“Please arrange an appointment” and “An appointment has been arranged” are both grammatical. They describe different situations. The first asks someone to act; the second says the arrangement already exists.
The future-forms and recommendation exercises in Jobin Thomas’s High-Impact OET Grammar for Doctors show how verb choices affect the closing section of a letter. This guide focuses on preserving the status of an action, using administrative examples rather than treatment recommendations.
Establish what the notes actually say
Before choosing a verb, ask whether the action is requested, intended, possible or already completed. Do not turn a suggestion into a booking or an intention into a completed task simply to make the sentence sound confident.
Original status comparison
Request: “Could you confirm the appointment time?”
Intention: “I will contact the office to confirm the time.”
Completed action: “The office has confirmed the appointment time.”
Possibility: “An earlier appointment may be available.”
These versions are not interchangeable. Each gives the recipient different information about what remains to be done.
Keep the action clear inside polite wording
“I would be grateful if you could confirm the revised address” combines a courteous opening with a specific action. The reader can identify what is being requested. A long phrase such as “your kind assistance in relation to this matter” may leave that action less clear.
Politeness does not require hiding who needs to act. If the task identifies the recipient as responsible, a direct request can make that responsibility clear while remaining professional.
Use passive forms without losing responsibility
“The form should be sent” identifies an action but leaves the sender unnamed. That may be sufficient when the context makes the responsibility obvious. If it does not, “Please send the form…” or a sentence naming the responsible person may be clearer.
Changing active to passive should preserve the action’s status. “The office will send the letter” becomes “The letter will be sent by the office,” not “The letter has been sent.” The latter incorrectly marks it as complete.
Choose the sentence that matches the notes
Notes: Revised address supplied; recipient asked to update records; update not yet confirmed.
Option A: “Your records have been updated with the revised address.”
Option B: “Please update your records with the revised address.”
Answer: Option B requests the outstanding action. Option A claims completion that the notes do not establish.
Keep conditions attached to the action
If an arrangement depends on confirmation, retain that condition. “The meeting can proceed if the room is available” is different from “The meeting will proceed.” Removing the condition makes the statement stronger than the supplied information.
Similarly, “may be available” expresses a possibility. It should not become “is available” unless the information supports that change. Review modal verbs for meaning, not just for grammatical accuracy.
Check the closing paragraph for outstanding actions
Underline each requested or future action in your draft. Beside it, note who is expected to act and whether anything must happen first. Compare these notes with the original task information.
This review can reveal a letter that politely thanks the recipient but never states the actual request. It can also catch actions incorrectly presented as complete. Revise those meaning problems before making the wording more elaborate.
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Source: OET GRA DOC 16.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.