Karen Bacon English Communication Coach

How much is failing the OET actually costing you?

Another $450+ exam fee. Another month of delayed visa processing. Another month of not earning your full salary in the UK or Australia.

If your score is stuck at 300+, the most expensive thing you can do right now is book another test without changing your approach. You need to know exactly which Clinical Communication criteria are failing you.

I’ve created the 300 to 350+ OET Speaking Diagnostic Checklist. It walks you through exactly what the examiner is scoring you on, with a self-diagnostic tick-box assessment so you can find exactly where you are going wrong...

Stop guessing. Grab the checklist for $17 and find out what's holding you back. You can grab it here: https://payhip.com/b/ReDlX

Mehmet was stuck. Like many of the doctors I work with, his clinical knowledge was perfect, but the OET Speaking roleplay format was tripping him up.

He didn't need months of English grammar lessons. He needed a diagnostic intervention to see exactly where he was losing marks on structure and empathy.

We did an intensive 30-minute Say It Simply session. I played the difficult patient, gave him brutal but honest feedback, and gave him the exact phrases to fix his gaps.

His score? 420. 🎯

If you are stuck in the 300s, your breakthrough is closer than you think...

Start by grabbing my $17 Diagnostic Checklist to find out exactly where you are losing points. Grab it here - https://payhip.com/b/ReDlX

Are you overusing "I understand your concern" in your roleplays?

Examiners hear this phrase a hundred times a day. When you repeat it every time a patient expresses worry, you sound robotic, and you lose points in the Empathy section of the Clinical Communication Criteria.

Instead, try validating the emotion directly: "It's completely normal to feel worried about this." Or, "I can see why that would be frustrating for you."

It sounds more human, it builds rapport, and it scores higher.

Want the full list of phrases that examiners actually reward? Download my Say It Simply Phrases Guide. Link is in the comments!

If you’ve taken the OET exam multiple times and keep missing that B grade by 10 or 20 points, you are likely making the same invisible mistakes every time.

Doctors and nurses stuck in the 300-340 range usually have excellent medical vocabulary. The problem? You are losing massive points on the Clinical Communication Criteria. When you treat the roleplay like a medical script instead of a real human conversation, the examiner deducts points.

Stop paying $450+ to retake the exam just to get the exact same score. Stop practising blindly.

I’ve put together a guide showing exactly what the examiners want to hear instead. Grab my Say It Simply Phrases Guide (pay what you want) — link is in the first comment below! 👇

Let me describe a scenario. Tell me if it sounds familiar.

You're in the OET Speaking roleplay. You know what you want to say. You open your mouth — and suddenly your brain goes blank. You start a sentence, stop, restart. You use a phrase you memorised but it doesn't quite fit the situation. The interlocutor gives you a cue and you miss it because you were focused on your next line.

You walk out thinking: "My English is fine. Why does this keep happening?"

This is what I call the Overthinking Trap. And it affects the most intelligent, most prepared candidates the most — because you care deeply about getting it right.

The problem is that the OET Speaking test rewards natural communication, not perfect communication. The moment you start editing yourself in real time, you lose fluency. And fluency is one of the four linguistic criteria you are scored on.

The fix is not more practice of the same thing. The fix is understanding why you're overthinking and learning a different way to approach the roleplay.

I work on this in every single feedback session I run. It is the most common issue I see — and it is one of the most fixable.

If this sounds like you, I'd love to help. My 30-minute 'Say It Simply' session is designed specifically for this. You speak, I listen, I diagnose, I give you tools. Fast. Direct. Practical.

👉 Link in the first comment. Let's fix this together.

"I want to inform you that I passed the OET speaking exam. The score I got was 420. I believe the feedback session I had with you helped me a lot. You showed me my mistakes and encouraged me a lot. I am grateful to you." — Mehmet, Medical Doctor. 🩺

Mehmet had the medical knowledge. He had the English. He just needed someone to point out the specific habits that were quietly costing him marks.

One 30-minute session. One clear diagnosis. One path forward.

That's what I do.

If you are sitting the OET Speaking test soon — or you've already sat it and you're stuck — don't guess what went wrong. Let me tell you exactly.

👉 Book your 'Say It Simply' Feedback Session in the first comment. $127 AUD. Online. Flexible timing.

Myth: You need a massive vocabulary of complex medical terms to pass OET Speaking. ❌

Truth: Examiners want to see if you can communicate safely and clearly with a patient. ✅

If you use highly technical jargon with a patient role player, you will actually lose marks for 'Appropriateness of Language'.

Real clinical communication is about clarity, empathy, and structure. It's about checking if the patient understands you.

Keep it simple. Speak naturally.

If you're not sure whether your speaking style is too complex or too simple — let me listen to you. Book a 30-minute feedback session and I'll tell you exactly where you stand.

👉 Link in the first comment to book — $127 AUD.

You've sat the OET Speaking test. You studied hard. You practised your role plays. You know your clinical vocabulary.

And you still scored 300.

Here is what I see every single week working with nurses and doctors from all over the world: the problem is almost never the English. It's the approach.

You are trying to sound perfect. You are constructing sentences in your head before you say them. You are reaching for the most impressive vocabulary you can find. And while you're doing all of that — the conversation is moving on without you.

The OET Speaking test is not a grammar exam. It is a clinical communication exam. Examiners are assessing whether you can speak naturally and clearly with a patient under pressure.

You already have the English. You just need to use it differently.

That's exactly what I fix in my 30-minute 'Say It Simply' Feedback Session. I listen to you speak, I identify the specific habits costing you marks, and I give you the tools to change them immediately.

No long courses. No textbook drills. Just honest, direct feedback that gets results.

👍Link in the comments

I’ve worked with so many OET candidates who say:

“My English isn’t good enough.”

But when I listen to them speak, that’s not the issue at all.

They already have the English.

What’s actually happening is:

they overthink

they try to be perfect

they lose their natural flow

And under pressure, everything falls apart.

You don’t need more English.

You need to learn how to use what you already know—simply and clearly.

That’s where the shift happens.

Message me “STUCK” and I’ll help you figure out what’s going wrong.

If you’re stuck around 300–350 in OET speaking, I want you to hear this:

It’s probably not your English.

Most of the time, I see nurses and doctors:

trying to sound too professional

using long, complicated sentences

overthinking every word

And it backfires.

Because in OET speaking, clarity beats complexity every time.

Your patient needs to understand you easily—not be impressed by your vocabulary.

If this sounds like you, send me a message.

Most people lose marks in OET speaking because they try to sound too professional.

For example:

❌ “I would strongly advise you to consider reducing your sugar intake…”

✅ “Try to cut down on sugar—it will help your condition.”

Simple. Clear. Easy to understand.

You’re not being tested on how “fancy” you sound.
You’re being tested on how well your patient understands you.

If you want help simplifying your speaking, send me a message.

This is where most people go wrong.