“Not attempted” describes what happened during an opportunity to perform a task. It does not, by itself, establish that the person cannot do it.
The second case notes in OET Writing for Occupational Therapists: The Premium Guide distinguish activities not attempted from abilities not reassessed. These small qualifications deserve careful attention.
Separate performance from missing information
A documented difficulty provides information about performance. An unassessed activity leaves a gap. Neither should be substituted for the other when you expand notes into sentences.
Original learning example
Notes: Previously uploaded documents independently; upload task not reassessed today.
Accurate: “She previously uploaded documents independently; this task was not reassessed today.”
Unsupported: “She can no longer upload documents.”
Keep the time boundary
Previous independence is not automatically a current assessment. Equally, the absence of a current assessment does not prove a loss of ability. State the timing if it matters to the requested action.
What does “not attempted during the session” establish?
Only that the activity was not attempted during that session. A reason or conclusion about ability requires further information in the notes.
Review negative statements
Look for “cannot,” “unable” and “no longer.” Ask whether each statement is supported by an actual finding or whether you have converted missing evidence into a negative result.
Try rewriting a short paragraph with three separate labels: previous ability, current finding and information still missing. Preserve those distinctions in the final prose.
Explore OET Writing for Occupational Therapists — Course 3 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.
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OET Writing for Occupational Therapists — Course 3
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Source: OET OCCU WR 04.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.