The candidate card
Setting
Orthopaedic clinic
Candidate
You are a doctor in an orthopaedic clinic in this original independent practice scenario. Ms Kathleen Randles, aged 43, has confirmed left knee osteoarthritis following an old knee injury, with increasing pain over the past year and a recent X-ray reporting severe changes. Today's assessment found no acute concern, and she has not yet tried an individually tailored exercise programme or had a structured pain-management review. She expects you to arrange knee replacement because of the X-ray findings.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out how the knee affects Ms Randles's daily activities, what she hopes to regain and what she has already tried
- Explain why treatment decisions depend on pain, function and personal priorities as well as the X-ray, acknowledging that her pain is real
- Discuss individual non-surgical options, including supported strengthening and suitable aerobic activity, practical activity adjustments and a pain-relief review
- Address her expectation that severe X-ray changes automatically require surgery, explaining when joint replacement may be considered
- Agree an initial plan linked to her preferred activity goal, with follow-up to assess benefit and reconsider options if it is ineffective or unsuitable
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 doctor in an orthopaedic clinic in this original independent practice scenario. Ms Kathleen Randles, aged 43, has confirmed left knee osteoarthritis following an old knee injury, with increasing pain over the past year and a recent X-ray reporting severe changes. Today's assessment found no acute concern, and she has not yet tried an individually tailored exercise programme or had a structured pain-management review. She expects you to arrange knee replacement because of the X-ray findings.
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
- Start with what she wants her knee to let her do, then explore previous treatment attempts. Use open questions to find out her views on treatment options and what she hopes will happen next.
- Acknowledge her pain before explaining the limits of the X-ray's role in choosing treatment. Otherwise, discussing function may sound dismissive. Ask what severe changes mean to her, then connect the image with her symptoms and priorities.
- Introduce supported strengthening and suitable aerobic activity through her chosen activity goal, adding practical adjustments and a pain-relief review. Keep the explanation manageable, and explore what would make an individually tailored programme feasible before seeking agreement.
- Address replacement surgery directly rather than letting it remain an unspoken disagreement. Explain that it may be considered through discussion of pain, function, priorities and treatment experience, including ineffective or unsuitable options; avoid promising surgery or ruling it out.
- Close with a shared trial linked to her preferred activity and an agreed follow-up to judge benefit and reconsider options. If time is short, prioritise agreement about the next step; a long treatment catalogue can leave her feeling unheard.
Model route: what a strong candidate might say
Example lines in a workable order for about 5 minutes: opening, key questions, the patient's concern, explaining, then the close. Use them to plan, not to memorise: the patient's replies are not scripted here, and your next line should follow what they actually say.
1. Opening
- “Hello Ms Randles, I'm one of the doctors in the orthopaedic clinic. Thanks for coming in to talk about your left knee.”
- “Could you tell me how the knee has been affecting you, and what you were hoping to get from today?”
2. Key questions
- “Which everyday activities are hardest because of your knee, and what would you most like to be able to do again?”
- “What have you tried so far for the pain, including exercise or any medicines?”
- “What did you understand from your X-ray report?”
- “What do you hope an operation would change for you?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: She likely expects that the severe X-ray changes mean she will automatically need a knee replacement.
- “Your pain is real, and I can see how much this knee matters to you. The X-ray is only one piece of the picture, so let me explain how decisions are made.”
- “I'm not ruling an operation out. I want us to look at your pain, how you function and what matters to you, and make the decision together.”
4. Explaining
- “Treatment decisions depend on your pain, what you can do day to day and your priorities, as well as the X-ray. The X-ray shows severe changes, but that alone doesn't decide whether you need surgery.”
- “Options include supported strengthening exercises, suitable aerobic activity, adjusting how you do some activities, and a review of your pain relief. A joint replacement may be considered if the knee still limits you significantly despite these. Does that make sense?”
5. Closing
- “So we'll start with a plan built around the activity you most want to regain, using the exercise programme and a pain-relief review. We'll then see how it's working.”
- “We'll follow up to check the benefit, and if it isn't helping or isn't suitable, we'll reconsider your options together. What questions are left on your mind?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- It sounds as though this appointment carries a lot of hope for your knee.
- Let me separate today's findings from the decisions we still need to make.
- Would you like me to explain any of those knee-treatment terms differently?
- What questions about an operation have we not made room for?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| osteoarthritis | A type of arthritis affecting your knee joint. |
| joint replacement | An operation to replace the affected joint. |
| aerobic activity | Physical activity that makes you breathe a little harder. |
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
- Iron-deficiency anaemia under investigation: support an informed patient decision with a worried spouse Haematology clinic, UK
- Testicular lump: negotiate examination preferences without avoidable delay General practice, UK
- Hypertension home readings: agree reliable measurement and follow-up General practice, UK
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
How should I use the finding that today's assessment found no acute concern?
Present it as a finding from today's assessment. It does not establish that every possible problem has been excluded, and it does not diminish her ongoing pain. Avoid extending it into claims that her knee is safe for any activity or needs no further review.
Should I name medicines, doses or a specific exercise schedule?
The card provides no medicine history, prescribing details or exercise prescription. Do not invent these. Ask what pain relief she currently uses and explain that the review will consider it. Leave specific exercise amounts and progression to the individually tailored programme.
How can I make the follow-up plan specific without inventing a clinic timetable?
Agree what improvement would look like in her chosen activity and discuss when progress should be reviewed. Explain how she can seek an earlier review if the plan is not helping or is difficult to manage. Do not invent a booked appointment or guarantee access to a particular service.
How do I address the surgery expectation without sounding dismissive?
Validate her pain first, then explain that the X-ray is one part of the decision. State clearly that surgery stays an option for the future, so she doesn't feel it is being refused. Link everything back to her own goal.
How do I choose one goal for the plan?
Ask her to name the activity she misses most, then build the exercise and activity adjustments around it. Use her words in the plan so she sees it as hers, and say how you'll judge progress at follow-up.
Sources
Last checked . 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.