. In this situation, you can use a semi-colon (;)
      to separate the items on the list. For example, “he takes metformin, 1000mg with his evening meal; lisinopril, 10 mg and atorvastatin, 20mg both once a day.” The commas separating the name of the medication from its dosage can still be used.

      You can have a look here for more information if you want 🙂 – https://www.occupationalenglishtest.org/write-lists-more-clearly-with-semi-colons/#:~:text=Swap%20commas%20for%20semi%2Dcolons,they%20retain%20their%20useful%20function.

      Reply

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