Master OET Writing Tenses: The Complete Guide to Using Tenses Correctly
by Fortu West International
Tenses are a crucial aspect of OET Writing. Unlike academic essays, OET letters are clinical documents where every sentence reflects a patient’s journey. Choosing the wrong tense can confuse the timeline of events, making it difficult for the receiving healthcare professional to understand the case.
Fortunately, OET Writing does not require you to master every complex English tense. Instead, you simply need to know which tense is appropriate for each stage of patient care.
Understanding Tenses Through the Patient Journey
Instead of memorising rigid grammar rules, think about where the patient is in their healthcare journey.
| Stage of Patient Care | Common Tense | Clinical Application |
|---|---|---|
| Medical history & past events | Past Simple | Previous surgeries, completed treatments, admissions |
| Current condition & facts | Present Simple | Established diagnoses, current medications, allergies |
| Ongoing temporary care | Present Continuous | Active symptoms, temporary treatments during admission |
| Past events with present relevance | Present Perfect | Clinical progress, response to treatment, completed tests |
| Duration of symptoms | Present Perfect Continuous | Symptoms that started in the past and continue now |
| Future management & follow-up | Future Simple | Recommendations, planned referrals, discharge advice |
| Ongoing future care | Future Continuous | Long-term community care, scheduled rehabilitation |
Deep Dive: The 7 Essential Tenses
1. Present Simple
Describes facts that are true right now. Use it for stable conditions, long-term medications, allergies, and lifestyle habits.
- Correct: Mr Taylor has hypertension.
- Correct: She takes Metformin 500 mg twice daily.
- > Common Error: She is taking Metformin for diabetes. (This implies a temporary action. Long-term medications belong in Present Simple).
2. Present Continuous
Describes actions happening now or temporary situations during an admission.
- Correct: The patient is experiencing severe abdominal pain.
- Correct: She is receiving insulin via an intravenous infusion. (Temporary treatment, compared to “She takes insulin daily” for long-term use).
3. Past Simple
Describes completed events that happened entirely in the past. Essential for recording case history and initial presentation details.
- Correct: The patient presented to the emergency department with chest pain yesterday.
- Correct: He underwent appendicectomy in 2022.
- > Common Error: The patient has presented yesterday. (Specific past times like “yesterday” require Past Simple).
4. Present Perfect
Connects a past action to the present day. Use it to highlight clinical progress, deterioration, or recently completed investigations that matter now.
- Correct: The patient has responded well to treatment.
- Correct: His condition has improved significantly.
5. Present Perfect Continuous
Emphasises the duration of an ongoing symptom. The issue started in the past and is still happening at the time of writing.
- Correct: The patient has been experiencing dizziness for two weeks.
- Correct: She has been suffering from migraines since January.
6. Future Simple
Used for recommendations, planned management, and follow-up requests. This tense appears frequently in the final paragraph of your letter.
- Correct: She will require ongoing physiotherapy.
- Correct: The patient will benefit from dietary counselling.
7. Future Continuous
Describes continuing care or treatments that will actively be in progress after discharge or referral.
- Correct: The patient will be attending weekly physiotherapy sessions.
- Correct: She will be receiving community nursing support following discharge.
Tense Selection by Letter Section
- Introduction: Present Simple (I am writing to refer Mr Brown for further assessment…)
- Medical History: Past Simple (He underwent coronary artery bypass surgery in 2021.)
- Current Condition: Present Simple (He currently takes Aspirin 75 mg daily.)
- Progress: Present Perfect (He has responded well to the prescribed medication.)
- Current Symptoms: Present Perfect Continuous (She has been experiencing increasing breathlessness over the past month.)
- Recommendation: Future Simple (She will require ongoing wound care and monitoring.)
Conclusion
Mastering tenses in OET Writing is about accurately reflecting the patient’s clinical timeline. When your choice of verbs clearly separates the patient’s past history, current presentation, and future care goals, your letter becomes professional, safe, and highly effective.
