The candidate card
Setting
Community clinic
Candidate
You are a community nurse seeing Mr James Amponsa, aged 62, after confirmed coeliac disease; he says that gluten-free food seems expensive and that sharing a kitchen makes the advice difficult. In this fictional case, diagnostic investigations are complete, his treating clinician has advised a lifelong gluten-free diet, and you can offer a referral to a dietitian for affordable meal planning and shared-kitchen advice. General clinical information: gluten in wheat, barley and rye triggers an immune reaction that damages the small bowel, even when symptoms are mild; plain rice, potatoes, vegetables and uncoated meat or fish are naturally gluten-free, while packaged foods need label checking. Gluten can transfer through crumbs and shared preparation equipment, so useful measures include washing surfaces and utensils, protecting spreads from crumbs, and using toaster bags or a separate toaster.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out what Mr Amponsa currently eats and which aspects of food costs or sharing the kitchen are making dietary changes difficult
- Explain why a lifelong gluten-free diet matters and discuss affordable naturally gluten-free choices suited to his usual meals
- Respond without blame to his difficulties and explain a few practical ways to prevent gluten transferring to his food in the shared kitchen
- Agree achievable first steps and offer a dietitian referral for individual meal planning and kitchen advice, checking his understanding
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 community nurse seeing Mr James Amponsa, aged 62, after confirmed coeliac disease; he says that gluten-free food seems expensive and that sharing a kitchen makes the advice difficult. In this fictional case, diagnostic investigations are complete, his treating clinician has advised a lifelong gluten-free diet, and you can offer a referral to a dietitian for affordable meal planning and shared-kitchen advice. General clinical information: gluten in wheat, barley and rye triggers an immune reaction that damages the small bowel, even when symptoms are mild; plain rice, potatoes, vegetables and uncoated meat or fish are naturally gluten-free, while packaged foods need label checking. Gluten can transfer through crumbs and shared preparation equipment, so useful measures include washing surfaces and utensils, protecting spreads from crumbs, and using toaster bags or a separate toaster.
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 a usual meal and the kitchen situation he finds hardest. Ask whether cost concerns involve particular foods or replacement products; he may be worried about affordability or control over preparation, but establish his own priorities.
- Explain the reason for lifelong changes before discussing substitutions: gluten in wheat, barley and rye triggers an immune reaction that damages the small bowel, even with mild symptoms. Avoid implying that feeling well makes occasional gluten acceptable.
- Use his familiar meals to discuss plain rice, potatoes, vegetables and uncoated meat or fish as naturally gluten-free options. Contrast these with packaged foods that need label checking, without assuming specialist replacement products are necessary for every meal.
- Make shared-kitchen advice concrete: wash surfaces and utensils, protect spreads from crumbs, and use toaster bags or a separate toaster. Explain gluten transfer without blaming other kitchen users or assuming that he can control all shared equipment.
- Agree first steps he considers achievable and offer dietitian input for affordable meals and kitchen arrangements. Ask him to explain how he would prepare a familiar meal; if time is short, prioritise a usable starting point over exhaustive food lists.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- It makes sense to discuss the cost before planning meals.
- Which familiar foods would you most like to keep?
- We can work through this without blaming anyone.
- What feels manageable to begin with?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| coeliac disease | A condition in which gluten triggers a reaction that damages the small bowel. |
| gluten | A protein found in wheat, barley and rye. |
| immune reaction | Your body's defences reacting to gluten and damaging the bowel. |
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 Nursing role-play cards
- Pulmonary tuberculosis: discuss isolation and privacy Respiratory ward, England
- Prescribed home oxygen: agree a safe home plan Home oxygen assessment clinic
- Neonatal jaundice receiving phototherapy: explain care and involvement Postnatal ward
Next step for Australian nursing: if your pathway requires OBA after OET and NCLEX-RN, explore OSCE practice for Australian nurses at OSCE Australia, run by the same company as OETAce.
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Nursing.
Questions about this role-play
Should I suggest continuing gluten until more tests are done?
No. This case explicitly states that diagnostic investigations are complete and the treating clinician has advised a lifelong gluten-free diet. Do not import advice intended for someone still awaiting diagnosis or suggest that he needs another diagnostic step before making changes.
How should I handle a question about a specific packaged food?
Do not guess from the product name, appearance or an incomplete description. Ask to look at the actual label together. If the available information does not resolve the question, identify it for the dietitian rather than declaring the food suitable without evidence.
What if he describes an accidental gluten exposure?
Respond neutrally and ask him to describe what happened, rather than labelling him careless. Use the account to identify a practical obstacle for future meal preparation. Do not invent a treatment for the exposure or suggest that an accident makes further dietary effort pointless.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. 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.