The candidate card
Setting
Home visit
Candidate
You are a community dietitian visiting Mr Scott Coverdale, aged 78, at home. His wife, aged 75, has Parkinson's disease and has lost about 4 kg over the past three months. Her meals take a long time and she tires quickly, and Mr Coverdale does all the cooking. The GP has referred her for nutrition advice, and you are speaking with Mr Coverdale while his wife rests.
Task (interlocutor: carer)
- Find out about his wife's current eating pattern and what happens at mealtimes
- Explain why smaller, more frequent, energy-dense meals and snacks may help her (e.g. adding extra energy to everyday foods)
- Suggest simple ways to make cooking and meal preparation easier for him
- Reassure Mr Coverdale about his worries that he is failing his wife and cannot cope
- Agree a plan and arrange follow-up
In the test you get 3 minutes to read the card and plan, then about 5 minutes to talk. This card is original, written for this site; the interlocutor's card is not shown.
How to approach this card
- Open by thanking him and acknowledging that he does all the cooking. Then ask for a typical day of eating and what mealtimes are like. Let him describe the long, tiring meals in his own words.
- Ask what he has noticed and what he has tried, not what he might be doing wrong. This respects his effort. Do not assume he has any outside help, because nothing on the card suggests it.
- Explain smaller, more frequent, energy-dense meals as a way of fitting around her tiring at meals, so she may get more energy for less eating effort. Give one or two everyday examples of adding energy to foods he already cooks.
- Move on to making cooking easier for him, and tie each idea to the same plan so it does not become an extra burden. Order matters: nutrition first, then his workload, then reassurance based on what he does.
- Reassure with facts from his own account, such as that he cooks every meal, rather than a general 'you're doing well'. Agree a short plan and follow-up. The typical error is sounding like an inspection.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Cooking every meal while she tires so quickly is a lot to carry.
- Tell me what a usual mealtime looks like, from start to finish.
- Nothing you've described suggests you aren't doing your best for her.
- Let's choose changes that make your job easier, not harder.
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| energy-dense | Packing more energy, or calories, into a smaller amount of food. |
| fortifying food | Adding extra energy to everyday foods without making the portion bigger. |
| small, frequent meals | Eating little and often through the day instead of a few large meals. |
How this card is marked
Two assessors mark the recording on nine criteria: intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language and resources of grammar and expression (each 0–6), then relationship building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering and information giving (each 0–3). Grade B usually means 5 on each language criterion and 2 on each clinical one. See the AI Speaking practice guide for what each criterion looks for.
More Dietetics role-play cards
- Renal dietitian: managing fluid and potassium between haemodialysis sessions Hospital renal dialysis unit
- Toddler with iron deficiency and high milk intake Paediatric outpatient clinic
- Dietitian: first dietary advice after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis Community health centre (dietetics clinic)
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Dietetics.
Questions about this role-play
How do I respond if he says he is failing his wife?
Do not brush it aside. Acknowledge how heavy it feels, then reflect back what he has told you he does. Ask what would help him feel more able to cope, and link that to the practical plan you are building together.
Should I involve his wife in the plan?
She is resting and the card has you speaking with him, so keep the plan simple enough to share with her afterwards. Tell him you will ask for her views and preferences at follow-up.
What if he asks about supplements or other referrals?
The card does not mention either, so do not promise anything. Say you will review how things go at follow-up and discuss with the GP if more is needed. Keep today's focus on the food-based plan.
Sources
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