The candidate card
Setting
General practice, UK
Candidate
You are a GP in this original independent practice case; the history and individual prescription are fictional case facts. You have examined Ms Uta Peronne's three-year-old daughter and diagnosed localised non-bullous impetigo on her forearm; she is otherwise well, without surrounding hot, painful swelling. Your documented prescription is hydrogen peroxide 1% cream, applied thinly to the affected patches three times daily for five days, starting today; current NHS advice is to remain away from nursery until 48 hours after prescribed treatment starts. Ms Peronne wants to take her daughter straight to nursery; focus on treatment and attendance advice during this five-minute conversation, with any further clinical assessment continuing afterwards.
Task (interlocutor: relative)
- Find out what Ms Peronne understands about the infection and why returning to nursery today matters to her, checking whether her daughter has become unwell since examination
- Explain the prescribed cream treatment and the importance of completing the course
- Explain the current NHS attendance advice and simple measures to reduce spread
- Respond sympathetically to her childcare difficulty and persuade her to delay nursery attendance
- Agree a practical treatment and return-to-nursery plan, including when to seek further medical help
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.
You are a GP in this original independent practice case; the history and individual prescription are fictional case facts. You have examined Ms Uta Peronne's three-year-old daughter and diagnosed localised non-bullous impetigo on her forearm; she is otherwise well, without surrounding hot, painful swelling. Your documented prescription is hydrogen peroxide 1% cream, applied thinly to the affected patches three times daily for five days, starting today; current NHS advice is to remain away from nursery until 48 hours after prescribed treatment starts. Ms Peronne wants to take her daughter straight to nursery; focus on treatment and attendance advice during this five-minute conversation, with any further clinical assessment continuing afterwards.
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
- Begin by checking whether anything has changed since examination, then explore why nursery attendance today matters. Childcare disruption is a likely concern, but ask which difficulty she actually needs help addressing before offering solutions.
- Explain the documented prescription in manageable chunks: hydrogen peroxide 1% cream, applied thinly to affected patches three times daily for five days, starting today. Avoid introducing alternative medicines; check which part of this routine might be difficult.
- Separate the treatment course from the attendance interval: completing five days and waiting 48 hours after treatment starts serve different decisions. Anchor nursery return to the actual first application, avoiding an ambiguous instruction such as returning after two days.
- Acknowledge the childcare difficulty before exploring arrangements she considers possible. Avoid assuming she can miss work or has family available; persuasion is more credible when it addresses her stated obstacle rather than repeating infection-control instructions.
- Close by asking her to explain the application routine and proposed nursery return in her own words. If time is short, protect these decisions and the review advice; leave a longer explanation of terminology until afterwards.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Getting childcare at short notice can be difficult.
- Thank you for explaining the practical difficulty.
- Which part feels hardest to manage?
- Please stop me if anything sounds unclear.
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| localised | limited to one area |
| non-bullous | without large blisters |
| hydrogen peroxide cream | the prescribed cream for the affected skin patches |
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.
More Medicine role-play cards
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- Unexplained weight loss: discuss investigation under uncertainty General practice
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
How can I check her understanding of preventing spread?
Ask what she understands about how impetigo spreads and what measures she thinks would help prevent transmission. After explaining the attendance advice and hygiene measures, invite her to describe the plan in her own words and clarify any misunderstandings she expresses. [NHS impetigo guidance](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/impetigo/).
How should I describe reasons to seek further medical help?
Give clear levels of urgency. If the skin becomes hot, painful and swollen, or her daughter becomes unwell, seek urgent assessment through the GP or NHS 111; do not wait until treatment finishes. [NHS cellulitis guidance](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cellulitis/). If her daughter is difficult to wake or has difficulty breathing, call 999 or go to A&E immediately. [NHS sepsis guidance](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis/). Separately, arrange reassessment if the impetigo has not improved after completing the five-day course. Seek medical advice sooner for new or worsening symptoms or a suspected treatment reaction. [NICE impetigo guidance](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng153/chapter/Recommendations). Advice checked on 3 November 2026.
What if she asks me to telephone the nursery?
Offer to clarify the diagnosis and attendance advice with her permission, without promising that the nursery will provide childcare or change its arrangements. Confirm what information she wants shared and who will make contact, keeping the discussion focused on resolving the immediate practical barrier.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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