The candidate card
Setting
General practice, UK
Candidate
You are a GP in this original independent practice scenario; the following history and examination findings are fictional case facts. Mr Mateus Antunez, aged 38, had shingles over his left flank four months ago and continues to experience burning pain and sensitivity in the same area. Examination immediately before this discussion showed completely healed skin, with no blisters, weeping, spreading redness or eye involvement, and he reports no fever. He believes the continuing pain means he is still contagious; he has brought a packet labelled 'Paracetamol 500 mg tablets', listing paracetamol as its only active ingredient, but his use has not yet been discussed and no medicine change has been agreed.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out about the pain, its effect on sleep and daily life, his current medicine use and what makes him think he remains contagious
- Explain how nerve pain can persist after shingles has healed without proving ongoing infectiousness
- Address his concern about contact with other people, linking advice to today's skin findings and explaining how advice would differ with new active blisters
- Agree a symptom and medicine review plan, practical comfort measures and when to seek further assessment
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 scenario; the following history and examination findings are fictional case facts. Mr Mateus Antunez, aged 38, had shingles over his left flank four months ago and continues to experience burning pain and sensitivity in the same area. Examination immediately before this discussion showed completely healed skin, with no blisters, weeping, spreading redness or eye involvement, and he reports no fever. He believes the continuing pain means he is still contagious; he has brought a packet labelled 'Paracetamol 500 mg tablets', listing paracetamol as its only active ingredient, but his use has not yet been discussed and no medicine change has been agreed.
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 separating his experience of pain from his interpretation of it. Ask what makes ongoing pain feel like evidence of contagion and how that concern affects contact with others, without assuming he has stopped working or avoided particular people.
- Explain persistent nerve pain using a distinction between skin healing and continuing sensitivity. Pause to invite his feelings and reactions, then use his response to guide any clarification; the trap is dismissing genuine pain merely because the visible rash has healed.
- Use the medicine he brought to establish its ingredients, how he actually takes it, its effect and any unwanted effects. Ask about other medicines before discussing changes; having a packet available does not mean its suitability has already been established.
- Keep comfort advice suited to healed, sensitive skin: suggest loose clothing and avoiding friction, without introducing wound dressings for a rash he no longer has. Ask which adjustment seems practical rather than promising immediate relief. NHS guidance.
- Close with an agreed symptom and medicine review, asking him to explain the contact advice in his own words and describe what remains unresolved. If time is short, prioritise his contact concern and a workable review arrangement over naming additional treatments or predicting how long his pain will last.
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 Mr Antunez, I'm one of the doctors here. Thanks for waiting. Please take a seat.”
- “I've just examined your side. Could you tell me how the pain has been since the shingles?”
2. Key questions
- “How is the pain affecting your sleep and what you can do day to day?”
- “Which medicines are you taking at the moment, and how are you using the paracetamol you brought?”
- “What makes you think you could still be contagious?”
- “Which people do you want to keep safe, or have been avoiding?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: He is likely to worry that he could pass shingles on to other people while the pain continues.
- “You're thinking of the people around you, which is considerate. Today your skin has fully healed, with no blisters or weeping, so you are not contagious and can be around people as normal.”
- “If new blisters appeared, it would be different. Cover them, avoid pregnant women, newborn babies and anyone with a weakened immune system or who hasn't had chickenpox, and see us promptly.”
4. Explaining
- “Shingles affects a nerve. Even after the rash has healed, that nerve can stay irritated, causing burning and sensitivity. This is nerve pain, and it does not mean the infection is still active.”
- “Your skin has healed, so there is nothing on it that could spread infection. The pain is still real and deserves treatment. Does that fit with what you've been thinking?”
5. Closing
- “We'll review your symptoms and medicines together, starting with the paracetamol, and I'll make no changes until we've agreed them. Loose, soft clothing over the area may be more comfortable. Is that okay with you?”
- “Please come back if blisters or a spreading red rash appear, you develop a fever, you have any eye symptoms, or the pain or poor sleep gets in the way of life. Any questions?”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Pain can be exhausting even when there is nothing visible.
- Who are you most concerned about being around?
- Let's look at the packet together before deciding anything.
- What would you most like to be able to do comfortably?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| left flank | the left side of your body between your ribs and hip |
| nerve pain | pain coming from affected nerves |
| non-prescription pain medicine | pain medicine bought without a prescription |
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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- Suspected food allergy: explain testing and safe next steps Paediatric allergy clinic, UK
- Persistent fatigue under investigation: repair a gap in test-result communication General practice
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Medicine.
Questions about this role-play
How can I answer whether he can be around other people today?
Base advice on today's completely healed skin: no blisters, weeping, spreading redness or eye involvement, and no reported fever. Ongoing pain alone does not establish infectiousness, and these healed shingles findings do not require isolation from other people. Avoid extending that reassurance to any future rash. NSW Health.
How would contact advice change if new active blisters appeared?
Active blisters can pass on chickenpox, not shingles, to susceptible people. Cover lesions, wash hands, avoid scratching and sharing towels, and avoid contact with non-immune pregnant people, newborn babies and immunocompromised people until all blisters crust. If lesions cannot be covered, stay away from work. NSW Health; NHS.
Which changes should trigger further assessment?
Arrange prompt review for new blisters, spreading redness, fever or uncontrolled pain. Eye or ear symptoms, vision changes, severe headache, facial rash with fever, weakness or confusion need emergency assessment. Call 999 (Australia: 000) for collapse, breathing difficulty or rapid deterioration; do not drive yourself. These are future contingencies, not findings today. SA Health guidance.
When should I raise the paracetamol packet?
Do it after he has described the pain and sleep, as a natural part of the medicine questions. Ask how he uses it, then read the packet together. Don't suggest changes yet, because nothing has been agreed.
What if he stays worried about contact despite the explanation?
Ask who specifically concerns him, then link the reassurance to the examination you just did. Say clearly that healed skin means he can be around them. Offer to explain again if he wishes. Don't dismiss the worry.
Sources
Last checked . Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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