The candidate card
Setting
Physiotherapy clinic
Candidate
You are a physiotherapist. Ms Courtney Tolhurst has brought her 12-year-old son, who has had pain and swelling just below his right kneecap for about two months. The pain gets worse during and after football. The GP referred him with probable Osgood-Schlatter disease. Your assessment today found a tender, slightly swollen bony area just below the kneecap, full knee movement, tight thigh muscles and no other worrying findings. Her son is now in the waiting room, and Ms Tolhurst has asked to speak with you alone.
Task (interlocutor: parent)
- Find out about Ms Tolhurst's concerns and her son's current sport and activity levels
- Explain the condition in simple terms (cause, link to growth, likely course)
- Reassure her that stopping all sport is not necessary, and explain how pain can guide activity
- Outline the management plan (adjusting training load, ice after activity, stretching and strengthening exercises)
- Agree a plan and arrange follow-up
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
- She asked to speak alone, so open by asking what she wanted to talk about and what she has been told so far, then ask about his sport. Do not assume the topic. Keep it open and unhurried.
- Explain simply: the thigh muscle pulls on the tendon where it attaches just below the kneecap, which can become irritated during growth and with repeated football loading. Today's findings showed nothing else worrying. It usually settles as growth finishes.
- Present pain as a guide, not a stop sign. Mild discomfort that settles soon after activity can be acceptable; pain that is sharp or lingers means easing back. Say clearly that he does not have to stop all sport.
- Make the plan concrete: which sessions or drills to reduce first, ice after activity, and thigh stretches and strengthening you will teach him. Typical error: a long exercise list, or an absolute rest order she cannot enforce.
- He is waiting outside, so agree what she will tell him and how he should report pain. Book the review and say you will teach him the exercises. If time is short, prioritise reassurance, then activity advice.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Is there anything you wanted to raise that we haven't covered?
- Many young footballers get this around growth spurts, and it is manageable.
- How do you think he'd feel about adjusting his training?
- Shall we agree what to tell him when he comes in?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| Osgood-Schlatter disease | a growth-related irritation where the tendon attaches just below the kneecap, causing pain and swelling |
| training load | how much and how hard he plays and trains |
| strengthening exercises | simple exercises to build up the muscles around his knee and thigh |
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 Physiotherapy role-play cards
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- Physiotherapist: breathing exercises and getting out of bed after open bowel surgery Surgical ward
- Falls at home - keep Dad in a wheelchair? Home visit
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Physiotherapy.
Questions about this role-play
How do I explain pain as a guide without giving numbers?
Keep to patterns she can watch: discomfort that settles soon after play versus pain that gets sharper during play, limits him or lingers into the next day. Tell her the second pattern means easing the load and telling you at review.
What if she asks whether he can play his next match?
Avoid a flat yes or no. Say stopping all sport isn't needed but his match and training load should be adjusted, and agree with her which change to make first. Say you will review how he copes with it.
What if she asks how long it will last?
Be honest that it varies and you can't give an exact date. It is linked to growth and usually settles as growth finishes, and the plan manages symptoms meanwhile. Book the review so you can check progress together.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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