{"id":31,"date":"2022-07-24T17:42:51","date_gmt":"2022-07-24T17:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/?p=31"},"modified":"2023-02-10T17:48:01","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T17:48:01","slug":"the-new-oet-writing-criteria-what-exactly-is-changing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/the-new-oet-writing-criteria-what-exactly-is-changing\/","title":{"rendered":"OET – The New Writing Criteria: What Exactly Is Changing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

+ Bonus Review Questions for the new OET writing criteria<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New OET Writing Criteria: What Exactly Is Changing?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

+ Bonus Review Questions for the new OET writing criteria<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 3rd August, this year, changes are coming in relation to the OET Writing Sub-test.\u00a0What may not be clear,\u00a0however, is exactly what those changes will be and how they will affect future test-takers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, I will look at exactly what is and, most crucially, isn\u2019t changing in relation to the OET Writing sub-test. To help reassure and support those of you who have been preparing diligently using the current format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What isn\u2019t changing<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at what isn\u2019t changing first as the good news is that, in the main part, the sub-test is going to remain the same.\u00a0The exam task will remain the same<\/a>.\u00a0Candidates will have to write a formal letter, usually a referral letter. Using a set of case notes, which they will have five minutes to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candidates will then have forty minutes to write their letters. They expect you to write full sentences. They won\u2019t expect you to use note form. But they will still expect you to use a letter format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The task will be neither more difficult nor easier than it is currently, as it is not actually changing.\u00a0The skills\u00a0being tested\u00a0are the same as before and the recommended strategies for scoring\u00a0highly\u00a0in this task remain remarkably similar too. So what exactly is changing, then?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old grading criteria<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The area where the change will be taking place is in relation to the grading criteria. Previously there were five; namely:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Overall Task Fulfilment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Appropriateness of Language<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Comprehension of Stimulus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Linguistic Features<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) Presentation Features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these criteria were graded out of a maximum score of 6 and the score you would get in each criterion would contribute 20% to your overall score in the OET Writing Subtest. All of this will change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new grading criteria<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are now six new criteria for OET Writing<\/a> which are named as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Purpose<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Content<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Conciseness and Clarity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Genre and Style<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) Organization and Layout<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) Language<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of the criteria now have a maximum grade of 7, except for Purpose which will be graded out of 3. I will look at each of these criteria in turn to demonstrate the changes in the way the OET Writing Sub-test will be graded.

Purpose<\/strong>
<\/strong>
<\/strong>This criterion focuses on the way the candidate makes the purpose of their letter immediately\u00a0apparent\u00a0and clear. You should include the purpose in the first paragraph of the letter. For example: \u201cI am writing to refer to the above-mentioned patient. Who is suffering from worsening osteoarthritis?

Your assessment and management are\u00a0urgently\u00a0required.\u201d These two sentences placed at the start of the letter make it clear to the reader why the letter\u00a0was written. And what action needs to\u00a0be taken\u00a0on the part of the reader?\u00a0It has always been important to include this information but now one of the criteria focuses\u00a0specifically\u00a0on doing this.

Content

This criterion focuses on whether you have included all the necessary information in an accurate manner. It replaces the\u00a0Overall\u00a0Task Fulfillment. And it deals with aspects of Comprehension of Stimulus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To score\u00a0highly\u00a0here, you are also required to write a letter of the required length. This will still, usually, be between 180-200 words. But the word count itself is a guide and they won\u2019t penalize you for writing under or over it. The important thing is to make sure you include everything that is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conciseness and Clarity<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This area operates alongside the Content criterion.\u00a0Whereas with the Content criterion you will receive credit for relevant information you include in your letter.

For this criterion, they will mark you down for any irrelevant information you include. Especially if this irrelevant information makes the purpose of your letter less clear.

Genre and Style<\/strong>
<\/strong>
<\/strong>This criterion assesses what was before covered under Appropriateness of Language. You should continue to write using a formal register. And you need to use a language which is suitable for your target audience.

For example, certain technical abbreviations would be suitable when writing to a doctor. Which would not be suitable if writing to a parent. Your writing should also be clinical, precise, and non-judgmental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organization and Layout<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This has replaced Presentation Features. But it has a specific focus on making sure that you organize your letter\u00a0properly. In a way that makes the retrieval of relevant information as easy as possible.

This involves including the most relevant information earlier in the letter. And structuring paragraphs so that valuable information is observable. And it doesn\u2019t become buried in overly long sentences.

Language<\/strong>
<\/strong>
<\/strong>This has replaced Linguistic Features. But it now focuses more generally on aspects of vocabulary and grammar. Grammatical accuracy, spelling, cohesion, and punctuation will all\u00a0be graded\u00a0under this criterion. There is also a special focus on using language. Which makes the retrieval of relevant information easy to the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So using keywords and phrases in sentences such as: \u201cAn ECG needs to be conducted as a priority\u201d. Or \u201cYour urgent assessment is required\u201d. It helps to focus the reader\u2019s attention on the information which is most important. The range of grammar used in the letter is not directly assessed, only the accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

 So, overall, the task itself has not changed but being familiar with the new criteria will ensure that you are doing everything. To score highly in the exam from August and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Purpose criterion is the only part that is completely new. Other areas have been repackaged. And help to clarify exactly what it is the examiners are looking to see in your letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure you SHARE this article with your friends and colleagues who are also preparing for OET.

===========================================================

Bonus Review Questions for the new OET writing criteria:

Here are some questions to check your understanding of the new criteria:

Answer the following questions as True or False

The writing task will change as of August 2019.
All the new criteria are graded out of 7.
They will penalize you if you write more than 200 words.
Retrieval of language is emphasized in the new criteria.
The new criteria place specific importance on making the purpose of your letter immediately clear.
Range of grammar is assessed as part of the Language criterion.

Which of the new criteria deals with the following aspects?

Use of appropriately formal language
Spelling and punctuation
Ensuring all relevant information is included
Ensuring all irrelevant information is excluded
Making sure vital information is highlighted early
Making sure the reason for your letter is made clear from the start
===========================================================

<\/em>Answers

False
Not True
False
True
True
False
Genre and Style
Language
Content
Conciseness and Clarity
Organization and Layout
Purpose<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtesy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

+ Bonus Review Questions for the new OET writing criteria The New OET Writing Criteria: What Exactly Is Changing? + Bonus Review Questions for the new OET writing criteria As of 3rd August, this year, changes are coming in relation to the OET Writing Sub-test.\u00a0What may not be clear,\u00a0however, is exactly what those changes will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107,"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions\/107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noahsnestedu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}