The candidate card
Setting
Paediatric allergy clinic, UK
Candidate
You are a doctor in this original independent practice scenario, seeing Mr Kit Herbert, aged 42, with his currently well five-year-old daughter after a suspected egg reaction. An allergy-focused history completed at intake confirms itchy, raised spots shortly after scrambled egg three weeks ago, no other symptoms, recovery without treatment and regular symptom-free milk and bread intake before he excluded egg, milk, wheat and nuts; you do not need to repeat this history. The clinic's interim plan is to avoid egg and foods containing egg, resume previously tolerated milk and egg-free wheat foods, and leave the uncertain nut history and nut advice to today's allergy-team review before departure. Targeted testing, a results discussion and today's dietitian and growth review are arranged; no food challenge is planned today, no allergy medicines or adrenaline device have been prescribed or are available at home, and the allergy team and nurse will review medication needs and provide individual written emergency instructions before they leave.
Task (interlocutor: relative)
- Explore how the restrictions are affecting meals and what worries him about changing them.
- Explain briefly why testing should target suspected foods and why results must be interpreted alongside the reaction history.
- Acknowledge his protective intention and address his hesitation about resuming milk and egg-free wheat foods; distinguish these from trying egg at home.
- Agree the supplied food plan and clinic follow-up, briefly explain when to call 999, and check his understanding of what she can eat.
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 this original independent practice scenario, seeing Mr Kit Herbert, aged 42, with his currently well five-year-old daughter after a suspected egg reaction. An allergy-focused history completed at intake confirms itchy, raised spots shortly after scrambled egg three weeks ago, no other symptoms, recovery without treatment and regular symptom-free milk and bread intake before he excluded egg, milk, wheat and nuts; you do not need to repeat this history. The clinic's interim plan is to avoid egg and foods containing egg, resume previously tolerated milk and egg-free wheat foods, and leave the uncertain nut history and nut advice to today's allergy-team review before departure. Targeted testing, a results discussion and today's dietitian and growth review are arranged; no food challenge is planned today, no allergy medicines or adrenaline device have been prescribed or are available at home, and the allergy team and nurse will review medication needs and provide individual written emergency instructions before they leave.
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
- Focus your opening questions on current mealtimes and his main worry. The candidate card supplies a completed allergy-focused history, so you can acknowledge the episode without repeating the assessment.
- Give one short explanation of targeted testing: the history identifies which foods need investigation, and results are interpreted alongside it. Avoid promising that testing can guarantee safety.
- Acknowledge his protective intention and respond to his single concern about restoring milk and wheat. Explain the difference between their recorded tolerance and the suspected egg reaction; do not recommend a home egg trial.
- Agree the supplied food plan and use one brief teach-back to check what she can eat. Leave clarification of nuts and the detailed dietary assessment to the arranged team reviews today.
- Give brief advice about calling 999 for serious allergic symptoms, then confirm that medication review and written emergency instruction will happen before departure. The required conversation does not include device training, a full emergency algorithm or a second teach-back.
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 Herbert, I'm one of the doctors in the allergy clinic. Thank you for bringing your daughter along today.”
- “I know you've already given a full history, so I'd like to hear how the food restrictions have been going at home.”
2. Key questions
- “How have the restrictions affected mealtimes for you and your daughter day to day?”
- “What worries you most about going back to foods she ate without problems before?”
- “What have you been giving her to eat instead, and how is she managing with it?”
- “How are you feeling about the testing and today's plan?”
3. Handling the patient's concern
Likely concern: He likely worries that resuming milk or wheat foods could trigger another reaction.
- “You're being careful because you want to keep her safe, and that's completely understandable. Let's separate the foods she has always tolerated from the egg that seemed to cause the spots.”
- “Milk and egg-free wheat foods like bread are different from egg. Egg stays off the menu, and she should not try it at home. We'll deal with that properly through the clinic.”
4. Explaining
- “Tests are most useful when they target the foods we suspect, so we're not testing everything. Results also need to be read alongside what happened in the reaction, because a result alone doesn't give the answer.”
- “For now, avoid egg and foods containing egg, and go back to the milk and egg-free wheat foods she had before. The nut question will be reviewed by the allergy team today before you leave. Does that make sense?”
5. Closing
- “So for now, no egg or egg-containing foods, but milk and egg-free wheat foods are fine. We'll do the tests, discuss the results, and today's dietitian and growth review will go ahead. What can she eat?”
- “If she ever has trouble breathing, noisy breathing, swelling of lips, tongue or throat, or looks pale, floppy or collapses after eating, call 999 straight away. The team will also give you written instructions.”
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- This sounds like a lot to manage at mealtimes.
- What worries you most about returning to her usual milk and bread?
- Let's separate questions about eggs from questions about the other foods.
- Could you tell me what you understand she can eat while we arrange the tests?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| skin-prick testing | A skin test to help investigate a possible food allergy. |
| specific allergy blood testing | A blood test that helps investigate a possible allergy to a selected food. |
| food challenge | Trying a suspected food under specialist supervision to assess whether it causes symptoms. |
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
How should I respond if he asks to try a little egg during this appointment?
Acknowledge that he wants a clear answer. Explain that no food challenge is planned today and that he should not test egg at home. Any future challenge would require specialist assessment and arrangements; do not improvise a tasting.
Should I describe his daughter as allergic to eggs in my explanation?
Describe a suspected egg allergy rather than a confirmed diagnosis. The intake history records itchy, raised spots after scrambled egg, without features of anaphylaxis. Use the supplied plan for milk and egg-free wheat foods; you do not need to reconfirm their recorded tolerance or resolve the nut history in this conversation.
How much emergency advice is needed in this conversation?
Give a short, clear instruction to call 999 immediately for sudden mouth, tongue or throat swelling, breathing difficulty, collapse or a child becoming floppy or unresponsive, even without a rash. The card explicitly states that no emergency allergy medicine is currently prescribed or available at home. Confirm the team's medication review and the nurse's individual written emergency instruction before departure. Detailed first-aid teaching and emergency-response teach-back belong to that arranged review rather than this five-minute conversation. Sources checked 5 November 2026: NHS food allergy, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-allergy/ ; NHS anaphylaxis, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/anaphylaxis/ .
How do I keep the egg and the other foods from blurring together?
Say it in two clear parts: egg stays off for now, and milk and egg-free wheat foods can restart. Use his daughter's usual meals as examples, then ask him to repeat back what she can eat. This reveals any lingering confusion.
What if he refuses to restart milk or bread today?
Don't push him. Ask what specifically worries him, and explain why those foods were tolerated before. Offer to revisit the decision with the allergy team and dietitian today, who are already part of the plan, rather than leaving him alone with it.
Sources
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