The candidate card
Setting
Emergency department
Candidate
You are a doctor in the emergency department. Mr Efren Sison, aged 19, is a semi-professional football player. He clashed heads with an opponent during a match this afternoon and was briefly dazed. He now has a mild headache, but his neurological examination is normal and he does not meet the criteria for a CT scan. He is ready for discharge with concussion advice.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how Mr Sison is feeling now and about his plans for the next few days (who he will be with, how he is getting home, upcoming matches)
- Explain what concussion is and how recovery usually progresses
- Explain the warning signs that need urgent review and what he should and should not do over the next few days (offer written advice)
- Persuade Mr Sison not to play in next weekend's final and explain the graded return to sport
- Agree a plan for follow-up with his GP and the club
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 with how his head feels now, then ask who will be with him over the next few days and how he is getting home. These answers decide how realistic your advice is, including whether anyone can watch him and whether he might drive.
- Before explaining anything, ask what he already understands about concussion and what the final means to him. Do not assume why he may be reluctant to rest; find out what is behind it, because that shapes your persuasion later.
- Explain concussion in two or three short sentences: a temporary change in how the brain works after a knock, with a normal examination today. Say recovery usually improves gradually but varies. Keep it brief and leave room for questions.
- Give explicit safety advice: call 000 for severe or worsening headache, repeated vomiting, increasing drowsiness or confusion, seizure, weakness, slurred speech, vision changes, severe neck pain or blood or clear fluid from the ears or nose. An adult should stay for 24 hours. Rest relatively for 24–48 hours, then gradually resume light activity; no alcohol, sedatives or contact sport. No driving until medically cleared. Provide written advice.
- Raise sitting out the final only after the safety advice, so it feels like part of looking after him rather than a ban. Present return as stepwise, agree GP and club follow-up, and if time is short prioritise the complete warning-sign list and not playing.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- How are you feeling in yourself right now, apart from the headache?
- Who is likely to be around you tonight, and how will you get home?
- Help me understand how you are seeing the final, so we can plan around it.
- Can you tell me in your own words what you would do if things changed?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| concussion | A temporary change in how your brain works after a knock to the head. |
| neurological examination | Checks of your alertness, eyes, strength, balance and feeling, which were normal today. |
| graded return to sport | Stepping back up to training and matches in stages, only when you are recovering well. |
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 Medicine role-play cards
- GP: daily headaches from painkiller overuse in a nurse requesting stronger pain relief Community clinic
- Abnormal liver tests and alcohol intake Community clinic
- Resident with a skin tear after a fall: angry son Aged care facility
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
What if he insists he will play the final anyway?
Do not repeat the same argument. Acknowledge how much it matters, say plainly that returning before recovery is unsafe, and present the stepwise return as the route back to playing. Suggest that the GP or club medical staff confirm when he is cleared, so the decision is not only yours.
What if he says he will be home alone?
Explore who could stay with him or check on him, such as family, a housemate or a teammate, and explain that the reason is so someone can notice warning signs. If nobody is available, do not simply accept it; discuss the discharge plan with a senior colleague.
How should I involve the club?
Ask his permission before anything is shared. Agree what he will tell the coach or club doctor, that he should not return to training or matches until cleared, and that the GP will coordinate review. Confirm he has the written advice to show them.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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.