A number without its unit or context may be incomplete or misleading. Accurate writing requires more than copying the digits correctly.
The first case in From Case Notes to Success in OET Medicine Writing includes several measurements and time periods. This guide uses neutral examples to practise quantity checking.
Read the whole quantity
Identify what is being measured, the number, the unit and any relevant time period. Do not move a number from one item to another while compressing the notes.
Original study notes
Three sessions per week; twenty minutes per session.
Accurate: “The plan includes three twenty-minute sessions each week.”
Changed meaning: “The plan includes twenty sessions of three minutes.”
Preserve the basis of comparison
A total, a daily amount and an amount per session describe different things. Keep the denominator or time basis when it matters to the reader.
Spot the lost context
“The learner practises for twenty minutes” omits whether that is per session, per day or per week. Restore the relevant time basis from the notes.
Do a focused numerical pass
After drafting, compare each number with the source. Check digits, units, dates and the noun the number describes. Avoid calculating new quantities unless the task requires them and the calculation is sound.
Practise on a non-clinical schedule first. In healthcare writing tasks, this method supports accurate transcription; it does not establish whether a clinical quantity or instruction is appropriate.
Explore OET Writing for Doctors — Course 8 to see the course outline, current availability and enrolment options. Use the worked exercise above to identify a skill you would like to practise next.
Your next step
OET Writing for Doctors — Course 8
Explore the complete course outline and related practice topics.
Source: OET Meds WR - 259-1.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.