OET Speaking Role Plays for Nurses: 15 Cards with Model Dialogues and Examiner Notes

What is on this page and how to use it

This page gives you 15 OET Nursing role-play cards, each in four parts: your card, the interlocutor card that a study partner or the TalkDrill AI patient reads, a full model route through the card written by TalkDrill, and an examiner note that names the criterion the card is really testing. Before the cards, four short sections show how the five minutes run, how to open and close, which phrases signal each of the nine criteria, and where nurses actually lose marks. The cards cover the spread OET's own preparation material describes: pain, medication adherence, discharge, an anxious relative, consent, lifestyle change, a frightened parent, an elderly patient who is confused, infection control, and chronic disease review.

Use a card the way the test uses it. Read your card for three minutes with a pen. Speak for five minutes with the patient played by a partner who has only the interlocutor card, or by the TalkDrill AI role-play with a five-minute hard stop. Only then read the model and the note, and mark yourself on the nine criteria using the sheet on the criteria and scoring page. The model is one good route, not a script. Two assessors mark a recording of what you said to the patient in front of you, so a memorised speech that ignores the patient's answers scores lower than a plain conversation that follows them.

If you are new to the test, read the shorter OET Speaking for Nurses guide first; it explains the sub-test in ten minutes. This page is the deep resource that follows it. For the everyday ward English that sits underneath every card, the hospital conversations for nurses post has the phrases for handover, observations and admissions.

How the role play runs: three minutes to read, five to speak

The whole sub-test fits in about twenty minutes, and the two role plays, about ten of those minutes, are the two tasks the criteria are applied to, per the OET Test Handbook 2026. Knowing exactly what happens when removes most of the nerves, because nothing in the room is a surprise. Here is the sequence as OET's own pages and handbook describe it, with what you should be doing at each point.

Two things about the five minutes are worth saying plainly. First, you are expected to take the lead. The interlocutor will not rescue a silence or move you to the next task; a quiet patient is often a deliberate test of whether you can keep a structured conversation going. Second, five minutes is short. A card with four tasks gives you about a minute per task after a fifteen-second opening and a forty-five-second close. That arithmetic is why the preparation minutes matter so much: you decide in advance which task needs the time and which can be done in two sentences.

The same five minutes applies in every mode. On OET on Paper, Speaking is face-to-face with the interlocutor in a private room at the centre, per the OET on Paper page. On OET on Computer, Speaking is usually taken at home through an online platform on a different day from the other three sub-tests (the OET Ready speaking page names Zoom), and at a venue in some countries, per the OET on Computer page. On OET@Home it runs on the OET Speaking platform with a live interlocutor, per the OET@Home page. The cards, the timing and the marking are identical. The format and modes page covers the practical differences, including when Speaking happens relative to the other sub-tests.

The three preparation minutes, minute by minute

OET published its own checklist for the preparation time, in the post on the three preparation minutes. It asks five questions of the card: how does the patient feel, what are they expecting, is that different from what you have to discuss, which medical words must you simplify, and which tasks need the most time. Our version turns those five questions into a timed routine you can rehearse on every card below.

The one habit to avoid in these three minutes is writing a speech. Candidates who script the whole role play read it to the patient, miss the patient's answers and lose marks on Understanding the patient's perspective and on Information gathering, which both depend on responding to what was actually said. Write cues, not sentences.

The opening and closing moves

The first fifteen seconds and the last forty-five are the easiest marks on the card and the ones most often thrown away. Both are scored under Relationship building and Providing structure, and the close is also where Information giving is checked, because that is where you confirm the plan.

The opening: four sentences, then silence

Every nursing card opens the same way: greet, introduce, give the reason, ask. The order matters less than the length. Four short sentences, then an open question, then you stop and listen. Here is the shape with a card from this page, written by TalkDrill:

Three openings that cost marks: launching into the explanation before asking anything ("Good morning, today I am going to explain your diabetes medication"), because the assessors hear no Information gathering; apologising for your English or for the situation; and asking a closed question first ("Are you worried?") which invites a "no" and a dead stop. If the card gives the patient a name, use it; if not, ask it.

The close: summarise, confirm, offer, invite

Leave forty-five seconds for the close and signal it: "So, before I go, can we just go over what we have agreed?" Then summarise the plan in two or three plain sentences, ask the patient to say back the one thing that matters most (the dose, the warning sign, the appointment), offer a next contact ("I will come back after lunch", "here is the number for the clinic"), and invite a last question. Written by TalkDrill, from card N03:

If the interlocutor signals time before you have closed, do not stop mid-sentence. Finish the sentence, then give a one-line close: "We will stop there for today; I will check on you this afternoon." A clean ending is part of Providing structure.

Signposting language, criterion by criterion

Signposting is the language that tells the patient where the conversation is going. It is the most under-used tool in OET Speaking, and it is scored directly under Providing structure, which the OET criteria overview describes as organising the conversation logically and clearly indicating when you change topic. The table pairs each of the five clinical communication criteria with phrases that nurses can say naturally. Choose three or four from each row and make them yours; a phrase you have to search for is worse than a plain one you own.

The four linguistic criteria are heard across every sentence rather than in particular phrases, but two of them have easy wins. For Appropriateness of language, every medical term you wrote a plain version of in the preparation minutes is a point protected; "analgesia" becomes "pain relief", "NBM" becomes "nothing to eat or drink". For Intelligibility, slow down on the words that carry the instruction: the drug name, the number, the time. Stress in long medical words (par-a-CET-a-mol, hy-per-TEN-sion) is a known problem for South Indian speakers, and the Malayalam speakers page drills it.

Where nurses lose marks (and what the 2025 data says)

Be honest with yourself about what Speaking is for you. The OET 2025 demographic data PDF shows that for the first languages most of our readers speak, Speaking is the sub-test most likely to be passed, not the one most likely to fail. In 2025, 85.0 per cent of Malayalam first-language candidates reached Grade B or above in Speaking, 89.1 per cent of Hindi speakers and 85.4 per cent of Tagalog/Filipino first-language candidates. The same PDF shows Malayalam speakers reaching B in Listening only 27.8 per cent of the time and in Reading 24.0 per cent; for Nursing as a whole the figures were 82.2 per cent in Speaking, 32.3 per cent in Listening and 24.9 per cent in Reading. If you have failed OET before, check your statement of results before you book another speaking course; most nurses who miss their registration score miss it in Listening or Reading, and the Listening and Reading page is where those hours should go.

That said, 82.2 per cent at B or above means roughly one nurse in six did not get there in 2025. The losses below are the ones the official criteria descriptors penalise most directly, and most of them are clinical communication habits rather than grammar. Each one maps to a criterion, and each card on this page names which of them it is testing.

Two losses are specific to first languages and have their own pages: the Malayalam habits (stress, dropped articles, "kindly") on the Malayalam speakers page, the softened directives and "ma'am" pattern on the Tagalog speakers page, and the progressive-for-states and yes-no habits on the Hindi and Arabic speakers page.

The 15 nursing cards in full

Each card below is written by TalkDrill in the shape of the OET candidate card (setting, patient, tasks) with the matching interlocutor card. Give the interlocutor card to a partner, or let the AI play it, and do not read it yourself until you have spoken. The model route is not the only correct one and it is deliberately not a full five-minute transcript; it shows the opening, the hardest moment handled with the exact words, and the close, which are the three places candidates most want to see. The examiner note names the criterion the card is really testing. Cards N01 to N08 are the core spread (pain, adherence, discharge, relative, consent, lifestyle, paediatric parent, confusion); N09 to N15 add infection control, chronic disease review, falls, insulin, hypertension, palliative care and immunisation.

Card N01: Post-operative pain, reluctant to take analgesia

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 68 and had a knee replacement yesterday. The pain is bad when you move, but you are refusing the tablets because your neighbour "got hooked" on painkillers after her operation and you are frightened of the same thing. You are also worried the tablets will make you constipated and sleepy. You will accept pain relief only if the nurse explains clearly how addiction risk is managed and what happens if you are not comfortable. If the nurse lectures you, become quieter and say "I will think about it".

Examiner note: This card tests Understanding and incorporating the patient perspective, then Information giving. The usual loss: the candidate explains the benefits of analgesia before asking why the patient is refusing, so the explanation answers a question the patient never asked. Open with the question, name the fear, then explain in chunks with a check after each.

Card N02: Type 2 diabetes, missed metformin doses

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 52 and run a small shop. You take the diabetes tablets "most days" but skip them when you have a busy morning or when your stomach feels loose, which is often. You feel completely well, so you privately think the tablets are not that important. You have not told anyone at the clinic about the stomach problem because you assumed nothing could be done. If the nurse asks open questions, you explain honestly. If the nurse starts with the blood results and warnings, you become defensive and say "I take them, I take them".

Examiner note: Tests Information gathering first, then Information giving. Marks go when the candidate quotes the blood result and warns about complications before asking a single open question. Assessors also listen for a summary and a teach-back style check at the end.

Card N03: Discharge after appendicectomy, wound care at home

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 24, a student, feeling much better and slightly impatient. You want to be at the gym by the weekend and have a part-time job stacking shelves that you do not want to lose. You have never had surgery before and do not really know what a wound should look like. You will ask "can I shower?" and "when can I lift weights?" early. If the nurse gives you a long list without pausing, lose track and ask "sorry, what was the first thing?".

Examiner note: Tests Providing structure and Information giving. Discharge cards fail when the candidate reads the card as a list and never pauses. Assessors look for signposting at the start, chunking, and a check of understanding at the end.

Card N04: Anxious daughter after her mother has had a stroke

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are the daughter. You have flown in overnight, you are exhausted and frightened, and nobody has told you anything except "she has had a stroke". You want to know if your mother will walk and talk again and whether she is going to die. You feel guilty that you were not here. You interrupt with questions. If the nurse acknowledges how you feel and explains step by step, you calm down. If the nurse uses words like "haemorrhagic" or "dysphasia" without explaining them, say "I do not understand what that means".

Examiner note: Tests Relationship building above everything. Candidates lose marks by answering the first question with a textbook explanation of stroke. Assessors want the distress acknowledged, open questions about what is known, honesty about uncertainty and a clear plan for keeping the relative informed.

Card N05: Pre-operative check, patient unsure about the consent form

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 45. You signed the form at the clinic because the surgeon seemed busy and you did not want to look stupid. Since then you have read online about mesh complications and you are scared. You also have a vague memory of being told you might go home the same day, which worries you because you live alone. You do not want to be a nuisance. If the nurse makes space for your questions and offers the surgeon, you agree to speak to the surgeon before deciding. If the nurse pushes you to go ahead, say you want to cancel.

Examiner note: Tests Appropriateness of language and Information giving within professional limits. Marks are lost when the candidate either lists surgical risks (outside role) or brushes the worry aside with "do not worry, it is routine". Assessors reward clear role boundaries plus a concrete offer.

Card N06: Smoking cessation after a chest infection

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 58, a long-distance driver. You have tried to stop twice and failed within a week both times, so you believe you cannot do it. Smoking is how you stay awake on night drives. You expect to be lectured and you are ready to nod and ignore it. If the nurse asks what has worked and not worked before, and accepts a small step, you will agree to try nicotine patches and a referral. If the nurse says "you must stop", you say "yes, yes" and clearly mean no.

Examiner note: Tests Understanding and incorporating the patient perspective and Appropriateness of language. The classic loss: a health lecture delivered to a patient who has already decided to ignore it. Assessors look for the previous attempts explored, the barrier named and a choice offered, not imposed.

Card N07: Parent of a four-year-old with fever, wanting antibiotics

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are the mother. You were up all night, your son is miserable, and your own mother keeps saying "in my day the doctor gave antibiotics". You feel you are being fobbed off because the department is busy. Underneath, you are frightened of meningitis because of a story in the news. If the nurse asks what frightens you most, say it. If the nurse explains the warning signs clearly, you relax. If the nurse simply repeats "it is viral", say "that is what the doctor said, but you have not even looked at him properly".

Examiner note: Tests Relationship building with a third party and Information giving. Candidates lose marks by defending the doctor instead of exploring the fear, and by listing warning signs without checking the parent can repeat them. Assessors want the specific worry found and answered.

Card N08: Elderly patient confused at night, son asking what is wrong

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are the son. Your father ran his own business until he was 78 and did the crossword every morning. Seeing him not recognise you was the worst moment of your life. You are convinced this is dementia and that the hospital has "done something" to him. You ask "is he going to stay like this?" more than once. If the nurse explains delirium clearly and gives you things to do, you become calmer and ask how you can help. If the nurse says "it is just the infection", say "that does not make sense, he had infections before".

Examiner note: Tests Information giving with a frightened relative and Appropriateness of language. The usual loss: using "delirium" without defining it, or giving false certainty ("he will be fine tomorrow"). Assessors reward a clear delirium versus dementia explanation, honest uncertainty and a practical role for the relative.

Card N09: Infection control: relative with a cold refusing to use hand gel

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are the husband. You have visited every day for three weeks and nobody has ever stopped you. You think the hand gel "stings" and is a fuss. You have a cold but you feel fine and your wife is frightened when you are not there. You feel singled out, and if the nurse starts with rules, you say "are you telling me I cannot see my own wife?". If the nurse explains the risk to your wife specifically and offers a way to stay, you agree to a mask and the gel and to shorter visits until the cold is gone.

Examiner note: Tests Relationship building under conflict and Providing structure. Marks are lost by opening with the rule, by raising it at the bedside, or by refusing the visit outright. Assessors look for the risk explained in terms of this patient and a choice between safe options.

Card N10: Asthma review, poor inhaler technique

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 19 and a student. You think the brown preventer "does nothing" because you feel no effect, so you only use the blue one, which works instantly. You are a bit embarrassed about your technique and have never been shown properly. You are tired because of the night cough. You will engage if the nurse treats you like an adult and explains why the brown one matters; you switch off if the nurse talks to you like a child.

Examiner note: Tests Information giving and Providing structure, with a practical demonstration inside the five minutes. Marks go when the candidate explains the pharmacology in jargon ("corticosteroid", "bronchodilator") or describes the technique without checking the patient can repeat it.

Card N11: Falls prevention, patient insists on walking without the frame

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 79 and proud. You have looked after yourself for twenty years since your husband died and you hate pressing the buzzer and waiting while "a young girl" takes you to the toilet. The frame makes you feel old. You also do not want to be a nuisance because the nurses look busy. If the nurse treats you as a capable adult and gives you a way to keep some control, you agree to use the frame and the buzzer. If the nurse scolds you, say "I managed perfectly well before I came in here".

Examiner note: Tests Relationship building and Understanding the patient perspective. Candidates lose marks with "you must not walk alone" before exploring why she does. Assessors look for the independence acknowledged, the risk explained in her terms, and control handed back in the plan.

Card N12: Newly started on insulin, frightened of injections

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 61. Your father started insulin and died within two years, so in your mind insulin means "the end". You are terrified of needles and you believe you will have to inject for the rest of your life several times a day. You also think needing insulin means you have failed. If the nurse asks what insulin means to you and listens, you will cry a little, then settle and agree to try the pen. If the nurse starts demonstrating the pen straight away, you push it away.

Examiner note: Tests Understanding and incorporating the patient perspective, then structured Information giving. Marks are lost by going straight to the demonstration. Assessors listen for the belief behind the fear explored, corrected with respect, and a step-by-step teach with checks.

Card N13: High blood pressure, wants to stop tablets because he feels fine

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are 49 and busy. You see the tablet as a short course, like antibiotics, and today's good reading proves it worked. You feel fine, you always did, and you never understood why you needed a tablet for something you cannot feel. You are tired, but you also work twelve-hour days and sleep five hours a night. If the nurse explains the "no symptoms" problem clearly and takes the tiredness seriously, you agree to continue and come back. If the nurse just says "you must keep taking it", you say you will "see how it goes" without them.

Examiner note: Tests Information giving and Understanding the patient perspective. The usual loss: the candidate repeats "you must continue" instead of correcting the short-course belief, and ignores the side-effect complaint. Assessors reward the patient logic acknowledged and an alternative to stopping offered.

Card N14: Palliative care at home, husband frightened of morphine

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are the husband. You are exhausted and heartbroken. Your wife has been in pain all night and you feel you are failing her, but you believe morphine is what doctors give "at the very end" and that giving it means you have given up. You also fear she will become dependent. If the nurse listens and explains gently, you ask practical questions about the dose and agree to start. If the nurse is brisk or clinical, you say "I am not ready for that yet".

Examiner note: Tests Relationship building and Information giving in an emotional setting. Candidates lose marks by rushing to the dosing instructions or by using clinical phrases ("opioid titration"). Assessors look for both fears named and answered separately, pace, and the relative left with a reachable plan.

Card N15: New mother hesitant about infant immunisations

Interlocutor card (patient or relative): You are a first-time mother, eight weeks after a difficult birth, and a family group chat has filled you with frightening posts. You are not against vaccines; you are frightened of hurting your baby and you feel judged. Your main fears are "too many at once" and a story about a baby having a fit. If the nurse treats your questions as reasonable and answers them one at a time, you agree to go ahead today. If the nurse sounds impatient or says "that is misinformation", you leave.

Examiner note: Tests Appropriateness of language and Understanding the patient perspective. Marks go when the candidate labels the fears as misinformation or delivers a vaccine lecture. Assessors want the specific fear found, answered plainly and respectfully, and the parent left in charge of the decision.

A practice route for the next six weeks

Fifteen cards is enough for a full preparation if you use them properly, which means speaking them aloud under time, recording, and marking. Reading them is not practice. Here is the route we recommend; it is the Speaking strand of the six-week study plan, which also carries the Listening, Reading and Writing work.

Alongside the cards, do the official free sample role plays on OET Ready, which also links the official criteria checklist and the two Ultimate Guides (linguistic and clinical communication) with real candidate samples. The OET speaking criteria overview is the shortest official description of what the assessors want, and the three preparation minutes post is the source of the preparation checklist above. The OET Test Handbook 2026 carries the timing (20 minutes, a warm-up of about two to three minutes, three minutes of preparation and five minutes per role play) and the grade bands. For the registration target, the NMC OET page asks for Grade B in Listening, Reading and Speaking and C+ in Writing; the regulator requirements page has AHPRA, NMBI and the US routes.

Booking: the next OET on Paper Saturdays listed on the OET booking page are 7 November, 21 November, 5 December and 19 December 2026, with booking closing 24 days before each; OET on Computer and OET@Home run around ten dates a month and close seven days before. The dates page keeps the countdown. Book the date first and work back; a test date six weeks away is the best study plan there is.

If you are a doctor, the Medicine cards use the same structure with the emphasis moved to information giving and shared decisions, including breaking bad news.