Jobins Training · Free OET Practice
Podiatry: 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
Persistent plantar heel pain during standing work
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:
- PODIATRY
- 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.
Ms Farah Lewis, aged 44, is receiving care from the podiatry service where you work.
- Service:
- Westbridge Podiatry Clinic, 6 Brook Road, Westbridge
PATIENT DETAILS:
- Name:
- Farah Lewis (Ms)
- Date of birth:
- 11 Aug 1982 (44 years)
- New residence:
- 19 Brook Street, Fairhaven
- Moving date:
- 14 Nov 2026
- Occupation:
- Museum catering supervisor
- First assessment:
- 04 Sep 2026
- Current review:
- 06 Nov 2026
- Clinical impression:
- Left plantar heel pain; plantar fasciopathy
Medical and foot history:
No diabetes or inflammatory arthritis.
No peripheral neuropathy or previous foot surgery.
No regular medication; no known drug allergies.
Non-smoker.
Right ankle sprain 2014; recovered fully.
No current right-foot symptoms.
Social and occupational background:
Four shifts/week; mainly standing six to eight hours.
Limited control over busy service periods.
Staff shortages reduce opportunities for breaks.
Previously enjoyed hill walks with friends.
Weekend hill walking stopped because of pain.
Barefoot on hard floors at home.
Work shoes: worn cushioning; limited heel support.
Presenting problem:
Onset Jul 2026 after overtime and walking holiday.
No single traumatic event.
GP review Aug; referred for persistent heel symptoms.
No fever, redness or night pain.
No altered sensation.
Presenting findings – 04 Sep 2026:
Left plantar-medial heel pain.
Worst on first steps after rest.
Initial morning pain 7/10.
Eases after several minutes; returns during long shifts.
Plantar-medial calcaneal tenderness.
Pain reproduced by plantar-fascia loading.
Ankle dorsiflexion restricted with knee extended.
Examination – 04 Sep 2026:
Calf tightness noted.
Skin intact; pedal pulses palpable.
Protective sensation intact.
Findings consistent with plantar fasciopathy.
No imaging requested.
No acute fracture/infection concern recorded.
Podiatry management:
Cushioned, supportive footwear discussed.
Avoid prolonged barefoot walking on hard surfaces.
Individual stretching/loading programme demonstrated.
Written guidance and symptom diary supplied.
Prefabricated insole trialled in work shoe.
Fit/comfort checked; gradual wear advised.
Discussed task changes and seated breaks.
Patient to discuss arrangements with manager.
No restriction certificate, injection or surgical referral.
Gradual, variable recovery explained.
Progress – 09 Oct 2026:
Morning pain 4/10; shoe comfort improved.
Insole tolerated; no skin irritation.
Pain persists after long shifts.
Exercises approx. three days/week.
Unsure about exercising with mild discomfort.
Technique/response reviewed; programme clarified.
Avoid marked or persistent symptom aggravation.
Current assessment – 06 Nov 2026:
Morning pain 3/10; longest shifts up to 6/10.
Level walking: 15 minutes; no hill walking.
Plantar-medial tenderness persists.
No new symptom pattern, swelling or sensory change.
Skin intact.
New employer willing to discuss task rotation.
Transfer plan:
Reassess loading programme, footwear and insole.
Agree achievable workplace modifications.
Work footwear review requested.
Assessment and exercise diary enclosed with consent.
Local follow-up not yet scheduled.
Writing Task:
Using the case notes, write a transfer letter to Mr Julian Reed, Podiatrist, Fairhaven Foot Health Clinic, 4 Mill Lane, Fairhaven. Request continued management of Ms Lewis’s heel pain, including review of treatment and workplace demands.
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
Mr Julian Reed
Podiatrist
Fairhaven Foot Health Clinic
4 Mill Lane
Fairhaven
Dear Mr Reed,
Re: Ms Farah Lewis | DOB: 11 August 1982
Please continue care for Ms Lewis after her move to Fairhaven on 14 November. Her left plantar heel pain has improved with conservative management, but prolonged standing at work remains difficult.
Symptoms began in July after increased overtime and walking. At September assessment, first-step pain was 7/10, with plantar-medial calcaneal tenderness and restricted ankle dorsiflexion. Findings were consistent with plantar fasciopathy. Skin, pedal pulses and protective sensation were normal, and she has no diabetes or inflammatory arthritis.
Management has included supportive footwear, an individual stretching and loading programme and a prefabricated insole. She tolerates the insole without skin irritation. Morning pain has decreased to 3/10, and she can walk for 15 minutes on level ground. However, pain reaches 6/10 after long shifts, and hill walking remains restricted.
Exercise adherence has been variable because she was uncertain how to manage discomfort; technique and progression were clarified at review. Please reassess loading, footwear and insole suitability and help establish practical work modifications. Her new employer is willing to discuss task rotation. There is no new swelling, altered sensation or skin breakdown. The assessment and exercise diary are enclosed with consent. Local follow-up has not been scheduled.
Yours sincerely,
Podiatrist
Model body: 194 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
- Mechanical symptom pattern, relevant assessment and response over time.
- Treatment actually trialled, current occupational demands and adherence barrier.
- Concrete follow-up priorities and absence of a changed symptom pattern.
What can be omitted or condensed
- Remote right ankle sprain and exact occupation title can be condensed.
- Do not reproduce all negative history if it displaces current function and review needs.
Accuracy traps
- Do not label this a diabetic foot problem.
- A clinical impression is not an imaging-confirmed diagnosis.
- Do not imply a custom orthosis, injection or work certificate was supplied.
Accuracy repair: a fresh exercise
A draft says: Custom orthoses and an injection have failed.
Correct it using the case notes before opening the answer.
Check the repaired sentence
A prefabricated insole has been tolerated; no injection has been given.
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 · Podiatrist
Setting: Podiatry clinic
You review Hana, aged 43, with plantar heel pain. Morning discomfort has improved with footwear changes and an individual exercise programme, but long standing shifts still aggravate symptoms. There is no diabetes, wound, sensory change or new injury in this scenario. She wants an expensive custom insole because a colleague says it is a guaranteed cure. Explore expectations and practical workload barriers.
Tasks
- Explore changes in symptoms, the effect of work and Hana’s expectations of a custom insole.
- Explain that footwear/insoles may form part of management but do not offer a guaranteed cure.
- Review how she uses the agreed programme and identify practical reasons for inconsistency.
- Discuss feasible standing/task changes and reassessment of the current footwear/insole before committing to another product.
- Agree one or two changes, a review plan and what new symptoms should prompt earlier contact.
Partner card — Patient only
Role-player card · Patient
You are Hana, 43, a café supervisor. You have spent money on two pairs of shoes and are frustrated. The café is busy and breaks are unpredictable. You sometimes stop all exercises when discomfort appears because you fear causing damage. You want one solution that does not require changing work.
- Start: “If I buy the best custom insole, will this finally go away?”
- When asked, acknowledge morning pain is better but pain after long shifts remains.
- Explain the difficulty taking breaks only if work routines are explored.
- Ask whether all exercise should stop whenever anything hurts.
- If the plan is realistic, agree one workplace conversation and a review of exercise technique.
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: “Will the expensive insole cure it?”
Podiatrist: “I can see why you want a definite solution after spending money already. An insole may help some people, but its price does not guarantee an outcome. Let us check what your current one is doing and what still triggers the pain.”
Why this helps: Acknowledges frustration and replaces a product promise with individual assessment.
Patient: “I cannot sit down whenever I want.”
Podiatrist: “What parts of your shift could realistically change? For example, are there brief tasks you could alternate with prolonged standing? We should build the plan around what is possible at work.”
Why this helps: Negotiates feasible changes rather than repeating impractical advice.
Patient: “Should I stop every exercise?”
Podiatrist: “Let us review which exercise, how much discomfort you notice and how long it lasts. We can adjust your individual programme and agree what response means you should stop and contact us.”
Why this helps: Avoids both blanket rest and blanket instruction to exercise through pain.
Repeat with a changed response
Partner reveals new numbness or skin breakdown. Treat this as a changed clinical picture needing assessment, rather than assuming it is the familiar heel-pain pattern.
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.