Problem: case summaries compress whole admissions into a paragraph — and compression scrambles tense, voice and explanation together. Answer in brief: summarise by selection (three facts that matter), tense by zone, voice by who-acts, and explain causes briefly wherever the reader might ask “why”. This guide teaches summary grammar with a worked case summary, and OET Grammar — Course 10 trains tenses, voice and explanations across 25 topic sections.
Summarise by selection, not compression
Compression squeezes everything shorter; selection keeps only what decides. A case summary needs: the reason for the episode (one line), the decisive course facts (two to three), today’s status (one line). Everything else stays in the notes. Grammar follows selection: reason in past, status in present, trajectory in perfect. Select first and the tenses nearly choose themselves.
Active vs passive, per sentence
Summary sentences alternate by function: active for patient journey (“She presented with…”, “She tolerated…”), passive for system actions (“She was commenced on…”, “A review has been arranged”). The alternation itself organises: active sentences carry story, passive sentences carry machinery. Monotone voice flattens the distinction; deliberate alternation structures it.
Train summary grammar supervised? The full OET Grammar — Course 10 covers verb tenses in case summaries with active-vs-passive training and explanations across 25 topic sections with 41 lessons and mock tests. Explore the course →
Passive voice in explanations
Causal explanations suit passive-leaning structures: “This was attributed to…” (hedged causation), “The rise is thought to reflect…” (interpretation marked as such), “Deterioration was considered secondary to…” (differential reasoning). Hedged passives let writers reason without overclaiming — the grammar of safe clinical judgement. Pair each explanation with its evidence in the same sentence.
Worked example: admission summary paragraph
Fictional summary, newly written: “Mrs Lindqvist, 76, presented with increasing breathlessness over four days (active reason). She was commenced on IV diuretics with good response, losing 3 kg (passive machinery + measure). Her exercise tolerance has improved markedly, and she now walks to the bathroom independently (perfect trajectory + present status). Deterioration was considered secondary to medication non-adherence, now addressed with a blister pack (hedged explanation + fix).” Selected, voiced, explained — roughly 90 words carrying a week.
FAQs
How long should a summary be?
One paragraph, four to six sentences, under 100 words. Summaries that sprawl are selections that failed — cut facts, not words.
Is hedging weakness?
No — marked reasoning (“considered secondary to”, “thought to reflect”) is professional precision. False certainty is the weakness examiners penalise.
What is in the course?
Twenty-five topic sections on tenses in summaries with active-vs-passive voice and explanations, 41 lessons and 5 complete mock tests.
The matching course
OET Grammar — Course 10 compresses without scrambling: selection, voice alternation, hedged explanations — 25 topic sections, 41 lessons, 5 mock tests. If summaries sprawl, select 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): 25 topic sections, 41 lessons, 5 mock tests.
- Examples are newly written and fictional; other valid structures exist.