The candidate card
Setting
Eye outpatient clinic
Candidate
This original independent practice scenario contains fictional patient details and an individual specialist plan. You are a doctor seeing Mr Ibidapo Faloye, aged 60, who was diagnosed with glaucoma eight months ago and wants to stop his prescribed eye drops because his sight feels normal. The documented specialist plan is to continue his existing drops exactly as prescribed and attend his booked monitoring appointment; no treatment change has been authorised. The prescribing eye team is available today to clarify any questions about his particular regimen, so you do not need to select a medicine or provide dosing instructions.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out why Mr Faloye wants to stop his drops, how he currently uses them and whether he has experienced any problems
- Explain why glaucoma can damage sight without noticeable symptoms and how treatment aims to protect his vision
- Encourage him to continue the existing prescribed treatment while acknowledging his concerns and referring regimen questions to the prescribing eye team
- Explain why follow-up remains necessary even when his vision feels normal
- Agree a practical plan for continuing treatment, obtaining answers from the eye team and attending monitoring
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.
Prepare this card, then say it out loud.
Plan your opening and the tasks below. Keep these notes when you move to the AI role-play.
This original independent practice scenario contains fictional patient details and an individual specialist plan. You are a doctor seeing Mr Ibidapo Faloye, aged 60, who was diagnosed with glaucoma eight months ago and wants to stop his prescribed eye drops because his sight feels normal. The documented specialist plan is to continue his existing drops exactly as prescribed and attend his booked monitoring appointment; no treatment change has been authorised. The prescribing eye team is available today to clarify any questions about his particular regimen, so you do not need to select a medicine or provide dosing instructions.
Getting your plan ready…
Preparation is free without an account. AI conversation and marking need sign-in; your first role-play is free. Notes are saved on this device when available. This checklist is your plan, not a score.
How to approach this card
- Ask what makes stopping the drops seem reasonable to him, then invite a description of his usual routine and any problems. Feeling that treatment is unnecessary is a likely concern; practical difficulties or unwanted effects must be explored rather than assumed.
- Acknowledge his experience of normal sight before explaining why it cannot show whether glaucoma is affecting vision. This order respects his observation while introducing the reason treatment aims to protect sight despite an absence of noticeable symptoms.
- Establish the existing prescription as the current plan, then distinguish general explanation from questions about his particular regimen. Use the prescribing eye team’s availability today to resolve uncertainty; do not improvise a replacement medicine, schedule or stopping trial.
- Explain monitoring as a separate part of protecting vision, rather than something needed only when symptoms appear. The usual trap is implying that normal sight proves the drops are working or that taking drops makes the booked review optional.
- Agree a continuation plan that addresses the difficulty he actually describes, identify questions for the eye team and confirm the booked monitoring appointment. If time is limited, secure a clear understanding of the current plan before offering additional detail.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- I can understand why this feels puzzling when your sight seems normal.
- Thank you for telling me what using the drops is like.
- Would you prefer to discuss your main question first?
- Have I explained that clearly enough?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| glaucoma | An eye condition that can damage sight without noticeable symptoms. |
| regimen | The instructions for which drops to use and how to use them. |
| monitoring | Regular checks on your eye condition and treatment. |
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). See the AI Speaking practice guide for what each criterion looks for.
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All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
What if he asks for instructions after missing a dose?
The card does not identify the medicine or provide missed-dose instructions. Do not invent a catch-up schedule or recommend extra drops. Acknowledge the practical question and obtain advice about his actual prescription from the prescribing eye team available today.
How can I discuss his use of drops without sounding accusatory?
Invite him to describe a recent occasion when he used the drops, rather than asking whether he is compliant. Use neutral follow-up questions about anything that was difficult. If his description differs from the prescription, clarify the difference without labelling him careless.
What if he still declines to continue after the explanation?
Avoid turning the discussion into an argument or claiming he has agreed. Ask what remains unacceptable to him and offer a discussion with the eye team today. Make his decision and the advice given explicit, and preserve the opportunity for continued contact and monitoring.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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