What OET Writing Feedback Should Actually Tell You
Generic comments won't move your grade. The difference between C+ and B is knowing exactly which criterion you lost marks on — and seeing a rewritten version that fixes it.
Get Criterion-by-Criterion Feedback — from $12 →The feedback gap: vague vs specific
Most OET feedback available online — from tutors, forums, and AI tools — is descriptive, not diagnostic. It tells you something is wrong without telling you why it costs marks or what the fix looks like. Here is the difference across four criteria:
"Your opening could be clearer."
"Your opening sentence announces that you are writing a letter but does not state the clinical action you are requesting. An OET examiner reads the Purpose opening to answer one question: what does this letter ask me to do? Rewrite it so the requested action is explicit in the first sentence."
"You need to include more relevant information."
"You have included the diagnosis and medication but omitted the functional impact on daily living — the case notes mention the patient can no longer climb stairs, which is the key piece of information the physiotherapist needs to plan treatment. This is a Content omission that costs you 1–2 marks."
"Some sentences are too long."
"Paragraph 3 contains three sentences that each carry a single piece of information with a clause of reassurance attached. 'She is otherwise in good health, which is encouraging' adds 7 words and zero clinical content. Strip the commentary; keep the fact. Your letter is 340 words; a Grade A version covers the same ground in 260."
"Your tone is mostly appropriate."
"Your closing — 'I trust this information will be of assistance' — is formal but non-functional. Genre & Style in a referral letter rewards a close that specifies your availability and invites contact. Replace with: 'I am available to discuss this case on [day] at [number].' Two words of courtesy replaced by two pieces of information."
What the OET examiner is actually marking
Since August 2018, OET writing is assessed on six criteria. Feedback that doesn't reference these criteria by name — and give you a score for each — is not OET feedback. It is general English writing feedback, which is a different thing.
Does the first sentence tell the reader the clinical action this letter requests? The examiner reads this before anything else.
Are all clinically relevant facts from the case notes included? Missing information costs marks even if everything you did include is correct.
Is every sentence carrying useful information? Filler, repetition, and vague language all cost marks here.
Does the letter match the professional register of a real clinical letter? Closing phrases, formality level, and specific contact details all count.
Can the reader find what they need without searching? Referral letters need logical sequencing; advice letters reward headers and lists.
Are grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure accurate and varied? This is the one criterion that overlaps with general English ability.
Source: OET Writing Assessment Criteria (August 2018). Pre-2018 criteria names (Overall Task Fulfilment, Appropriacy of Language) are obsolete.
Why AI feedback has a ceiling for OET
AI tools are fast and cheap for surface-level feedback — catching grammar errors, flagging overlong sentences, suggesting synonyms. For OET, this covers roughly one criterion: Language.
The other five criteria require judgements AI models consistently miss:
- → Content completeness requires cross-referencing your letter against case notes to find what you omitted. AI does not reliably track omissions across two documents.
- → Purpose clarity requires knowing what a real referral or discharge letter is supposed to achieve — not just whether the grammar is correct.
- → Genre & Style requires knowing the current professional conventions for clinical letters in the UK, Australia, and Ireland healthcare context.
- → Organisation & Layout depends on the letter type. A referral letter and an advice letter have different structural requirements — AI tools typically apply generic feedback.
Dr Mariam's team has reviewed over 11,000 OET letters since 2014. The feedback is criterion-specific, includes a rewritten version of each problem section, and maps directly to what the OET marking scheme rewards.
Get feedback that tells you exactly what to fix
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Frequently asked questions
What does good OET writing feedback actually include?
Good OET writing feedback goes criterion by criterion — Purpose, Content, Conciseness & Clarity, Genre & Style, Organisation & Layout, and Language — with a specific score and a concrete reason for each. Vague feedback ('improve your vocabulary') tells you nothing. Specific feedback ('your Purpose opening states that you are writing, not what the letter asks the reader to do — that costs you 1 mark on Purpose') tells you exactly what to fix before your next attempt.
How is OET feedback different from IELTS feedback?
OET writing is assessed on 6 criteria against a clinical genre — referral, discharge, or advice letter. The feedback must reference the specific letter type and the clinical context. IELTS Task 2 is an academic essay genre with different conventions. Swapping feedback approaches between the two will actively mislead you.
Can AI give me useful OET writing feedback?
AI tools can flag surface errors — grammar, spelling, awkward phrasing — quickly and cheaply. They cannot reliably assess whether your letter's Purpose is explicit, whether your Content is clinically relevant to the case, or whether your Genre & Style matches the professional register of a real healthcare letter. These judgements require someone who knows the OET marking scheme and has applied it to hundreds of real letters.
How many attempts do most candidates need after getting feedback?
Candidates who receive criterion-specific feedback with concrete rewrites typically move from C or C+ to B in one or two attempts. Candidates who receive vague or generic feedback often repeat the same errors. The quality of the feedback is the primary variable — not the number of attempts.
What is the difference between feedback and correction?
Correction shows you what the improved version looks like — it rewrites problem sentences so you can see the target. Feedback explains why the original was wrong and which OET criterion it costs. A correction without an explanation trains you to copy; an explanation without a correction leaves you guessing. Our corrections do both.
How quickly will I receive my feedback?
Standard turnaround is 24 hours from submission. We confirm receipt by email and deliver your correction with a full criterion-by-criterion feedback sheet.