The candidate card
Setting
Podiatry clinic
Candidate
You are a podiatrist. Ms Liezl Ngo, aged 34, is a recreational runner who has had pain under her right heel for six weeks. It is worst with the first steps in the morning and after sitting. Your assessment today is consistent with plantar fasciitis. She is running her first marathon in three weeks and has come in asking for a corticosteroid (cortisone) injection so that she can keep training at full mileage.
Task (interlocutor: patient)
- Find out about Ms Ngo's current training, her footwear and how she has been managing the pain, including any medicines
- Explain the condition and why a corticosteroid (cortisone) injection is not the best option at this stage (short-term relief only, possible risks, usually considered only when other treatment has not worked)
- Persuade her to reduce her training now to protect her heel (e.g. reducing running volume, cross-training, using pain as a guide rather than masking it with painkillers)
- Agree a management plan (e.g. stretching and strengthening, taping, footwear), explain when to stop running and seek urgent help, and arrange a review to decide whether running the race is advisable
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
- Ask about training, shoes and what she has done for the pain, including medicines. Painkillers may be hiding how much load the heel is taking, so ask how she uses them before and after runs.
- Name her goal first. She is likely worried about losing months of preparation, so show you understand the marathon matters before you explain why an injection is not the best option now.
- Explain the injection honestly: it may give short-term relief, carries possible risks, and is usually considered only when other treatment has not worked. Avoid implying it is forbidden or dangerous.
- Persuade her to cut training now by offering what she can still do, such as lower running volume and cross-training. Suggest pain, not tablets, as her guide to how much load her heel can take.
- Give a complete safety-net: when to stop running and seek urgent help, using your clinic's criteria. Arrange a review to decide whether running the race is advisable, rather than deciding today.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Three weeks is not long. I can see why you want a quick fix.
- Pain is information. Masking it can hide when the heel is overloaded.
- I am not saying no to the race; I am saying let us review.
- What would you be willing to change this week?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| Plantar fasciitis | Irritation of the thick band under the foot that attaches to the heel. |
| Corticosteroid injection | A cortisone injection that can reduce pain for a short time. |
| Cross-training | Other exercise, such as cycling or swimming, that keeps fitness without loading the heel. |
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 Podiatry role-play cards
- Plantar ulcer – reluctance to wear an offloading boot Podiatry clinic (community high-risk foot service)
- Ingrown toenail – partial nail avulsion for a teenager Podiatry clinic
- Aged care resident – overgrown nails and heel redness Aged care facility
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Podiatry.
Questions about this role-play
Can I tell her she should not run the marathon?
No. The card asks for a review to decide whether running is advisable. Say the decision depends on how the heel responds over the coming weeks, and that reducing training now gives her the best chance of making that decision positively.
How do I explain risks of the injection without scaring her?
Keep to what the card says: relief is short-term, there are possible risks, and it is usually considered only if other treatment has failed. Offer to go through the specific risks if she asks, and move on to treatments that can start now.
What if she keeps insisting on the injection?
Stay calm, restate that you understand her goal, and explain that you do not think it is the best choice right now. Offer the plan and the early review, and be clear it is a clinical recommendation, while respecting that it is her decision.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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