If you're preparing for the OET Nursing Writing sub-test, the difference between a B and a C often comes down to phrase selection. Here are 10 high-scoring phrases that examiners consistently reward — organised by where they appear in the letter.

Opening Phrases

1. "I am writing to refer [patient name] for your expert assessment and ongoing management of…" — Immediately signals purpose with appropriate deference to the recipient.

1. "Thank you for reviewing this [age]-year-old [male/female] who presented to [setting] on [date] with…" — Compact, professional, and packs key details into one sentence.

1. "I would appreciate your assessment regarding…" — Clean and direct for specialist referrals.

Body Phrases

1. "On examination, [patient] was found to have…" — Preferred over casual phrasing like "when I checked" or "I noticed."

1. "Investigations revealed…" — Concise way to introduce test results without listing them awkwardly.

1. "[Patient] has a background history of… for which [he/she] takes…" — Links medical history and medications in one fluid sentence.

1. "Despite [treatment], [patient] continues to experience…" — Shows clinical reasoning — you tried something and are escalating appropriately.

Closing Phrases

1. "I would be grateful if you could [specific request]." — The gold-standard closing request. Always end with a concrete ask.

1. "Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require further information." — Professional sign-off that examiners expect.

1. "Kind regards," — Simple, correct, and universally accepted. Never use "Yours faithfully" in OET referral letters.

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Why these work: OET examiners assess your writing on four criteria — Overall Task Fulfilment, Appropriateness of Language, Comprehension of Stimulus, and Linguistic Features. These phrases score high across all four because they're concise, formal, clinically accurate, and natural-sounding.

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