Templates & Structures · Last updated: 28 April 2026

OET Letter Templates

Searching for an OET letter template is one of the most common things candidates do — and one of the most commonly misunderstood. Examiners are explicitly trained to identify memorised templates, and templated responses consistently score poorly on Content and Task Fulfilment. What does work is paragraph-purpose templates: knowing what each paragraph in your letter needs to accomplish. This page covers what works, what doesn't, and provides paragraph-purpose templates for all four OET letter types.

Try the AI Letter Generator See annotated samples

Key takeaways

  • Sentence-level templates fail OET. Examiners are trained to detect memorised phrases — they score poorly on Content and Genre.
  • Paragraph-purpose templates work. Knowing what each paragraph should accomplish — opening, background, current situation, request — applies to every letter type.
  • Below: paragraph-purpose structures for all four letter types — referral, discharge, transfer, advice.
  • Use AI letter generators to study structure, not to substitute for writing your own letters and getting them corrected.

Why Sentence-Level Templates Fail OET

Examiners detect templated language

OET examiners read thousands of letters per year. Stock phrases such as 'It is my pleasure to inform you that' or 'I hope this letter finds you in good health' are immediately recognisable as memorised. Genre & Style scores drop on detection.

Case notes always differ

Each writing task has unique case notes, recipient, and clinical reason. A memorised letter cannot match the specific information any task contains, leading to irrelevant content and low Content/Task Fulfilment scores.

Memorisation bypasses the skill being tested

OET specifically tests your ability to select relevant information and shape it into clinical correspondence under time pressure. Memorising a template skips that skill — and the exam scoring rewards the skill, not the template.

The Grade B difference is in selection, not phrasing

Across 11,000+ corrected letters, the candidates who reach Grade B consistently have flexible structural understanding. The candidates who plateau at Grade C are most often the ones relying on memorised phrases.

What Does Work: Paragraph-Purpose Templates

Instead of memorising sentences, learn what each paragraph needs to accomplish. The structure below applies to every OET letter — only the verbs in the opening and the action in the closing change between letter types.

Referral letter — paragraph structure

Opening: I am writing to refer [Patient name], a [age]-year-old [gender], for [specialty / specific assessment] regarding [presenting condition with brief clinical justification].
Paragraph 2: Background — relevant medical history, time course of presenting condition, examination findings, investigations.
Paragraph 3: Current management — what has already been tried, what is currently in place, why escalation is needed.
Closing: In view of [summative reasoning], I would appreciate your [specific intervention or assessment]. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

Discharge letter — paragraph structure

Opening: I am writing to inform you that [Patient name], a [age]-year-old [gender], has been discharged today following [brief admission reason and length].
Paragraph 2: Inpatient course — admission reason, treatment delivered, response to treatment, current clinical status.
Paragraph 3: Discharge plan — medications continuing, follow-up appointments, outstanding investigations.
Closing: I would be grateful if you could [specific follow-up action] and [second action with timeframe]. Please contact me if any concerns arise.

Transfer letter — paragraph structure

Opening: I am writing to request the transfer of [Patient name], a [age]-year-old [gender], to your [unit / specialty] for [clinical reason].
Paragraph 2: Clinical situation — current condition, urgency level, why this transfer is appropriate now.
Paragraph 3: Relevant history and treatment — what has been done so far, current medications, key comorbidities.
Closing: In view of [clinical justification], I would appreciate transfer at your earliest convenience. Further details can be provided on request.

Advice letter — paragraph structure

Opening: I am writing to provide guidance on [the specific topic — medication, condition, or self-management — pitched for the recipient].
Paragraph 2: Key information — what the recipient needs to know in plain terms, including the why behind each instruction.
Paragraph 3: Practical instructions — how to take, store, monitor, or apply the advice in daily life.
Closing: Should [specific warning sign] occur, please [specific action]. I hope this is helpful — please contact me if you have any questions.

The key insight

Notice that each "template" above describes the function of the paragraph — not the words inside it. This is the difference between structural templates (which work) and sentence templates (which examiners detect and penalise). The same four-paragraph structure can produce hundreds of distinct Grade B letters because the words come from the case notes, not from memory.

See four annotated samples

Keep it on hand

Get the OET Letter Templates pack (PDF)

A one-page branded PDF with the paragraph-purpose structure for all four letter types — referral, discharge, transfer and advice. Enter your email to unlock it; we'll also send a few short OET writing tips. Unsubscribe anytime.

Related Guides

4 Annotated Letter Samples

See the paragraph-purpose templates applied in complete Grade B and Grade C letters.

How to Write an OET Letter

45-minute walkthrough turning case notes into a Grade B letter using the templates above.

OET Case Notes Practice

Three sample case-notes blocks plus AI Case Note Generator for unlimited practice.

OET Purpose Statement Examples

How to open every letter with the kind of purpose statement examiners reward.

How to Get Grade B in OET Writing

Six-criteria breakdown showing exactly what each paragraph contributes to your score.

AI Letter Generator

Generate a structured starting point — then write your own using the paragraph-purpose templates.

OET Letter Templates FAQ

Can I memorise an OET letter template?
No. Examiners detect templated responses, and they score poorly on Content and Task Fulfilment because they don't match the specific case notes. Learn structural principles instead.
Are there OET letter templates that work?
Structural templates work — paragraph-purpose templates describing what each paragraph should accomplish. Sentence-level templates do not work because case notes always differ.
How is an OET letter different from a real clinical letter?
OET compresses real correspondence into 180–200 words against six fixed criteria. Real clinical letters can be longer, use abbreviations, and have variable structure. OET requires uniform structure and full sentences.
Should I use an OET letter generator?
Useful for seeing structure as a starting point. Not a substitute for writing your own letters and getting them corrected. Generators don't build the skill being tested. Use them to study structure; write your own to build skill.