Why You’re Not Improving in OET Writing Even After Practice

If you've been writing referral letters week after week and still scoring below 350, you're not alone. Many OET candidates get stuck in the “more practice = better score” cycle — only to feel frustrated with no improvement.
Let’s break down why that happens and what you can do differently.

❌ 1. Practice Without Feedback = Repeating Mistakes

Writing more letters without proper feedback often just reinforces your existing errors.
You may:

• Overuse passive voice or over-formal phrases
• Miss the main issue in the case notes
• Repeat sentence structures that don’t meet the criteria

What to do instead:
Get your letters reviewed by someone trained in OET assessment. Even better, use a checklist to self-review before submitting.

❌ 2. Focusing on Format, Not Function

Many candidates learn the layout — but don’t focus on the task purpose, which is a major scoring criterion.

What to do instead:
Ask yourself: What does the reader need to know to continue care? This simple shift will improve content selection and coherence.

❌ 3. Ignoring Language Accuracy in Context

Practicing lots of letters doesn’t help if you don’t reflect on:

• Grammar errors (articles, tense)
• Inaccurate vocabulary (“suffering from fever” ❌)
• Word choice in medical tone

What to do instead:
After every letter, highlight 3–4 phrases or sentences you could improve. Track patterns.

✅ What Actually Leads to Score Jumps?

From my work with hundreds of candidates, here’s what works:

• 1 letter per week with detailed feedback is more valuable than writing 5 without reflection.
• Purpose-first planning improves tone and content selection.
• Awareness of repeated errors trains your brain to avoid them naturally.

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Or explore our Self-Study OET Writing Course.