In OET Listening Part A, you can hear the correct answer, understand it immediately, and still lose the mark because of how you spell it.
Spelling is assessed in OET Listening, Reading and Writing, although the way spelling affects your performance differs between the sub-tests. In Listening Part A, your answer needs to be accurate and recognisable enough for the intended word to be identified. OET also advises candidates to pay particular attention to word endings, as these can change the meaning of an answer.
This is particularly important in Part A because candidates complete notes while listening to two healthcare consultations. The answers are usually only one to three words, so a small spelling problem can affect an otherwise correct response. So, which spelling mistakes should you be most careful about?
1. Missing plural endings
One of the most common problems is forgetting -s or -es.
For example:
- symptom → symptoms
- dose → doses
- tablet → tablets
- infection → infections
- headache → headaches
Consider a note that requires:
Frequency: __________ per day
If the speaker says “two doses per day” and you write dose, you have missed an important part of the answer. This is why OET specifically recommends paying attention to word endings. Candidates often hear the main word clearly but fail to notice whether the speaker says symptom or symptoms, dose or doses. When checking your answers, therefore, don’t just ask, “Did I hear the right word?”. Instead ask, “Did I write the right form of the word?”
2. Confusing -tion, -sion and other endings
Medical vocabulary contains many words with endings that can be difficult to spell when you are writing quickly.
For example:
- medication
- examination
- consultation
- infection
- investigation
- admission
- referral
A candidate may recognise the word immediately but write an incorrect ending, particularly when working under time pressure. These mistakes are worth practising because the problem is often predictable: you know the word but haven’t developed enough familiarity with its written form. Instead of memorising isolated spellings, group related words together.
refer → referral
investigate → investigation
prescribe → prescription
assess → assessment
This helps you recognise both the sound and the spelling of common healthcare vocabulary.
3. Advice vs advise
OET specifically identifies advice and advise as words candidates commonly confuse. The pronunciation is similar, but the words have different functions:
advise — verb
The doctor advised her to rest.
advice — noun
The patient was given advice about exercise.
This distinction matters when completing notes because the answer may require one particular form. Other word-form pairs can cause similar problems:
- diagnose → diagnosis
- prescribe → prescription
- refer → referral
- assess → assessment
If you frequently make these mistakes, revise the words as word families, rather than learning each spelling separately.
4. Misspelling medical terms
Medical terminology is another important source of spelling errors in Part A. Candidates may know what a term means and recognise it when they hear it, but struggle to reproduce its spelling quickly.
For example:
- inflammation
- cholesterol
- catheter
- diarrhoea
- anaemia
- medication
- vaccination
Some words are particularly difficult because their spelling isn’t immediately obvious from their pronunciation. This is where targeted practice is more useful than trying to memorise a huge list of medical vocabulary. After each Listening Part A practice test, record the medical terms you misspelled. If you repeatedly write inflamation instead of inflammation, for example, that is a word you need to learn properly rather than simply hope to remember next time.
Your spelling list should therefore come from your own mistakes as well as general OET vocabulary lists.
5. Spelling a word phonetically and forgetting to correct it
Sometimes the problem isn’t that you don’t know the spelling. You simply don’t have enough time to think about it while the consultation is continuing. OET recommends writing a word phonetically if you are unsure of its spelling during the recording and then correcting it during the checking time.
For example, if you hear a difficult medical term but aren’t sure about one or two letters, write down an approximation quickly rather than losing the answer while trying to remember the spelling. The important part is what happens after the recording. Don’t leave your phonetic version as your final answer. Use the checking period to look specifically for words that you wrote quickly or weren’t confident about.
A simple routine is:
Hear → write → move on → check → correct
This allows you to protect both your listening performance and your spelling accuracy.
6. Misspelling simple words under pressure
Not every spelling mistake in Part A involves complicated medical terminology. Candidates can also make mistakes with words they normally spell correctly simply because they are listening, reading the notes and writing at the same time. Even a common word such as writing has been highlighted by OET as something candidates can misspell. This is why you shouldn’t assume that only difficult medical terms need spelling practice. If you repeatedly make mistakes with ordinary healthcare vocabulary, add those words to your personal error list too. The aim isn’t to memorise every possible English spelling. It is to eliminate the words that you personally keep getting wrong.
How to reduce spelling mistakes in Part A
A useful way to improve is to review your spelling immediately after each practice test. Don’t only record answers you got completely wrong. Look at the answers you identified correctly but spelled incorrectly as well.
Create a simple list:
| Your answer | Correct spelling | Type of mistake |
| symptom | symptoms | Missing plural |
| inflamation | inflammation | Medical term |
| advise | advice | Word form |
| prescrption | prescription | Missing letter |
After a few practice tests, you’ll start to see patterns. If most of your errors involve plural endings, focus on listening for endings.
If you repeatedly misspell medical terms, revise those specific words. If you often write phonetic versions, make better use of the checking period. This is much more effective than simply being told to “improve your spelling.”
Don’t ignore the checking time
The checking period at the end of the Listening sub-test is particularly useful for spelling. You cannot replay the consultation, so use those final moments strategically.
Prioritise:
- Words you wrote phonetically.
- Difficult medical terms.
- Plural endings.
- Word endings and forms.
- Any answer where you were unsure about one or two letters.
Don’t spend the entire checking period rewriting answers that you already know are correct. Look for avoidable spelling errors.
Final takeaway
The biggest spelling problems in Listening Part A are often surprisingly small.
They include:
- missing -s/-es,
- using the wrong word form,
- misspelling common medical terms,
- relying on phonetic spelling without correcting it,
- and making careless errors with familiar words under pressure.
The solution isn’t to become a perfect speller. Instead, pay close attention to word endings, build a record of the words you repeatedly misspell, and use the checking period to correct uncertain answers. Most importantly, don’t stop listening while trying to solve a spelling problem. If you’re unsure, write an approximation and keep following the consultation. You can return to it later.
In Part A, hearing the answer is only the first step. Make sure your written answer is accurate enough to earn the mark.
Read our Recent Blog – “How to Stay Focused During Long Consultations in OET Listening Part C” – to ensure your journey stays on track.
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