Two percentages do not necessarily measure the same thing. A change in audience, task or support can make a simple “from…to…” comparison misleading.
The first case in OET Writing Workbook for Speech Pathologists describes observations involving different listener groups. This guide focuses on keeping those conditions visible.
Read the label with the number
Before stating improvement, identify what each value describes. Preserve the task and audience rather than copying only the figures.
Original study example
Earlier: Completed four of ten unfamiliar tasks without help.
Later: Completed eight of ten familiar tasks with prompts.
These results should not be summarised as a direct doubling of independent performance. The task familiarity and support changed.
Report useful progress without exaggeration
You can describe each observation accurately and include other documented gains. Avoid a numerical comparison that assumes identical conditions when the notes show otherwise.
Write a faithful summary
“She completed four unfamiliar tasks independently at the earlier session. At the later session, she completed eight familiar tasks with prompts.”
The sentence preserves the evidence and lets the reader see the different conditions.
Retain remaining difficulties
Progress in one setting does not prove the same performance everywhere. If the notes identify a continuing limitation relevant to the plan, include it.
For practice, create a small comparison list with date, task, support and result. Use it to check every progress claim before you write your closing summary. Accurate conditions make the report more useful than an impressive but unsupported trend.
Explore OET Writing for Speech Pathologists — 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 Speech Pathologists — Course 3
Explore the complete course outline and related practice topics.
Source: OET SPE WR 03.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.