Jobins Training · Free OET Practice
Dietetics: practise your professional communication.
One full Writing task and one paired Speaking role play, with models, reasoning and a second attempt.
No registrationOriginal practiceModels explainedWriting · Full-length task
Continuing nutrition support after coeliac diagnosis
Attempt the task before opening the model. Use the five-minute reading period to study the notes and task without writing or marking them; write your letter during the following 40 minutes.
Jobins Training · Original OET practice
- WRITING SUB-TEST:
- DIETETICS
- TIME ALLOWED:
- READING TIME: 5 MINUTES
WRITING TIME: 40 MINUTES
Read the case notes and complete the writing task below.
Notes:
Assume that today’s date is 6 November 2026.
Mr Oliver Dean, aged 32, receives care from the community dietetic service where you work.
- Service:
- Westbridge Community Dietetics, 20 Market Street, Westbridge
PATIENT DETAILS:
- Name:
- Oliver Dean (Mr)
- Date of birth:
- 09 Sep 1994 (32 years)
- New residence:
- 8 Meadow Court, Fairhaven
- Moving date:
- 12 Nov 2026; GP registration underway
- Household:
- Lives with partner; both cook
- Occupation:
- Graphic designer; works from home
- First assessment:
- 04 Sep 2026
- Diagnosis:
- Coeliac disease; confirmed Aug 2026
Medical history:
Diagnosis confirmed by gastroenterologist.
Investigations completed before gluten exclusion.
Previous six months: bloating, loose stools, fatigue.
Iron-deficiency anaemia; oral iron prescribed by GP.
Dose/monitoring details in GP summary.
No other regular medication.
No known drug allergies or documented food allergy.
No diabetes or kidney disease.
Social and dietary background:
Non-smoker; occasional weekend wine.
Recreational swimming reduced owing to fatigue.
Work deadlines interfere with meals.
Partner supportive; shares food preparation.
Height 1.80 m; usual pre-illness weight 76 kg.
Avoids milk – associates dairy with symptoms.
Concerned about cost of specialist gluten-free products.
Initial assessment – 04 Sep 2026:
Weight 70.5 kg.
Food intake restricted through fear of symptoms.
Breakfast: cereal; lunch: toast or omitted.
Evening: pasta or takeaway; few vegetables.
Unaware of barley in some sauces.
Shared kitchen equipment; cross-contact risk overlooked.
Dairy avoidance not previously assessed.
Dietetic management:
Lifelong gluten exclusion explained.
Balanced meals; naturally gluten-free staples discussed.
Label-reading practice completed.
Cross-contact prevention and shared-kitchen arrangements discussed.
Regular lunches encouraged; affordable choices explored.
Calcium sources and dairy tolerance discussed.
No blanket dairy exclusion recommended.
Three-day food/symptom record requested.
Written kitchen guidance provided.
Progress – 02 Oct 2026:
Weight 71.4 kg; appetite improving.
Stools usually formed; bloating less frequent.
Fatigue improving; breakfast/evening meals regular.
Lunch still missed twice/week.
Gluten-free bread purchased; shared toaster still used.
Separate preparation arrangements reviewed with partner.
Labelled spreads agreed; kitchen guidance reinforced.
Food record: calcium intake low.
Tolerated dairy/fortified alternatives discussed.
GP blood-test review booked; iron unchanged.
Current assessment – 06 Nov 2026:
Weight 72.2 kg.
Partner present with patient's consent.
Home food preparation improved.
Occasional bloating after eating away from home.
Uncertain about sauces and restaurant questions.
Lunch routine disrupted by new work deadline.
Wants inexpensive, quick meal options.
Still avoids milk.
Agrees to try calcium-fortified soya drink.
Label/portion review outstanding; adequacy not established.
No persistent diarrhoea, vomiting or further weight loss.
Transfer plan:
Continue dietetic support after move.
Review in four to six weeks.
Reassess weight, intake and calcium adequacy.
Further support: eating out, cross-contact, regular lunches.
Food records and education summary enclosed.
Patient consents to transfer.
GP to continue anaemia monitoring.
GP review if persistent symptoms/new weight loss develop.
Writing Task:
Using the case notes, write a transfer letter to Ms Hannah Price, Community Dietitian, Fairhaven Health Centre, 22 Market Road, Fairhaven. Request continued dietary care for Mr Dean after his move, explaining his progress and remaining needs.
In your answer:
- Develop the relevant notes into complete sentences.
- Write in paragraphs rather than note form.
- Use an appropriate letter layout.
The body of your letter should be approximately 180–200 words.
After your attempt: identify the recipient, the purpose, three essential facts and two details you deliberately left out. Then compare your decisions below.
Reveal the model letter
6 November 2026
Ms Hannah Price
Community Dietitian
Fairhaven Health Centre
22 Market Road
Fairhaven
Dear Ms Price,
Re: Mr Oliver Dean | DOB: 9 September 1994
Please continue dietetic care for Mr Dean after his move to Fairhaven on 12 November. Although his weight and bowel symptoms have improved, he needs further support with meal regularity, calcium intake and eating outside the home.
Coeliac disease was confirmed in August before gluten exclusion. At his September assessment, he weighed 70.5 kg, compared with a usual weight of 76 kg. Fear of symptoms had restricted his intake, and he frequently missed lunch. His GP is treating iron-deficiency anaemia and retains responsibility for monitoring.
Education has covered balanced gluten-free meals, label reading and prevention of kitchen cross-contact. His weight has risen to 72.2 kg, stools are usually formed, and fatigue is improving. He and his partner have changed their food-preparation arrangements. However, work deadlines still disrupt lunch, and sauces and restaurant meals remain difficult.
Mr Dean avoids milk and has agreed to try a calcium-fortified soya drink; its suitability and his overall calcium intake require review. Please reassess him in four to six weeks and help establish affordable meal routines. Occasional bloating persists without further weight loss or persistent diarrhoea. His food records and education summary are enclosed with consent.
Yours sincerely,
Dietitian
Model body: 191 words using a space-separated editorial count. This is one possible response; it is not an officially scored letter or a sentence template to memorise.
Why these details were selected
What the reader needs
- Confirmed diagnosis and timing, initial nutritional problem and quantified weight trend.
- Effective education and unresolved practical barriers.
- Continuity after the move, follow-up priorities and the GP’s distinct monitoring role.
What can be omitted or condensed
- Occupational title and recreational swimming add little unless linked to meal scheduling or recovery.
- Avoid repeating the entire original food diary; summarise the pattern and current gaps.
Accuracy traps
- Improved symptoms do not mean gluten can be reintroduced.
- Do not describe coeliac disease as a food allergy or prescribe unrecorded supplement doses.
- Trying a fortified drink is not proof that calcium requirements are already met.
Accuracy repair: a fresh exercise
A draft says: His calcium intake is now adequate because he has tried a soya drink.
Correct it using the case notes before opening the answer.
Check the repaired sentence
He has agreed to try a calcium-fortified soya drink, but nutritional adequacy still requires review.
The correction preserves what is known, what has happened and what remains outstanding. Compare the changed words with the relevant dated note.
Review the six Writing criteria
| Criterion | Use it to review your attempt |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Can the reader identify the action or explanation needed from the opening? |
| Content | Are essential facts accurate, including dates, status and remaining needs? |
| Conciseness and clarity | Have you selected and combined information without losing necessary meaning? |
| Genre and style | Does the wording suit this recipient’s role and knowledge? |
| Organisation and layout | Do paragraphs help the reader locate the problem, evidence and next step? |
| Language | Are grammar, vocabulary, spelling and sentence links clear and accurate? |
Choose one factual correction and one language improvement for a second draft. This checklist is for learning; it does not calculate an OET grade.
Speaking · One paired role play
Practise the professional conversation
Use 3 minutes to prepare the professional card, then about 5 minutes for the conversation. The candidate stays in the professional role. A partner plays the patient, parent or animal owner. This is one role play; the OET Speaking sub-test contains two.
Read only your own card before starting. The partner should open their card privately and reveal information in response to the conversation. These cards are a separate scenario from the Writing case.
Candidate card · Dietitian
Setting: Community dietetic clinic
You see Rina, aged 28, following a confirmed diagnosis of coeliac disease. Diagnostic testing was completed before she changed her diet. She has been advised to follow a gluten-free diet and wants help making it affordable in a shared kitchen. She reports no new weight loss, persistent vomiting or acute symptoms. Today you are explaining sustainable food choices and reducing cross-contact, not changing prescribed medication.
Tasks
- Explore Rina’s understanding of the diagnosis, usual meals and biggest practical concern.
- Explain why gluten exclusion remains necessary even when symptoms improve; distinguish coeliac disease from an optional weight-loss diet.
- Discuss affordable naturally gluten-free meal components and the need to check labels on prepared foods.
- Explore the shared kitchen and negotiate practical ways to reduce cross-contact without imposing unnecessary isolation.
- Agree two achievable changes and a food record for follow-up; ask her to explain the plan in her own words.
Partner card — Patient only
Role-player card · Patient
You are Rina, 28, a trainee accountant sharing a house with two friends. You think gluten-free eating means buying expensive replacement products for everything. Your symptoms have improved, so you wonder whether occasional ordinary pasta is acceptable. You share a toaster and spreads.
- Begin: “I cannot afford this diet.”
- When asked, describe cereal or toast for breakfast and ready-made sauces with evening meals.
- Say that feeling better makes you wonder whether small amounts of gluten are now safe.
- Reveal the shared toaster/spreads only when kitchen arrangements are explored.
- Agree to one affordable meal change and one kitchen change if they are explained clearly; ask how these will be reviewed.
Respond naturally to what is asked. Do not give every detail at once or create an unrelated medical quiz. If the explanation is unclear, ask for clarification.
Review selected exchanges and explanations
These are selected teaching exchanges, not a full five-minute transcript. Compare how the response changes with the concern. Several different responses could work.
Patient: “I cannot afford this.”
Dietitian: “Which purchases have increased your food bill most? We can look at meals using foods such as rice, potatoes and suitable protein and vegetables, rather than replacing every item with a specialist product.”
Why this helps: Makes affordability a concrete planning problem, without suggesting that cost is irrelevant.
Patient: “I feel better now.”
Dietitian: “That improvement is encouraging, but it does not mean coeliac disease has gone away. Continuing to avoid gluten protects your gut even when symptoms are mild. How does that fit with what you had understood?”
Why this helps: Corrects the misconception and invites the patient’s existing belief.
Patient: “My friends use the same toaster.”
Dietitian: “Let us look at a practical arrangement that keeps crumbs away from your food. What space and equipment do you share? We can agree changes together and include them in your written plan.”
Why this helps: Gathers the necessary context before prescribing a generic household solution.
Repeat with a changed response
Partner says a family member cooks all evening meals. Ask whether Rina wants that person involved and what information would help; do not assume consent or blame the cook.
Keep your professional role, listen to the changed information and adapt the next step. Do not repeat a memorised answer when the situation has changed.
Review all nine Speaking criteria
| Criterion | Use it to review your attempt |
|---|---|
| Intelligibility | Can your partner follow your speech without repeated effort? |
| Fluency | Can you keep the exchange moving while allowing natural pauses? |
| Appropriateness of language | Does the register and explanation suit this person? |
| Resources of grammar and expression | Can you express time, uncertainty, reasons and choices accurately? |
| Relationship building | Do you show attention to the person’s particular concern? |
| Understanding and incorporating the patient’s perspective | Does the plan respond to their priorities and constraints? |
| Providing structure | Do you signal changes of topic and explain information in manageable stages? |
| Information gathering | Do you ask, listen and clarify rather than assume? |
| Information giving | Do you explain clearly and check what the person has understood? |
Ask your partner for one example of something clear and one moment that needed clarification. If you record yourself on your own device, review only with everyone’s agreement. The website does not record speech or generate an OET score.
Format and clinical background references
Exam format: OET test handbook. These original cases were written for language practice after reviewing official task formats. The following sources inform clinical plausibility; the fictional patient records are not copied from them.