A referral can explain the reason for an assessment while leaving its outcome uncertain. The request should not turn into a diagnosis simply because the writer wants a strong opening.
The first task in OET Writing for Speech Therapy Professionals links observations to a request for further assessment and a later plan. This guide focuses on that relationship in the writing.
State what the recipient is being asked to do
Use the task's actual request. Avoid a vague opening that only announces “further care” when a specific assessment is requested.
Original technical example
Notes: Repeated audio interruptions; cause unknown; request connection assessment before the next lesson.
Purpose: “Please assess the connection following repeated audio interruptions before the next lesson.”
Use observations to support the request
Select the facts that explain why the assessment is needed. Do not add a causal explanation the notes have not established.
What is wrong with this opening?
“The faulty router needs replacing” assumes both a confirmed cause and a required solution. The illustrative notes establish interruptions and a request for assessment, not those conclusions.
Keep the later plan dependent on the result
If the next step will be decided after the assessment, preserve that dependency. Do not describe the later step as already completed.
Try a three-sentence practice paragraph: request, supporting observations and the documented next stage. Check that your reader can understand why the assessment matters without being told an invented result.
Explore OET Writing for Speech Pathologists — Course 2 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 Speech Pathologists — Course 2
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Source: OET SPE WR 02.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.