Inferring in OET Reading: The 1 step to unlocking OET Success

Healthcare professionals must stay updated with work-related developments through regular training and reading professional texts, like journal articles. Understanding these texts often requires an essential skill: inferring the writer’s meaning. Below is a comprehensive guide on inferring, especially useful for OET Reading Part C.

What is Inferring in OET Reading?

Inferring, also called “reading between the lines,” is when a reader interprets a writer’s meaning without it being explicitly stated. In academic writing, authors tend to guide readers toward their opinions without using phrases like “I believe” or “In my opinion.” Instead, they rely on language and the facts they include.

Inferring is something everyone does regularly, even outside reading. For example, in a healthcare setting:

• You tell a patient they can be discharged, but they look down at their feet and twist their hair. You might infer that they have concerns about leaving.
• You ask a patient about their medication, and they respond, “It seems to be doing the job.” You can infer that the patient feels the medication is working as intended.
  
  

Why Inferring in Reading is Important

Writers often want to subtly persuade readers to adopt a particular opinion. They do this through their language choices, without overtly stating their views. Readers, in turn, feel they are forming their own opinions. Understanding this helps a reader critically engage with the text rather than just interpret its literal meaning.

For instance, a text that says, “pack your umbrella for the weekend” literally advises you to bring an umbrella. But inferred meaning suggests your friend knows the weather forecast and expects rain.

To infer effectively, ask yourself: What opinion does the writer want me to form on this topic?

How to Infer

Inferring in reading tests helps you grasp the writer’s opinions and attitudes. Below are three key steps to infer effectively:

1. Understand What You Are Reading

You will need to infer when reading texts that discuss opinions or describe new healthcare approaches. Factual documents, like policy manuals, are straightforward and don’t require interpretation.

2. Identify the Writer’s Language Choices

Pay attention to the adjectives and adverbs a writer uses, as these often reveal their stance on a topic. Even if you’re unfamiliar with certain words, the surrounding context can help you infer whether the writer’s opinion is positive, negative, or neutral.

For example:
“Many hard-working and gifted students may feel aggrieved by his approach, but it is refreshing to see public acknowledgment that recruitment strategies must assess more than just academic ability.”

In this sentence, “hard-working” and “gifted” are positive adjectives describing students, while “aggrieved” is a negative word. Even if you don’t know the word “aggrieved,” the context of “refreshing” gives a clue that it’s negative. Therefore, we can infer that the writer finds the recruitment strategy controversial but overall views it positively.

3. Read Between the Lines

Once you’ve analyzed individual sentences and identified the language choices, think about the overall message the writer is trying to convey. Consider the broader meaning across paragraphs and sections.

For example, continuing with the previous sentence, we can infer that while students might feel negatively toward the recruitment strategy, the writer sees it as a positive development for admissions policies.

Inferring in Reading Part C

In OET Reading Part C, you’ll be asked to infer the meaning of longer texts and understand how a writer builds a viewpoint. Unlike Reading Parts A and B, which are more factual, Part C requires critical thinking. You’ll need to focus on interpreting the underlying message rather than matching words in the question to words in the text.

Clues like “suggest,” “highlight,” or “illustrate” in the questions signal that you’ll need to infer from the text.

Example:

Text:
The esteemed clinician-scientist Professor Robert Winston sparked debate recently. He avoids hiring graduates who have achieved high first-class degrees to work in his laboratories, he said, because experience has taught him that they are less likely to be well-rounded and good team players. Many hard-working and gifted students may feel aggrieved by his approach, but it is refreshing to see public acknowledgement that recruitment strategies must assess more than just academic ability. A similar debate has also resurfaced about medical school admissions, with senior clinicians and medical educators reiterating the need for a holistic application system to identify the most promising future doctors.

What is the writer’s reaction to Professor Winston’s strategy?

• A. He approves of the idea behind it.
• B. He is surprised by the theory it is based on.
• C. He worries about the implications it may have.
• D. He is disappointed by the narrowness of its focus.

Explanation:
The question asks for the writer’s reaction, or how they feel about Professor Winston’s strategy. The text starts by introducing Winston’s approach: avoiding graduates with high first-class degrees because of concerns that they lack team-player skills.

In the third sentence, the writer states that while “hard-working and gifted students may feel aggrieved (frustrated or disappointed),” it is “refreshing” to see public recognition that recruitment strategies should assess more than just academic ability. The contrasting adjectives “aggrieved” and “refreshing” suggest that although students may not like the approach, the writer views it as a positive step.

The final sentence brings in a similar debate in medical school admissions, supporting the need for a holistic approach.

Based on the writer’s positive reaction to Winston’s strategy, the correct answer is:

• A. He approves of the idea behind it.

Conclusion

Mastering the skill of inferring can significantly improve your performance in OET Reading Part C. By following the steps outlined above, you can better understand the writer’s meaning, attitudes, and viewpoints, which will allow you to answer inference-based questions with confidence. For more tips, strategies, and practice, visit our OET Blogs to help you achieve the results you need.

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