Problem: structure drills pass but full letters still wobble — because grammar must hold across genres (referral, discharge, transfer) with different zone mixes. Answer in brief: study one complete letter per genre with every verb choice explained, then write the next letter of each genre blind. This guide walks three genre letters with grammar commentary, and OET Grammar — Course 6 trains full-letter grammar across 14 topic sections.
Referral: asthma exacerbation with knee pain
Fictional letter anatomy, newly written: past for the exacerbation history and knee onset (“attended ED twice in March; knee pain began insidiously”); present for control today (“reliever needed most mornings; stairs avoided”); perfect for change (“exacerbations have increased since winter”); future for the dual request (respiratory review plus orthopaedic assessment — two questions, ordered by threat). Dual-problem referrals need dual questions; one shared “please advise” fails both.
Discharge: pneumonia with COPD and dementia
Anatomy: past for admission course (“treated with doxycycline, completed yesterday”); present for fitness (“afebrile 48 hours, saturating 93% on air”); perfect for recovery markers (“appetite has returned”); dementia handled as supervision needs in present tense (“requires prompting for medication; daughter supervises evenings”); future for GP actions with dementia-aware follow-up (face-to-face, not phone). Comorbidity changes the plan’s shape, not just its content.
Study full letters supervised? The full OET Grammar — Course 6 works complete referral, discharge and transfer letters across 14 topic sections with mock tests. Explore the course →
Transfer and handover: leg wound with diabetes
Anatomy: past for wound history and debridements with dates; present for today’s measures (size, exudate, pain score, pedal pulses); perfect for trajectory (“has reduced from 6 to 3 cm”); glycaemic context with trend; future for the receiving unit’s tasks numbered. Handovers enumerate owners — “tissue viability to review Tuesday; diabetes team to advise on control” — because transfers fail on vagueness about who.
Cross-genre grammar patterns
Referrals lean past-plus-question; discharges lean present-plus-plan; transfers lean perfect-plus-owners. Learn the lean of each genre and zone errors drop by half before any rule is memorised. After training, classify any new case by genre first — the grammar follows the genre.
FAQs
How do dual-problem letters stay organised?
Threat order with separate questions per problem. Shared paragraphs blur accountability; separate questions keep each problem owned.
How much dementia detail belongs?
Functional supervision needs only — prompting, supervision hours, decision-maker. Cognitive scores rarely transfer; care implications always do.
What is in the course?
Fourteen topic sections of complete referral, discharge and transfer letters with full grammar commentary, plus 5 complete mock tests.
The matching course
OET Grammar — Course 6 graduates grammar to full letters: referral, discharge and transfer genres with every verb explained — 14 topic sections with 5 mock tests. If drills pass but letters wobble, graduate here.
Sources and note
- OET Writing criteria per the official OET site: oet.com — Writing. Check current format guidance before the exam.
- Course details verified from its public staging page (read-only): 14 topic sections, 5 mock tests.
- Examples are newly written and fictional; other valid structures exist.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
