How to use this test
- Start the 15-minute timer, then skim the four texts below.
- Answer questions 1–20. Copy words exactly as they appear in the texts.
- Press Check my answers: you'll see your mark and the line that proves each answer.
Topic: Acute gastroenteritis and dehydration in children. Text A–D: Text A, Text B, Text C, Text D.
Text A: Clinical assessment of dehydration
Use this table together with the history. Weigh the child undressed on arrival; where a recent weight is available, percentage weight loss is the most reliable estimate of fluid deficit.
Children at increased risk of dehydration
- infants under 6 months, particularly those of low birth weight
- six or more diarrhoeal stools in the past 24 hours
- three or more vomits in the past 24 hours
- unable to tolerate fluids before presentation, or breastfeeding stopped during the illness
- signs of malnutrition
| Sign | Mild (< 5%) | Moderate (5–9%) | Severe (≥ 10%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conscious state | Alert and responsive | Lethargic or irritable | Reduced conscious state |
| Heart rate | Normal | Normal or mildly raised | Tachycardia |
| Breathing | Normal | Increased rate | Increased rate; deep acidotic breathing |
| Blood pressure | Normal | Normal | Hypotension |
| Skin colour and peripheries | Normal; warm | Normal; warm | Pale or mottled; cold; weak pulses |
| Eyes and fontanelle | Not sunken | Sunken | Deeply sunken |
| Mucous membranes | Moist | Dry | Dry |
| Skin turgor | Instant recoil | Mildly decreased | Decreased |
| Central capillary refill | Normal | Prolonged | Markedly prolonged |
Signs in the severe column, particularly markedly prolonged capillary refill, cold mottled peripheries and reduced consciousness, indicate possible hypovolaemic shock. Severe dehydration requires IV fluids (see Text B).
Suspect hypernatraemic dehydration if the child has jittery movements, increased muscle tone, hyperreflexia, seizures or a doughy feel to the skin, and check serum sodium. Bilious (green) vomiting is not consistent with gastroenteritis and needs urgent surgical review.
Text B: Westbrook Children's Hospital – Rehydration protocol
Mild dehydration
Continue breastfeeding (more often than usual) and usual fluids. Give oral rehydration solution (ORS) in small, frequent amounts, aiming for 10 mL/kg/hour, and offer extra after each loose stool or vomit.
Moderate dehydration
- Oral trial: give ORS by syringe or spoon every few minutes, aiming for 10 mL/kg/hour, and reassess after 1 hour.
- If the oral trial fails (refusal or persistent vomiting), insert a nasogastric tube and give ORS at 10–25 mL/kg/hour for 4 hours (rapid NG rehydration). Many infusion pumps cannot exceed 300 mL/hour.
- Use standard NG rehydration over 24 hours instead for infants under 6 months and children with significant comorbidities or abdominal pain: replace the deficit over the first 6 hours, then give maintenance fluids over the next 18 hours.
- Suspected hypernatraemia is not managed on either NG pathway: check serum sodium and arrange senior paediatric review. Correction must be slower (typically over 48 hours), follow an individualised plan and include serial electrolyte monitoring.
- If the child vomits during NG rehydration, stop the feed for 30 minutes and then restart at the same rate.
Severe dehydration and escalation to IV fluids
- Shock: give a 20 mL/kg bolus of 0.9% sodium chloride IV (or intraosseous) and contact the senior registrar. Repeat the bolus if signs of shock persist.
- Start IV rehydration for all children with severe dehydration, and for those who cannot tolerate NG fluids or whose dehydration worsens despite them.
- For IV rehydration use 0.9% sodium chloride with 5% glucose, and measure electrolytes and blood glucose when the cannula is inserted.
Text C: Medication notes
Ondansetron
A single oral dose (wafer) may be given to children aged 6 months and over who are vomiting and at risk of failing oral rehydration. It is not recommended under 6 months. Give ORS 15–30 minutes after the dose.
| Weight | Single oral dose |
|---|---|
| 8 to < 15 kg | 2 mg |
| 15 to 30 kg | 4 mg |
| > 30 kg | 8 mg |
Further doses should be discussed with a senior clinician, as ondansetron can increase stool frequency. Use with caution in children with a known prolonged QT interval or those taking other QT-prolonging medicines.
Antidiarrhoeal agents
Loperamide and other antimotility drugs must not be used in children with acute gastroenteritis. They have little effect on fluid losses and have been associated with paralytic ileus, drowsiness and respiratory depression in young children.
Zinc
Zinc supplementation is recommended by the WHO for children with diarrhoea in low- and middle-income settings, where zinc deficiency is common. It is not routinely used in Australia.
Text D: Parent information – Gastro in children: going home
Drinks and food
- Give small amounts of fluid often – for example, a mouthful every few minutes – even if your child is still vomiting.
- Keep breastfeeding. If your baby is bottle-fed, make up formula at its usual strength. Do not water it down.
- Oral rehydration solution from the pharmacy is the best drink. Avoid undiluted fruit juice, soft drinks and sports drinks: they contain too much sugar and can make diarrhoea worse.
Stopping the spread
- Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after nappy changes and using the toilet, and before preparing food. Alcohol-based hand gels do not kill all gastro viruses.
- Keep your child home from childcare, kindergarten or school until 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea.
- No swimming pools for 2 weeks after the diarrhoea has stopped.
Come back to hospital straight away if your child:
- is drowsy, floppy or hard to wake
- has fewer than 4 wet nappies in 24 hours, or passes very little urine
- vomits green fluid or has blood in their poo
- has severe tummy pain or cannot keep any fluids down
See your GP if your child has diarrhoea for more than 7 days or vomiting for more than 2 days.
Answers and explanations
These questions are Part A of our Reading Test 1. Once you've seen the answers here, treat that full test as practice; for a fresh estimate of where you stand, take Test 2.
Show all 20 answers with the line that proves each one
- 1C Text C
“Loperamide and other antimotility drugs must not be used in children with acute gastroenteritis.”
Text C states that loperamide and other antimotility drugs must not be used. Text C also says zinc is 'not routinely used' in Australia, but that is not a ban. No other text discusses medicines to avoid; Text D covers drinks to avoid, not drugs.
- 2A Text A
“Children at increased risk of dehydration”
Text A has a list headed 'Children at increased risk of dehydration' (young infants, frequent stools or vomits, and so on). Text B names groups who need slower NG rehydration, which is about choosing a treatment, not about risk of dehydration.
- 3D Text D
“Keep your child home from childcare, kindergarten or school until 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea.”
Only the parent leaflet (Text D) gives the 48-hour exclusion period. The other time periods in the texts (1 hour, 4 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours of correction) refer to treatment, not exclusion.
- 4B Text B
“If the child vomits during NG rehydration, stop the feed for 30 minutes and then restart at the same rate.”
Text B covers vomiting during NG rehydration. Text D mentions vomiting but only tells parents to keep giving small drinks by mouth. Text C discusses ondansetron for vomiting before oral rehydration, not during NG fluids.
- 5A Text A
“Suspect hypernatraemic dehydration if the child has jittery movements, increased muscle tone, hyperreflexia, seizures or a doughy feel to the skin”
Text A lists the signs that suggest hypernatraemia. Text B also mentions suspected hypernatraemia, but only to explain how it is managed (serum sodium, senior review, slow correction); it does not describe any signs.
- 6D Text D
“Avoid undiluted fruit juice, soft drinks and sports drinks: they contain too much sugar and can make diarrhoea worse.”
Text D gives the reason (too much sugar, worse diarrhoea). Text B tells staff which fluids to give but does not mention fluids to avoid.
- 7C Text C
“Zinc supplementation is recommended by the WHO for children with diarrhoea in low- and middle-income settings”
The zinc recommendation in Text C applies to low- and middle-income settings and is not routine in Australia. No other text refers to geographical differences.
- 8undressed Text A
“Weigh the child undressed on arrival”
Text A says the child should be weighed undressed. No other text gives instructions on weighing.
- 9mildly decreased Text A
“Mildly decreased”
In the table, the moderate column gives skin turgor as 'mildly decreased'. 'Instant recoil' is mild dehydration and 'decreased' is severe.
- 10bilious Text A · also accepted: bilious (green), bilious (green) vomiting, green
“Bilious (green) vomiting is not consistent with gastroenteritis and needs urgent surgical review.”
Text A says bilious (green) vomiting is not consistent with gastroenteritis. 'Persistent' vomiting (Text B) means the oral trial has failed; it does not point to another diagnosis.
- 1110 mL/kg/hour Text B · also accepted: 10 ml/kg/hour, 10mL/kg/hour
“Give oral rehydration solution (ORS) in small, frequent amounts, aiming for 10 mL/kg/hour”
Text B gives 10 mL/kg/hour for mild dehydration. 10–25 mL/kg/hour is the rapid NG rate for moderate dehydration when the oral trial fails, and 20 mL/kg is the shock bolus.
- 124 hours Text B
“give ORS at 10–25 mL/kg/hour for 4 hours (rapid NG rehydration)”
Rapid NG rehydration runs for 4 hours. 24 hours applies to standard NG rehydration (6 hours for the deficit plus 18 hours of maintenance), 48 hours is the typical correction time for suspected hypernatraemia, and 1 hour is the oral trial.
- 130.9% sodium chloride Text B
“give a 20 mL/kg bolus of 0.9% sodium chloride IV (or intraosseous)”
The shock bolus is 0.9% sodium chloride. '0.9% sodium chloride with 5% glucose' is for ongoing IV rehydration, not the bolus, so adding glucose is wrong.
- 144 mg Text C · also accepted: 4mg
“15 to 30 kg 4 mg”
22 kg is in the 15 to 30 kg band, so the dose is 4 mg. The 2 mg and 8 mg doses belong to the bands on either side.
- 156 months Text C
“It is not recommended under 6 months.”
Text C sets the lower age limit for ondansetron at 6 months. Text B also mentions 'under 6 months', but in relation to NG rehydration, not ondansetron.
- 1615–30 minutes Text C · also accepted: 15-30 minutes
“Give ORS 15–30 minutes after the dose.”
Text C gives 15–30 minutes. The 30-minute pause in Text B is about stopping NG feeds after vomiting, not about timing after ondansetron.
- 17prolonged QT interval Text C · also accepted: prolonged QT
“Use with caution in children with a known prolonged QT interval”
The answer is the cardiac caution in Text C. Increased stool frequency is a side effect of ondansetron, not a condition that calls for caution.
- 18formula Text D
“If your baby is bottle-fed, make up formula at its usual strength. Do not water it down.”
Text D says formula must be made up at its usual strength and not watered down, so the answer is formula. The drinks advice is about undiluted fruit juice, which should be avoided altogether, not diluted, so 'fruit juice' is wrong.
- 19alcohol-based hand gels Text D · also accepted: alcohol based hand gels
“Alcohol-based hand gels do not kill all gastro viruses.”
Text D says that alcohol-based hand gels do not kill all gastro viruses, so washing with soap and water is advised. 'Soap and water' is the recommended method and therefore the wrong answer.
- 202 days Text D
“See your GP if your child has diarrhoea for more than 7 days or vomiting for more than 2 days.”
The GP threshold for vomiting is 2 days. 7 days is the threshold for diarrhoea, 48 hours is the childcare exclusion period and 2 weeks is the swimming restriction.
Why Part A is where Reading marks go
Part A is a speed task. The texts are not hard to understand; the clock is. Most lost marks are an answer found too late, or an answer copied with a small change (a plural, a missing hyphen, a unit dropped).
- Read the question words first, then scan for a number, a heading or a table column, not for the whole sentence.
- For matching, decide what each text is for (assessment table, protocol, drug notes, leaflet) before you read the questions.
- Copy the exact form: mildly decreased, not mild decrease.
Short lessons: scanning fast in 15 minutes, matching texts. Drill: Part A speed scanning.
Questions candidates ask
How long do you get for OET Reading Part A?
Exactly 15 minutes for 20 questions. The Part A answer sheet or screen is collected when time is up, and you can't go back to it. Parts B and C then share 45 minutes.
Does spelling count in OET Reading Part A?
Yes, strictly. Answers must be spelt correctly and in the form used in the text; a misspelt answer gets no mark. British and American spellings are both accepted, and abbreviations only if the text uses them.
What is the best order to answer Reading Part A?
Many candidates skim all four texts for 1–2 minutes to see what each one is (table, protocol, drug notes, leaflet), answer the matching questions next, then scan for the short-answer and sentence-completion details.
How many marks do I need in OET Reading for a B?
OET adjusts the conversion for each test, so there is no fixed table. Its guidance is that about 30 of the 42 Reading marks is usually around 350 (grade B). Some regulators, such as AHPRA from 23 April 2026, need 360.
Is this an official OET sample test?
No. The texts and questions are original and written for this site. The clinical content follows current published guidance; the hospital names are fictional.
OETAce is an independent practice site. OET is a registered trademark of Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA); we are not affiliated with or endorsed by CBLA. All practice material here is original.