In this video we're going to show you how to score highly
for genre and style in the writing criteria, so keep watching!
Hi I'm Jo from SLC, here to help you pass your OET exam. In this video we're going to take a look at
genre and style, we'll look at how you're assessed, what the criterion actually means and
how to improve in this area, let's take a look! In the OET 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.
It's a good idea to take a look at the descriptors for band 7 to see what you have to do to score
highly in this area. Genre and style is related to the type of language you use, you need to
make sure that you write in a factual way so no language of opinion such as unfortunately.
You need to use language suitable for the reader and the context and only use abbreviations if
known by the reader and use polite request phrases to show respect. So what does this mean for you
and what you actually write in your letter? Let's take a look at the first descriptor which is
writing in a factual way with no language of opinion. So you need to avoid judgmental
language which would be things like references to marital status, for example he is divorced,
it would be more appropriate to write he lives alone and does not have a strong support network.
References to a patient's refusal to follow instructions should also be avoided or just
written in a factual way, for example the patient was advised to stop smoking but has refused to
make any attempts. Try to avoid reporting information in this way and just gift the
facts about the patient by saying something like, he smokes 20 cigarettes a day. If you think it is
necessary to say he has not followed advice, and sometimes it is, think about writing it like this.
The same applies when giving information to the reader about the patient's lifestyle.
"Mr Smith binge drinks at the weekend." Sounds a little judgmental
and it would be better and more clinical and factual to say
"Mr Smith consumes 18 units of alcohol at the weekend, but rarely drinks during the week."
Also make sure that you do not use any language of opinion such as regrettably and unfortunately,
just report the events factually. The next descriptor in this criterion is using language
that is suitable for the reader. It is important to use opening phrases appropriate to the reader
and the task. On the left hand side here we can see common examples of opening phrases.
Thanks for taking this patient on. I am writing about my patient. I am writing
about Mr Smith who needs a consultation with you. I am moving Ms Barclay into your care.
So the meaning is clear in these examples but the tone is a little bit too informal and
it's unsuitable for the reader and the task, here we have some more appropriate examples
and would be much better to use. Thank you for seeing Mr Smith. I'm writing to refer Mrs Smith.
I am referring Mr Smith to you for further investigation.
I am writing to refer Ms Barclay into your care for ongoing wound monitoring. These
examples are much more suitable and the right level of formality for the reader and the task
and also try and remember to use the patient's name rather than just saying "the patient".
So what about vocabulary? In the main body of the letter it's important to
use vocabulary that is suitable for the reader but also suitable for the contents,
for example here we can read Mrs Morgan had an operation,
the meaning is clear but "undergo" would be a little bit more suitable, more clinical,
for example Mrs Morgan underwent an operation. Now have a look at these other examples,
how do you think you could improve them in terms of genre and style?
In this sentence "checked" can be replaced with "monitored", "Her vital signs were monitored
closely during her hospitalisation", and this would read more appropriately.
"Mr Davis is being moved to Mount Gold hospital tomorrow",
this could be better written as "Mr Davis is being transferred to Mount Gold hospital tomorrow".
Phrasal verbs can often be replaced with a more appropriate verb which is a bit more clinical,
for example "She will need her clips taken out in seven days' time" is better expressed "She will
need her clips removed in seven days' time". It conveys the same meaning in a more formal tone.
It's also important to end your letter using an appropriate phrase, take a look at these examples
here which are just a wee bit too informal. The meaning is clear in these sentences but
too informal for the reader in the task, take a look at these more appropriate closing sentences,
"In view of the above, I believe she needs urgent admission and further management.",
"If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.",
"Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me." "Please contact me if
you require any further information." So what about abbreviations? This is something that
many of my students find difficult to decide, use them, don't use them? Let's take a look.
To help you decide whether or not to use them, think about who you are
writing to and whether this would be an abbreviation they would definitely know
and if you're not sure, then just do not abbreviate. Also, avoid using contractions
in a formal letter, for example "He's being discharged today" should be written as "He is
being discharged today", but again if you forget, do not worry it is unlikely to affect your grade.
The next descriptor for genre and style is polite language, let's take a look in the context of
polite request phrases. So here we have some request phrases but they would be considered
too informal, how do you think you could request these in a more appropriate way?
Here we have some more appropriate requests, "It would be appreciated if you could monitor
her medication compliance." "I would appreciate it if you would assist him with his ADLs." or "Your
assessment of his home and surroundings would be appreciated." Learn these phrases and use them.
It's also important to distinguish between essential, key information and useful information.
For example "Mr Price should attend some groups for support", would be more politely
written as "It would be beneficial if you could introduce Mr Price to some support groups",
as he does not have to go, however I would avoid using it would be beneficial for really key and
essential action that the reader must take, for this information it would be better to use the
other phrases on this slide. So those phrases are more commonly used with nursing letters,
let's take a look at what we could use in medicine letters and what would be more appropriate there.
"Her symptoms are getting worse and I need some advice", this would be written more politely
as "I am concerned about her deterioration and would appreciate your advice on this".
"Can you give me some advice and your opinion about this patient?", again this is a bit too
informal and could be written better as "I would appreciate your assessment and advice regarding
this." "I want to know if she should undergo surgery.", this would be more appropriately
written as "I would appreciate it if you could assess the need for surgical intervention."
When preparing for your OET exam it's a good idea to build up a list of more appropriate or slightly
more formal phrases compared to their informal versions, for example recover or recovery, would
be much more appropriate than "get better", this would be more suitable for the OET speaking. It's
a good idea to have a list of appropriate language in your notebook and practice using it by writing
example sentences in a variety of contexts. It's also a good idea to use linking devices which are
appropriate for an OET letter and getting the balance between formal and informality correct
and moreover would not be appropriate as they are too academic, whereas informal linking words
such as so, meanwhile and besides are a little bit too informal. Top tips for genre and style,
when preparing for your OET exam, create a bank of appropriate language which can
be used in your writing, familiarise yourself with common verbs and vocabulary which would
be appropriate for the task and the reader, practice language used for making requests
and informing the reader and remember, who are you writing to? and use language appropriate
for them. So thanks for watching, don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos,
click on the bell so you're notified every time we post a new one. Check out our website,
the links' in the description box below to see how we can help you pass your OET exam,
stay tuned for more videos coming up in this series we've got
loads of great tips and strategies to help you pass your exam, see you next time, bye!