The candidate card
Setting
General practice
Candidate
In this original independent practice role-play, you are a GP seeing Ms Charlie Lyne, aged 57, following an uncomplicated whiplash injury two weeks ago. Today's assessment shows improving neck discomfort without new neurological symptoms, and she accepts the advice to continue everyday movement and rehabilitation. Her documented individual work plan allows desk-based duties with changes of position but excludes lifting or carrying stock and overhead work until her booked review next week. Her employer has offered duties described as light work, but she says these conflict with that plan.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out what the offered duties actually involve and what Ms Lyne has already told her employer
- Explain the difference between keeping active during recovery and undertaking duties excluded by her individual work plan
- Reassure her that you recognise her willingness to work and explore what would help her discuss suitable duties
- Agree whether and how to communicate with her employer, obtaining permission for the recipient and information to be shared
- Agree practical arrangements while duties are clarified and confirm the booked review
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.
In this original independent practice role-play, you are a GP seeing Ms Charlie Lyne, aged 57, following an uncomplicated whiplash injury two weeks ago. Today's assessment shows improving neck discomfort without new neurological symptoms, and she accepts the advice to continue everyday movement and rehabilitation. Her documented individual work plan allows desk-based duties with changes of position but excludes lifting or carrying stock and overhead work until her booked review next week. Her employer has offered duties described as light work, but she says these conflict with that plan.
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 with concrete examples of the offered work rather than accepting the label light duties. Ask what she would physically do and what she has already explained; this identifies the disagreement before you propose a solution.
- Ask openly what makes discussing the duties with her manager difficult, and explore her response without suggesting a particular concern. Recognise her stated willingness to work, then distinguish everyday movement from work that falls outside her individual restrictions.
- Use the documented plan as the shared reference: desk duties with position changes, but no lifting or carrying stock or overhead work until review. Improving discomfort does not itself authorise changing those boundaries.
- Before discussing employer contact, ask what support would make the conversation easier for her. Offer communication options, then agree the named recipient and exact information she permits you to share; do not treat attendance as permission.
- If time is short, prioritise an agreed interim arrangement within the existing plan and a clear route for resolving incompatible duties. Confirm next week's booked review and ask her to explain what she will do meanwhile.
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 Lyne. I'm the GP, and it's good to see you again. I'm pleased your neck discomfort is improving.”
- “I understand your employer has offered you some duties. Could you tell me what they involve?”
2. Key questions
- “What would the duties involve day to day, for example any lifting, carrying stock or overhead work?”
- “What have you already told your employer about your work plan?”
- “What would help you feel able to discuss suitable duties with them?”
- “How are you finding your everyday movement and rehabilitation?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: She is likely to worry that raising a conflict with the duties will look as if she is unwilling to work.
- “I can see you want to work, and that counts for a lot. Pointing out a mismatch with your plan is sensible, not unwilling.”
- “Let's work out together how to describe what you can do, so the duties fit your recovery.”
4. Explaining
- “Keeping active means everyday movement and your rehabilitation, which is good for your recovery. That's different from duties your plan excludes: lifting or carrying stock and overhead work, until your review next week.”
- “Your plan allows desk-based duties with changes of position. If the offered work includes anything excluded, it doesn't fit for now. Does that distinction make sense?”
5. Closing
- “With your permission, I can contact your employer. Who should I contact, exactly what are you happy for me to share, and is there anything you'd like kept private?”
- “Until duties are clarified, please keep to desk-based work with position changes and avoid the excluded tasks. Your review is booked for next week. Anything else you'd like to ask?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Which part of the proposed job feels hardest to reconcile with your plan?
- Would you prefer to lead that discussion, with my support?
- How would you like your work capacity described?
- Is there anything you would prefer to keep private?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| whiplash | A neck injury caused by a sudden movement of the head. |
| rehabilitation | Support and activities to help you recover and return to everyday tasks. |
| neurological symptoms | Symptoms involving nerves, such as changes in feeling or movement. |
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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All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
What if her employer says the stock is light?
Ask about the actual task, rather than debating the weight. The current plan excludes lifting or carrying stock regardless of the employer's label. A description such as light work cannot establish compatibility; clarify the duties against the documented restrictions before agreeing an arrangement.
Should I recommend sick leave if suitable duties are unclear?
Do not automatically certify her as unable to work or suggest trying excluded tasks. Establish whether permitted desk duties can actually be provided. If this remains uncertain, agree how clarification will happen and what she will do before her next shift, without inventing an available job arrangement.
What if she does not want direct employer contact?
Respect that choice and explore whether she would prefer to carry a clarification herself. An employer's request does not replace her permission. Record that direct contact was declined, and agree how she can seek further help if the duties remain incompatible.
What if she doesn't want me to contact her employer?
Respect that and record it. Offer to help her prepare what she will say herself, in her own words, and remind her that she can change her mind later. Keep the booked review as the next checkpoint.
How should I describe her work capacity if she agrees to a contact?
Ask how she wants it described, then keep to her documented plan: desk-based duties with position changes, and no lifting or carrying stock or overhead work until the review next week. Share only what she has agreed.
Sources
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