OET Writing Band Descriptors: Score Levels Explained

To pass the OET Writing sub-test with a Grade B (score of 350 or higher), you must understand the criteria examiners use to mark your letter. The OET does not use a holistic grade; instead, two independent assessors score your letter against six distinct criteria.

This guide breaks down the official OET Writing band descriptors to help you evaluate your own writing and target areas for improvement. To calculate your estimated band score from your raw marks, you can use our free OET score calculator.

The Six Criteria At a Glance

The OET Writing criteria are divided into two categories: content-focused criteria and language-focused criteria.

• Purpose (0-3 points): How clearly the reason for writing is stated.
• Content (0-3 points): The accuracy and relevance of the information included.
• Conciseness & Clarity (0-7 points): Hiding or omitting irrelevant information.
• Genre & Style (0-7 points): The register, tone, and professional styling.
• Organisation & Layout (0-7 points): Paragraph structure and chronological cohesion.
• Language (0-7 points): Grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, and spelling.

To reach a Grade B, you typically need to secure at least a 2 out of 3 on Purpose and Content, and 5 out of 7 on the remaining four criteria.

1. Purpose (0 to 3 Scale)

Purpose assesses whether the reader can immediately identify why the letter was written and what action is required.

• Band 3 (High): The purpose of the letter is immediately apparent, clearly stated in the introduction, and expanded cleanly in the conclusion. The reader knows exactly what to do.
• Band 2 (Grade B Target): The purpose is clear and stated early, but the wording may be slightly generic. For example, “referring for further management” instead of specifying the urgent assessment needed.
• Band 1: The purpose is buried in the middle of the letter or missing entirely. The reader has to search the text to figure out why the patient is being referred.

2. Content (0 to 3 Scale)

Content measures how accurately you translate the provided case notes into the letter.

• Band 3 (High): All key information is included, and no false assumptions or incorrect clinical conclusions are made.
• Band 2 (Grade B Target): The letter contains all essential clinical facts, though there may be minor omissions of secondary data. The overall clinical picture remains accurate.
• Band 1: Significant details are missing (e.g., omitting that a patient is on anticoagulants prior to surgery), or incorrect interpretations of the case notes are present.

3. Conciseness & Clarity (0 to 7 Scale)

This criterion measures your ability to select what is relevant to the target recipient and leave out what is not.

• Band 7 (High): The letter is highly concise. Only information that directly impacts the recipient’s care plan is included. Historical details that do not affect the immediate referral are omitted.
• Band 5 (Grade B Target): The letter is clear and readable, but contains some unnecessary information (e.g., listing a childhood surgery for an acute cardiac referral). The core message is still clear.
• Band 3 or below: The letter is cluttered with irrelevant facts, making it difficult for a busy specialist to extract the essential clinical details.

4. Genre & Style (0 to 7 Scale)

Genre and style check whether your letter sounds like a professional writing to another professional.

• Band 7 (High): The tone is objective, formal, and clinical. Medical terminology is used accurately, and there are no informal expressions.
• Band 5 (Grade B Target): The tone is appropriate, but there are occasional lapses into informal phrasing (e.g., using “he has been doing well” instead of “the patient has made a satisfactory recovery”). No non-standard abbreviations are used.
• Band 3 or below: The letter uses overly subjective language, expressions of emotion, or conversational slang.

5. Organisation & Layout (0 to 7 Scale)

This criterion evaluates the structure of your paragraphs and the logical flow of the letter.

• Band 7 (High): Paragraphs are logically organized (e.g., thematic or chronological grouping) with clear transitional signals. The layout follows standard professional letter conventions.
• Band 5 (Grade B Target): The letter has a clear paragraph structure, but the transition between sections may feel slightly abrupt. The chronology is easy to follow.
• Band 3 or below: The text is written as one large block, or paragraphs are fragmented with no clear order.

6. Language (0 to 7 Scale)

Language measures your grammatical accuracy, vocabulary choice, punctuation, and spelling.

• Band 7 (High): Sentences are varied and grammatically correct. Spelling and punctuation errors are extremely rare and do not interfere with readability.
• Band 5 (Grade B Target): The letter is generally accurate, but contains minor grammatical slips (e.g., missing articles, minor subject-verb agreement issues) that do not obscure the clinical meaning.
• Band 3 or below: Frequent grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors make the letter difficult to read or lead to clinical ambiguity.

Summary Checklist for Grade B

To ensure your letter meets the Grade B descriptors:

1. State the referral purpose in the first sentence.
2. Filter the case notes to exclude unrelated history.
3. Keep the word count between 180 and 220 words.
4. Maintain a formal, objective clinical tone.
5. Check your grammar and spelling before submitting.