The candidate card
Setting
Oncology day unit
Candidate
You are an oncology nurse speaking with Ms Kveta Surbek, aged 49, whose adult daughter is receiving chemotherapy; her daughter has explicitly consented to sharing symptom-reporting and emergency-contact information with her mother, but not other treatment details. In this fictional case, the daughter is comfortable in the unit with no symptoms reported, and her written take-home plan directs her to call the oncology advice line, available day and night, immediately for fever, feeling hot or shivery, or other infection symptoms such as a new cough or painful urination, without waiting until morning or for a thermometer reading; the contact number is printed on her take-home card. The plan also directs her to obtain urgent help through NHS 111 if the oncology service cannot be reached, and to call 999 for severe breathing difficulty, new confusion or collapse. General clinical information: chemotherapy can weaken infection defences, and infections may become serious quickly; Ms Surbek has suggested that a fever could wait until the next day.
Task (interlocutor: relative)
- Find out what Ms Surbek understands about symptom reporting and check whether her daughter has any symptoms now, keeping the discussion within her daughter's consent
- Explain why fever or infection symptoms during chemotherapy require immediate contact rather than waiting until morning
- Address her reluctance to call overnight and explain the written contact plan, including what to do if the oncology service cannot be reached or emergency symptoms occur
- Agree how she can support her daughter's use of the plan and check her understanding using a brief overnight-fever example
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 an oncology nurse speaking with Ms Kveta Surbek, aged 49, whose adult daughter is receiving chemotherapy; her daughter has explicitly consented to sharing symptom-reporting and emergency-contact information with her mother, but not other treatment details. In this fictional case, the daughter is comfortable in the unit with no symptoms reported, and her written take-home plan directs her to call the oncology advice line, available day and night, immediately for fever, feeling hot or shivery, or other infection symptoms such as a new cough or painful urination, without waiting until morning or for a thermometer reading; the contact number is printed on her take-home card. The plan also directs her to obtain urgent help through NHS 111 if the oncology service cannot be reached, and to call 999 for severe breathing difficulty, new confusion or collapse. General clinical information: chemotherapy can weaken infection defences, and infections may become serious quickly; Ms Surbek has suggested that a fever could wait until the next day.
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
- Establish the consent boundary before discussing care, then check whether any symptoms are present now. The daughter is currently described as comfortable with none reported; do not turn that snapshot into reassurance about what could happen later.
- Explore what is behind the suggestion to wait until morning. Ask what would make an overnight call difficult; concern about disturbing staff is possible, but do not present that or another hidden reason as established.
- Give a brief explanation before the contact instructions: chemotherapy can weaken infection defences, and infections may become serious quickly. Keep the explanation focused on why acting promptly matters; detailed treatment information would exceed the daughter's consent.
- Explain the complete escalation pathway together, then help her locate the oncology number on the take-home card. The number supports access to advice; merely telling her to read the card would leave the essential instructions unexplained.
- Use the overnight-fever example to have her describe what she would do and correct any delay in her answer. If time is short, prioritise the consent boundary, current symptom check and complete contact pathway over a lengthy explanation.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- You do not need to apologise for seeking the agreed advice.
- Let us make the overnight steps easy to find.
- How confident do you feel about making that call?
- Would you like a moment to think that through?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| chemotherapy | Treatment that can weaken the body's ability to fight infection. |
| infection defences | The body's ability to fight infection. |
| symptom reporting | Telling the care team about changes in how she feels. |
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
- Coeliac disease: discuss practical dietary changes Community clinic
- Pulmonary tuberculosis: discuss isolation and privacy Respiratory ward, England
- Prescribed home oxygen: agree a safe home plan Home oxygen assessment clinic
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
What exact escalation instructions should I give?
Call the day-and-night oncology line immediately for fever, feeling hot or shivery, or infection symptoms such as a new cough or painful urination. Never wait until morning or for a thermometer reading. If unreachable, seek urgent help through NHS 111. Call 999 for severe breathing difficulty, new confusion or collapse. The oncology number is on her take-home card.
Should I supply a temperature threshold to make the advice more precise?
No temperature threshold is provided, so do not invent one. Adding a numerical gate could make the mother think that a call depends on reaching it. Practise recognising the plan's symptom triggers without introducing an additional condition for seeking advice.
How can I respond if she asks whether her daughter will definitely develop an infection?
Distinguish a possibility from a prediction. The information explains why symptoms need attention, but does not say that her daughter will develop an infection. Avoid forecasting her individual course or offering guarantees; bring the conversation back to being prepared to act if needed.
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.