Why plain English is marked in both exams
Plain English for patients means saying what is happening in the body in everyday words first, giving the medical name second, explaining in small pieces, checking understanding after each piece, and ending with clear warning signs. This page gives you 120 medical words with a plain-English swap for each, then the phrases for chunk and check, ideas, concerns and expectations, empathy, safety-netting and teach-back. Both exams mark it. Per the GMC PLAB 2 guide, the clinical management domain includes "explaining something to the patient" and the interpersonal skills domain includes involving the patient. The Federation's PACES marksheet for communication encounters lists "uses jargon" among the behaviours that pull the Clinical Communication mark (skill C) down, and describes a satisfactory candidate on Managing Patients' Concerns (skill F) as one who "Demonstrates active listening and confirms patient's or relative's understanding". Every swap and phrase below was written by TalkDrill.
- Plain first, name second. "A blood clot in the leg, which doctors call a DVT." The patient learns the idea and can still recognise the word on a letter.
- One idea, then a check. One or two sentences, then "Does that make sense so far?" and wait for an answer.
- Specific safety-nets. Name the signs, say what to do, say where to go.
A word of caution about the medicine. TalkDrill is an English communication practice tool, not a medical school. The explanations below are simplified so you can practise saying them; they are not clinical guidance. Check each one against current UK patient information before you use it, for example the NHS website's health A to Z, which is also a good model of the register British patients expect.
120 medical words in plain English
Each row gives the word you were trained to say and a plain swap you can say to a patient. The bracketed notes flag common traps. You do not need all 120 for the exam. You need the twenty or thirty that come up in your weak stations, said so many times that they come out under pressure. The drill at the end of the page shows how.
Heart and circulation
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hypertension | High blood pressure. |
| 2 | Myocardial infarction (MI) | A heart attack: a blood vessel that feeds the heart muscle has become blocked. |
| 3 | Angina | Chest pain that comes when the heart muscle is short of blood, usually when you exert yourself. |
| 4 | Atrial fibrillation (AF) | An irregular heartbeat that starts in the top part of the heart. |
| 5 | Heart failure | The heart is not pumping as strongly as it should, so fluid can build up. (Say that it does not mean the heart has stopped.) |
| 6 | Palpitations | Feeling your heart beating fast, hard or unevenly. |
| 7 | Peripheral oedema | Swelling from fluid, often in the ankles and legs. |
| 8 | Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) | A blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg. |
| 9 | Pulmonary embolism (PE) | A blood clot that has travelled to the lungs. |
| 10 | Anticoagulant | A blood thinner: a medicine that makes clots less likely. |
| 11 | Hypercholesterolaemia | High cholesterol: too much of a fatty substance in the blood, which can narrow blood vessels. |
| 12 | Echocardiogram | A scan of the heart using sound waves, like a pregnancy scan. |
| 13 | Aortic stenosis | One of the heart valves has narrowed, so the heart has to push harder. |
| 14 | Syncope | A faint or a blackout. |
| 15 | Tachycardia, bradycardia | A fast heartbeat; a slow heartbeat. |
Lungs and breathing
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Dyspnoea | Breathlessness. |
| 17 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) | Long-term lung damage, usually from smoking, that makes it harder to breathe. |
| 18 | Exacerbation | A flare-up: a spell when the symptoms are worse. |
| 19 | Pneumonia | An infection deep in the lungs. |
| 20 | Bronchodilator, reliever inhaler | An inhaler that opens the airways quickly. |
| 21 | Inhaled corticosteroid, preventer inhaler | An inhaler that calms the swelling in the airways over time. |
| 22 | Pleural effusion | Fluid collecting between the lung and the chest wall. |
| 23 | Spirometry | A blowing test that measures how well your lungs work. |
| 24 | Hypoxia, low saturations | The oxygen level in your blood is low. |
| 25 | Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) | A tight-fitting mask that helps you breathe. |
| 26 | Intubation and ventilation | A tube in the windpipe connected to a breathing machine, usually in intensive care. |
| 27 | Pneumothorax | Air has leaked out of the lung, so part of it has collapsed. |
Stomach, bowel and liver
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Gastro-oesophageal reflux | Acid coming up from the stomach into the food pipe, causing heartburn. |
| 29 | Dysphagia | Difficulty swallowing. |
| 30 | Peptic ulcer | A sore in the lining of the stomach or the first part of the gut. |
| 31 | Haematemesis | Vomiting blood. |
| 32 | Melaena | Black, sticky poo caused by bleeding higher up in the gut. |
| 33 | Rectal bleeding | Bleeding from the back passage. |
| 34 | Change in bowel habit | Your poo is different from normal: looser, harder, more often or less often. |
| 35 | Colorectal cancer | Bowel cancer. |
| 36 | Polyp | A small growth on the inside of the bowel, usually harmless, often removed to be safe. |
| 37 | Inflammatory bowel disease | Long-term inflammation of the gut, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. |
| 38 | Jaundice | Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. |
| 39 | Deranged liver function tests | A blood test shows the liver is under strain. |
| 40 | Cirrhosis | Scarring of the liver that stops it working properly. |
| 41 | Cholecystitis | An inflamed gallbladder, often because of gallstones. |
| 42 | Laparoscopic surgery | Keyhole surgery: an operation through small cuts, using a camera. |
Brain, nerves and mental health
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 43 | Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) | A stroke: part of the brain is damaged because its blood supply is blocked, or there is a bleed. |
| 44 | Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) | A mini-stroke: stroke symptoms that go away, but a warning sign that needs urgent checks. |
| 45 | Seizure | A fit: a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain. |
| 46 | Epilepsy | A tendency to have repeated fits. |
| 47 | Peripheral neuropathy | Nerve damage, often causing numbness, tingling or burning in the feet or hands. |
| 48 | Dementia | A condition where the brain slowly loses abilities such as memory and planning. |
| 49 | Delirium | Sudden confusion, often caused by an infection or medicines, which usually improves when the cause is treated. |
| 50 | Migraine | A severe headache, often on one side, sometimes with sickness or flashing lights. |
| 51 | Tension-type headache | A common headache that feels like a tight band, linked to stress, sleep and posture. |
| 52 | Lumbar puncture | A test where a thin needle takes a little fluid from around the spinal cord, in the lower back. |
| 53 | Multiple sclerosis | The immune system damages the protective coating of the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. |
| 54 | Depression | Low mood that lasts and affects daily life. An illness, not a weakness. |
| 55 | Lacks capacity | Is not able, at the moment, to understand, remember and weigh up the information needed for this decision. |
Hormones, kidneys and urine
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | Diabetes mellitus | The sugar level in your blood is higher than it should be. |
| 57 | Hypoglycaemia | A hypo: your blood sugar has dropped too low. |
| 58 | HbA1c | A blood test that shows your average sugar level over the last few months. |
| 59 | Insulin | A hormone that moves sugar from the blood into the body's cells. |
| 60 | Hypothyroidism | An underactive thyroid: the gland in your neck that sets your body's speed is working too slowly. |
| 61 | Hyperthyroidism | An overactive thyroid: the same gland is working too fast. |
| 62 | Chronic kidney disease | The kidneys are not filtering the blood as well as they should. |
| 63 | eGFR | A blood test that shows how well your kidneys are filtering. |
| 64 | Urinary tract infection (UTI) | A water infection. |
| 65 | Haematuria | Blood in the urine. |
| 66 | Benign prostatic hyperplasia | An enlarged prostate that is not cancer, which can slow the flow of urine. |
| 67 | Incontinence | Leaking urine or poo when you do not mean to. |
Infections, blood and the immune system
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | Anaemia | A low level of the red part of the blood that carries oxygen, which can make you tired. |
| 69 | Haemoglobin | The part of the blood that carries oxygen. |
| 70 | Sepsis | A serious reaction to an infection that can stop organs working. It needs urgent treatment. |
| 71 | Viral infection | An infection caused by a virus, which antibiotics do not treat. |
| 72 | Antimicrobial resistance | Bacteria learn to survive antibiotics, so the medicines stop working. |
| 73 | Immunosuppressed | Your immune system is weaker than usual, so infections are more likely. |
| 74 | Autoimmune condition | The immune system attacks the body's own tissues by mistake. |
| 75 | Inflammation | The body's reaction to injury or illness, which causes swelling, heat and pain. |
| 76 | Malignant, malignancy, neoplasm | Cancer. (Say the word "cancer" when that is what you mean.) |
| 77 | Benign | Not cancer. |
| 78 | Metastasis | Cancer that has spread to another part of the body. |
| 79 | Lymphadenopathy | Swollen glands. |
Tests and investigations
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | Full blood count (FBC) | A routine blood test that checks your blood cells. |
| 81 | CRP, inflammatory markers | A blood test that shows whether there is inflammation or infection in the body. |
| 82 | Troponin | A blood test that shows whether the heart muscle has been strained or damaged. |
| 83 | Electrocardiogram (ECG) | A tracing of the heart's electrical activity, using stickers on your chest. |
| 84 | Chest radiograph | A chest X-ray: a picture of your lungs and heart. |
| 85 | CT scan | A scan that uses X-rays to take detailed pictures of the inside of the body, in slices. |
| 86 | MRI scan | A detailed scan using a strong magnet. You lie in a tunnel; it is noisy but painless. |
| 87 | Ultrasound | A scan using sound waves, like a pregnancy scan. |
| 88 | Upper GI endoscopy (OGD) | A camera test: a thin tube goes through the mouth into the food pipe and stomach. |
| 89 | Colonoscopy | A camera test of the bowel, through the back passage. |
| 90 | Biopsy | Taking a small piece of tissue to look at under a microscope. |
| 91 | Histology | The lab report on the tissue sample. |
| 92 | Contrast | A dye, injected or swallowed, that makes parts of the body show up more clearly on a scan. |
| 93 | Negative result | The test did not find what we were looking for. (Say what it means: patients can hear "negative" as bad news.) |
| 94 | Positive result | The test found what we were looking for. (Patients can hear "positive" as good news.) |
| 95 | Unremarkable, no abnormality detected | Normal: nothing worrying was found. |
Procedures and treatment
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 96 | Conservative management | Treating it without an operation, with time, rest or simple measures. |
| 97 | Expectant management | Waiting for things to happen naturally, with close checks. |
| 98 | Palliative care | Care focused on comfort and quality of life when a cure is not possible. |
| 99 | Prognosis | What is likely to happen with the illness in the future. |
| 100 | Remission | The illness is under control, or cannot be detected, for now. |
| 101 | Chemotherapy | Medicines that kill cancer cells. |
| 102 | Radiotherapy | Treatment with targeted high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. |
| 103 | Multidisciplinary team (MDT) | A meeting of specialists who plan your treatment together. |
| 104 | Urgent suspected cancer referral | An urgent referral to a specialist to check quickly for cancer. (Say that it is a check, not a diagnosis.) |
| 105 | General anaesthetic | Medicine that puts you into a deep sleep for the operation, so you feel nothing. |
| 106 | Sedation | Medicine that makes you relaxed and drowsy, but not fully asleep. |
| 107 | Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) | Pressing hard on the chest, and sometimes electric shocks, to try to restart a heart that has stopped. |
| 108 | DNACPR decision | A decision that CPR will not be tried if the heart stops. Other treatment carries on. |
Medicines and prescribing
| # | Medical word | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 109 | Analgesia | Pain relief, painkillers. |
| 110 | Contraindicated | Not safe for you, because of another condition or medicine. |
| 111 | Adverse effect | A side effect: an unwanted effect of a medicine. |
| 112 | Non-adherence, non-compliance | Not taking the medicine as prescribed. (Ask how they take it; do not accuse.) |
| 113 | Titrate the dose | Adjust the dose step by step until it is right for you. |
| 114 | PRN | Only when you need it. |
| 115 | OD, BD, TDS | Once a day, twice a day, three times a day. |
| 116 | Intravenous (IV) | Through a drip into a vein. |
| 117 | Diuretic | A water tablet: it makes you pass more urine to clear extra fluid. |
| 118 | Statin | A tablet that lowers cholesterol and the risk of a heart attack or stroke. |
| 119 | Oral corticosteroid | A steroid tablet that calms inflammation strongly. (Not the same as body-building steroids.) |
| 120 | Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) | A tablet that reduces stomach acid. |
Two habits make these swaps work in a station. First, say the plain version, then the name, then stop: "Your thyroid, the small gland in your neck that sets your body's speed, is working too slowly. Doctors call this an underactive thyroid." Second, watch the patient's face. A frown after any sentence is a signal to say it again another way, not to say it louder. For a wider word list beyond PLAB and PACES, our medical English vocabulary guide covers everyday hospital English.
Chunk and check: explaining in small pieces
Chunk and check is the habit that turns a correct explanation into one the patient can follow. Give one piece of information in one or two sentences. Pause. Check. Respond to what they say. Then give the next piece. In an 8-minute PLAB 2 scenario or a 10-minute PACES encounter, three or four chunks is usually all there is time for, so choose the pieces that answer the patient's real question.
Worked example (written by TalkDrill): explaining new type 2 diabetes in three chunks
Chunk 1, what it is: "Your blood test shows type 2 diabetes. That means the sugar level in your blood is higher than it should be, because your body isn't using its own insulin well." Check: "Does that make sense so far?"
Chunk 2, why it matters: "Over years, high sugar can damage the small blood vessels in the eyes, kidneys and feet. That's why we treat it now, while you feel well." Check: "How does that sound to you?"
Chunk 3, what we do: "Most people start with changes to food and activity, sometimes with a tablet. Injections are not where we start." Check: "What questions do you have about that part?"
Better checks than "Okay?"
"Okay?" with a rising tone, said quickly at the end of a sentence, is heard as a filler, not a question. Most patients just nod. Use a check that invites a real answer, and then wait for it.
- "Does that make sense so far?"
- "Is that clear, or shall I put it another way?"
- "How does that sound to you?"
- "What questions do you have about that part?"
- "Shall I go on, or is that enough for now?"
- "Is that what you were expecting to hear?"
- "Have I explained that well?" (This puts the responsibility on you, which patients find easier to answer honestly.)
- "What's going through your mind?" (after bad news, when words have stopped)
Signposts that hold the chunks together
- "There are three things I'd like to cover: what the test showed, what it means, and what happens next."
- "Can I move on to the treatment now?"
- "Before we finish, I'd like to make sure you know when to get help."
- "So, to sum up what we've agreed..."
Ideas, concerns and expectations: 12 openers
ICE (ideas, concerns, expectations) is the quickest way into what the GMC guide calls involving the patient. It is not an official GMC term; it is a widely taught consultation habit. Ask early, within the first two minutes, then use the answers. A candidate who asks all three and then gives the explanation they had prepared anyway has asked, not listened.
| Ideas: what they think | Concerns: what they fear | Expectations: what they hoped for |
|---|---|---|
| "What do you think might be causing this?" | "Is there anything in particular that's worrying you?" | "What were you hoping we could do today?" |
| "Have you had any thoughts about what it could be?" | "What's the worst thing you've been thinking?" | "What would you like to get out of today?" |
| "Has anyone in the family had anything similar?" | "How is this affecting your work, or your family?" | "Did you have a particular test or treatment in mind?" |
| "What have you read or heard about it?" | "Some people in your situation worry about cancer. Has that crossed your mind?" | "What would make you feel today was worth coming for?" |
The best ICE question is often not on any list. It is the one that picks up something the patient has just said. If the patient mentions "my mother had diabetes", the strongest next line is "You mentioned your mother. What happened to her?" Simulated patient briefs often hide a worry like that, and following the cue is how you find it. All 40 scenarios in the practice bank have one.
Empathy lines that do not sound scripted
"I understand how you feel" is one of the most overused lines in communication practice, and in our judgement it has stopped meaning anything. An empathy line sounds real when it is specific (it uses something the patient said), tentative (it names a feeling without claiming to know it) and followed by a pause. One good line, then action, beats three stock phrases. The judgements in the table are ours.
| Sounds scripted | Sounds human | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| "I understand how you feel." | "I can see this has really shaken you." | Describes what you can see, not what you claim to know. |
| "I'm sorry to hear that." (for the third time) | "Three nights without sleep. That sounds exhausting." | Echoes their words, so they know you listened. |
| "I appreciate your concern." | "You've clearly been worrying about this for a while." | Names the feeling and its weight. |
| "Please calm down." | "I can see you're angry, and I want to understand why." | Accepts the anger instead of ordering it away. |
| "Don't worry." | "It's natural to worry. Let me tell you what we know so far." | Validates, then gives facts instead of a command. |
| "I know exactly how you feel." | "I can't know exactly how this feels for you, but I'm here to help." | Honest, and harder to argue with. |
| "That must be difficult." | "Looking after your wife while all this is going on must be a lot." | Specific to their life, not a template. |
| "Thank you for sharing." | "Thank you for telling me that. It helps me understand." | Sounds like a person, not a form. |
| "I'm sorry for the inconvenience." | "Being cancelled twice is really frustrating. I'm sorry." | Names what actually happened. |
| "Unfortunately, these things happen." | "That shouldn't have happened to you, and I'm sorry it did." | Takes responsibility instead of shrugging. |
Tone does half the work. The voice drops and slows on the feeling word ("frightening", "exhausting"). A bright, fast "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!" sounds rehearsed even with good words. If your first language uses pitch differently, record yourself saying three lines from this table and listen for whether your voice falls at the end. The first-language mistakes page covers the patterns that make sincere doctors sound flat or blunt in English.
Safety-netting: specific, timed, actionable
A safety-net tells the patient what to look out for, what to do, and where to go. Specific beats general: "come back if you're worried" is better than nothing, but "if you get chest pain or feel faint, call 999" shows the examiner you know what danger looks like in this case. In the UK, 999 is for emergencies and 111 is the NHS line for urgent problems that are not emergencies. The examples below were written by TalkDrill; the warning signs are illustrations for practice, so check them against current UK guidance for the condition.
| Situation | Safety-net (TalkDrill example) |
|---|---|
| Chest pain, heart rhythm, fainting | "If the pain comes back, or you feel faint or very breathless, call 999. Please don't drive yourself." |
| Breathing problems | "If your reliever isn't helping, you can't finish a sentence, or your lips look blue, call 999." |
| A child with a viral illness | "If he's breathing fast, is very sleepy, stops drinking, or has a rash that doesn't fade when you press a glass on it, call 111 or come straight in." |
| After an endoscopy or other procedure | "If you get chest pain, worsening tummy pain, or you vomit blood or pass black poo, come straight to A&E." |
| A new medicine | "If you get a rash, swelling of the face or lips, or difficulty breathing after taking it, stop it and call 999." |
| Something that should settle | "If it isn't getting better in a few days, come back and see us." |
| A waiting referral | "If you haven't heard about the appointment soon, call me and I'll chase it." |
| A wound, cast or fracture | "If your fingers go numb, pale or very swollen in the cast, come back straight away." |
| Infection | "If you feel very unwell, shivery or confused, or the redness spreads quickly, get help the same day." |
| Low mood | "If you ever have thoughts of harming yourself, please tell someone straight away: call us, call 111, or go to A&E. You won't be wasting anyone's time." |
| Any situation | "If you're worried at any point, even about something not on this list, please get in touch." |
| Checking it landed | "Which of those signs would make you come straight back?" |
Place the safety-net after the plan and before the close. If you leave it for the last ten seconds, the bell often rings first. And make the last line in the table a habit: asking the patient to repeat the warning signs turns a safety-net into teach-back.
Teach-back without sounding like a test
Teach-back asks the patient to explain the plan in their own words. It is the evidence for understanding that both exams look for, and it catches your own unclear explanations before the patient leaves. The trick is to make it about your explaining, not their understanding, so nobody feels tested.
- "So I know I've explained it clearly, could you tell me what you'll do when you get home?"
- "What will you tell your wife about today?"
- "Just to check I haven't missed anything, when will you take the tablet?"
- "If your neighbour asked what the scan is for, what would you say?"
- "Could you show me how you'll use the inhaler?"
- "Which signs would make you come back?"
If the answer is wrong, own it: "That's mostly right. One thing I didn't explain well is the timing. It's once a week, not every day." Then ask again. Avoid "Do you understand?" It invites a polite yes, and patients who are embarrassed, frightened or tired will say yes to almost anything. The worked transcripts on the station scripts page each end with a teach-back you can borrow.
Practise out loud: stress, pace and a 10-day drill
Reading this page silently changes nothing. The swaps have to be said aloud enough times that they come out under pressure, at a pace a frightened patient can follow. Two things to listen for in your recordings.
Word stress. A medical word stressed on the wrong syllable can be hard to recognise even when every sound is right. These are standard British stress patterns, capitals on the stressed syllable:
| Word | Stress | Word | Stress |
|---|---|---|---|
| diabetes | di-a-BE-tes | endoscopy | en-DOS-co-py |
| anaemia | a-NAE-mi-a | colonoscopy | co-lon-OS-co-py |
| pneumonia | pneu-MO-ni-a | paracetamol | pa-ra-CE-ta-mol |
| biopsy | BI-op-sy | anaesthetic | an-aes-THE-tic |
| epilepsy | E-pi-lep-sy | thrombosis | throm-BO-sis |
The word stress read-aloud drill lets you practise exactly this aloud, and our guide to word stress rules and patterns explains why English moves stress around.
Pace. Slow down for the news and the plan; you can speed up a little for small talk. If a recording of your explanation sounds rushed to you, it sounded even more rushed to the patient.
A 10-day drill (our suggestion)
- Days 1 to 10: read 12 rows of the table aloud each day, plain swap first, then the medical name, in a full sentence ("Your heart is beating irregularly. Doctors call this atrial fibrillation.").
- Every day: one scenario from the practice bank, recorded. Count the medical words you left unexplained. Aim for zero.
- Every second day: one empathy line and one safety-net from this page, said in three different tones, recorded. Keep the one that sounds most like you.
- Day 10: rerun your first recording's scenario and listen to both. The difference is usually obvious.
No partner? The TalkDrill AI role-play plays the other person so you can practise explaining aloud under time. For a broader look at bedside English beyond the exam, see English for doctors: patient communication. For the marking itself, read the GMC page on how PLAB 2 is tested (read in a browser on 21 October 2026; the GMC site blocks our checker, so we could not re-check it this week) and the Federation's PACES marksheets. Everything else is on the PLAB 2 and PACES communication hub.