In this video we're going to look at organisation and layout, so keep watching!
Hello, it's Jo here from SLC, here to help you pass your OET exam. In today's video we're going
to look at organisation and layout, we will look at what this criterion actually means
and how to improve in this area, so let's check it out. In the exam you will be assessed
on six criteria, purpose is scored out of three and all the rest have a maximum of seven.
You can find a downloadable copy of the writing criteria on the OET website
and now we're going to look at organisation and layout. To meet the assessment criteria for this
area you need to write in clear paragraphs and use appropriate formal letter layout.
The key information which you include in your letter should also be easy to
find and ideas need to be grouped logically throughout your letter.
So what do the organisation and layout descriptors mean? Let's look at paragraphing first.
It's really important to think about how to organise the information clearly and
logically for the reader. Make a paragraph plan and keep referring back to your plan while you are
writing. It's also important to avoid using long paragraphs which contain too much information,
remember the information needs to be easy to find. It's also essential to keep the focus of
each paragraph in mind while writing and when checking your letter after finishing so don't
include too many different themes or aspects of the patient's care in one single paragraph.
My students often say to me "but Jo, we don't have time to write a paragraph plan"
and I always say to them, you don't have time NOT to write a paragraph
plan, this is because if you know what you're going to write and where when you're writing
all you need to think about is how to say it. Let's move on to layout now.
Here we can see an example of how to layout the address of who you are writing to.
Begin with the full name of the person who you are writing to which is
usually given in the task, in this example we can see the letter is for Dr John Jacobs,
then write their job title in this example Dr John Jacobs is an endocrinologist.
This is then followed by the name of the institutional office, if provided so here
it's city hospital, and underneath this write the street number and street name,
4 New Road and finish with the town or city Heathtown as you can see in this example.
Once you have provided the address write the date in full,
this is followed by the greeting which is the title and the surname Dr Jacobs in this example,
finally write the reference which would be the patient's name and date of birth or age.
The word limit or word guide does not include the address, the date, the greeting or the reference.
And what about the end of the letter?
it's also important to include an appropriate closing sentence, for example something like this,
if you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.
You also need to finish the letter appropriately, which of these could you use?
That's right, use your sincerely or yours faithfully
and avoid informal endings such as kind regards or best wishes.
Okay now let's take a look at how we can organise information so it's easy to find, this is so
important for busy healthcare professionals, the people who are reading your letter. Here you can
see an extract from some nursing case notes. You are the charge nurse and you are writing to Ms
Emma Humphrey the nurse at Summerton Retirement home, where your patient will be returning to.
And here we have two paragraphs showing the beginning of the letter,
which one do you think is more effective and why?
In the first paragraph the key information is not easy to find,
the reason for admission in this case a total right hip replacement is not prioritised and
information about the analgesia and x-ray is given priority and this information is less important
and perhaps should not even be included. In the second example we can see that this
information has been included at the beginning of the paragraph and it is not hidden among details.
The recipient of the letter should be able to read each paragraph
and identify key information easily,
but how do you decide how to group information together? it's really important to remember there
are no templates and no set way to do it for all letters, approach each one individually.
Let's take a look at how we might organise a discharge letter of a patient who's recently
undergone a hip replacement. We could organise like this. Here we group together each aspect
of the patient's care, the reason for writing which should always go first, hospital treatment,
then his progress and current status and finally the patient's post-discharge needs.
But how else could we organise this information? We could do it like this, and group together
information in themes so the reason for writing first of course and then everything relating to
wound care and pain management, so both treatment received already and post discharge needs and then
after that everything relating to mobility and physiotherapy. Which one do you like better?
There is no right answer both are logical and both present key information which is easy to find.
Now let's take a look at how we might group together information
within a paragraph because this is important too,
let's take a look. Here we have a discharge plan from some nursing case notes and two paragraphs
which contain the same information but ordered differently, which one do you think is better?
We can see that the paragraph begins with action the reader needs to take,
such as the painkillers, assistance with ADLS and the need for the anti-embolic stockings. This is
then followed with information about any relevant appointments or arrangements have been made.
In the second paragraph we can see that the paragraph begins with informing the reader about
physiotherapy arrangement, it then talks about wound care then jumps back to information about
another arrangement. Even though the information included in both paragraphs is the same
the flow of this second example is interrupted. Top tips for organisation and layout. Always
keep the reader in mind when writing, think about the letter from their perspective and
would they have to reread the letter to find information or would it flow easily and clearly?,
prioritize key information so that it's easy to find and clear for the reader. It is not
advisable to stick to a type of template or one particular way of organising all your letters,
each set of case notes is different and will require you to be flexible and logical about
how you organise information for the reader. So thanks for watching, don't forget to subscribe
for more videos like this, hit the bell so you're notified every time we post a video,
we've got loads of great videos coming up on the speaking criteria. Don't forget to
check out our website and see how we can help you prepare for the OET exam, see you next week, bye!