The candidate card
Setting
Inpatient rehabilitation ward
Candidate
You are an occupational therapist on the rehabilitation ward. Mr Dindo Galang, aged 66, is a self-employed electrician who had a right-sided stroke four weeks ago. His walking and arm strength have recovered well, and he is due to be discharged next week. Your assessments this week showed left-sided visual neglect: he often misses things on his left side. He has told the nurses he plans to drive his work van home and go straight back to work.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out about Mr Galang's plans for discharge and returning to work
- Explain the assessment findings in simple terms (left-sided neglect, how it affects driving and safety at work)
- Explain that he must not drive or do hazardous work until cleared (driving: review by his doctor, possible specialist driving assessment, informing the licensing authority and his insurer; work: no ladders, roof spaces or hazardous electrical tasks until the rehabilitation team has assessed his work capacity)
- Respond to his frustration and his worries about losing income
- Agree a plan for getting home and for the next steps
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.
How to approach this card
- Begin with open questions about how he sees discharge and work, and let him finish before correcting anything. Ask how he plans to get home and what returning to work involves. Find out what is behind the plan to drive the van rather than assuming a reason.
- Explain neglect with an everyday example: he often misses things on his left side, such as an object or a person. Say this comes from the stroke, not from his eyesight or effort. Then link it to roads and to work.
- State the message clearly and early: no driving or hazardous work until cleared. Include every element: review by his doctor, possible specialist driving assessment, informing the licensing authority and his insurer, and no ladders, roof spaces or hazardous electrical tasks until the rehabilitation team has assessed his work capacity.
- Acknowledge his frustration before problem-solving, and acknowledge that his walking and arm recovery has gone well. As he is self-employed, income worries are likely, so ask about them. Do not promise timeframes or outcomes for work.
- For the plan, settle how he gets home next week without driving himself, and who does what next. Summarise, ask him to repeat the key points back, and avoid delivering the rules as a lecture without his input.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Your walking and arm recovery has been really good. I want to talk about one thing that is still affecting you.
- Tell me what you had in mind for getting home and getting back to work.
- This is a hard thing to hear when you are keen to get going. What worries you most?
- This is about getting you back to work safely, not about stopping you for good.
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| left-sided visual neglect | after the stroke, your brain often misses things on your left side, even though your eyes work |
| work capacity assessment | a check of which work tasks you can safely do, and which you cannot yet |
| cleared to drive | your doctor and, if needed, a driving specialist have checked and agreed it is safe |
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). Grade B usually means 5 on each language criterion and 2 on each clinical one. See the AI Speaking practice guide for what each criterion looks for.
More Occupational Therapy role-play cards
- Handwriting difficulties: is my son just lazy? Paediatric occupational therapy clinic
- Refusing a shower chair before discharge after hip replacement Orthopaedic hospital ward
- Child will not wear her hand splint after a burn Hand therapy outpatient clinic
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Occupational Therapy.
Questions about this role-play
What if he says he will drive home anyway?
Stay calm and do not argue. Repeat the safety reason in plain words, ask what makes the alternative difficult, and help solve that, for example who could drive him. Remind him that his insurer and the licensing authority need to be informed. Tell the team and his doctor afterwards.
What if he asks how long until he can drive or work?
The card gives no timeframe, so do not guess. Explain that it depends on the doctor's review, any specialist driving assessment, and the rehabilitation team's assessment of his work capacity. Offer to explain who will contact him about each step.
What if he says he feels fine and has recovered well?
Agree that his physical recovery is a real achievement. Then explain that the neglect is a different problem: he often misses things on his left, and this may not match how well he feels. Use a concrete road or worksite example rather than test results.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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