Willow Court already knows Lena Morris’s routine. The return letter needs to show what the ward observed differently.
Original practice material written by OETify. All people, services and records in this sample are fictional, for writing practice only. By the OETify editorial team.
Two records for the same resident
| Record | Fictional case notes |
|---|---|
| Resident and admission | Lena Morris, aged 84, resident at Willow Court; admitted to Hazel Medical Ward with dehydration and acute confusion |
| Willow Court record | Usually recognises her room and reaches the dining area without prompts; uses a walking frame; attends the gardening group |
| Residence communication record | Wears a hearing aid; staff usually discuss activities with her in the morning |
| Ward observation before discharge | Recognises familiar staff; sometimes asks where she is; needs reminders about the room and ward |
| Current intake | Eating and drinking with encouragement; no swallowing difficulty recorded during admission |
| Ward mobility and communication | Walks with her usual frame under staff supervision; hearing aid available; conversations easier when it is in place |
| Discharge | Medical team confirms return today; discharge care plan accompanies her |
| Instructions in that plan | Offer orientation support; encourage eating and drinking; record intake under the plan |
| Review route in that plan | Contact her usual medical practitioner if confusion increases or intake declines |
Your letter to the residence
You are a nurse on Hazel Medical Ward. Today is 9 October 2026. Write to Ms Grace Holt, Nurse in Charge, Willow Court Aged Care Residence, 14 Elm Street, Brackley. Explain Lena’s return and request the care recorded in her discharge plan.
Before drafting, choose what belongs in the opening paragraph. Would you lead with her familiar room and routine, her admission history, or the support she needs on return? Decide whether the gardening group, usual morning conversations and current hearing-aid observation each need a sentence.
Model return letter for Willow Court
Model letter
Ms Grace Holt
Nurse in Charge
Willow Court Aged Care Residence
14 Elm Street
Brackley9 October 2026
Dear Ms Holt,
Re: Lena Morris, aged 84
Ms Morris is returning to Willow Court today after an admission to Hazel Medical Ward with dehydration and acute confusion. Please provide orientation support and encourage her to eat and drink, as set out in the accompanying discharge care plan.
Before discharge, Ms Morris recognised familiar staff, but she sometimes asked where she was. She also needed reminders about her room and the ward. This differs from her usual ability at Willow Court, where she recognises her room and reaches the dining area without prompts.
She is eating and drinking with encouragement, and no swallowing difficulty was recorded during this admission. She has been walking with her usual frame under staff supervision. Her hearing aid is available, and conversations were easier when it was in place.
The medical team has confirmed her return today. Please record her intake as directed by the discharge care plan. The plan asks you to contact her usual medical practitioner if her confusion increases or her intake declines.
Should you have any questions about her care during this admission, please do not hesitate to contact the ward.
Yours sincerely,
Anjali Rao
Registered Nurse, Hazel Medical Ward
Why the familiar routine takes less space
The support request belongs first because Willow Court must act on the ward’s new information. The baseline earns a short comparison: it shows why reminders deserve attention. Repeating the residence’s whole routine would leave less space for current needs. The gardening group and morning activity discussions add nothing to the discharge plan’s requested care. The hearing aid stays because the ward recorded its effect on conversation during admission.
These notes apply OET’s Writing assessment criteria.
| Criterion | What the model does |
|---|---|
| Purpose | The opening asks for orientation and intake support. |
| Content | Includes the new reminders, encouragement, supervised mobility and the communication observation. |
| Conciseness and Clarity | A brief comparison with her usual routine, without repeating what Willow Court already knows. |
| Genre and Style | Factual: the letter describes Lena’s questions without labelling her behaviour. |
| Organisation and Layout | The changed orientation comes before physical care, then the plan’s review route. |
| Language | “Before discharge” and “usual ability” stay distinct, so the residence can tell when each description applies. |
A weaker return letter that gives old information priority
Weaker version (do not copy)
Ms Grace Holt
Nurse in Charge
Willow Court Aged Care Residence
14 Elm Street
Brackley9 October 2026
Dear Ms Holt,
Re: Lena Morris, aged 84
Ms Morris usually recognises her room and reaches the dining area without prompts. She attends your gardening group and staff discuss activities with her in the morning. She uses a walking frame and wears a hearing aid.
She is returning today after admission with dehydration and acute confusion. She recognises familiar staff and sometimes asks where she is. Please provide support as required.
She walks with staff supervision and eats and drinks with encouragement. No swallowing difficulty was recorded. Conversations were easier with her hearing aid in place. The discharge plan accompanies her and includes intake monitoring and medical review instructions.
Yours sincerely,
Anjali Rao
Registered Nurse, Hazel Medical Ward
Nothing in the first paragraph explains the ward’s current support request. Move the return and orientation request there; reduce the familiar routine to the comparison used in the model. “Sometimes asks where she is” also needs the recorded response: reminders about her surroundings. Replace “support as required” with that action.
The final sentence makes Willow Court search the attachment for both the review contact and its triggers. Retain the attachment reference, then state the usual practitioner, increased confusion and declining intake. This gives the residence the recorded escalation route without adding a new instruction.
In your own draft, mark each sentence as residence knowledge, ward observation or requested action. Keep familiar information only where it explains a change or helps deliver that action.