
One common question OET candidates often ask with regard to the OET Speaking sub-test is: How should I address the interlocutor? We provide some tips for you here, together with short excerpts of OET speaking scripts. Regardless of the OET Speaking situation you get in your role play, these tips should give you some valuable pointers on how to get the conversation going.
How do I know what the interlocutorâs name is?
When you enter the test room for OET Speaking, the interlocutor should greet you and will usually introduce himself/herself. Do pay attention to this carefully. For instance, the interlocutor may say, âGood morning, my name is Corine Millsâ. Sometimes the interlocutor may tell you what you can call him/her. For example, âYou can call me Corineâ.
Can I ask the interlocutor for his or her name? When should I ask this? At the beginning of the test or when the role play has started?
If you did not get the interlocutorâs name, or, for some reason, the interlocutor did not volunteer his/her name, then it is perfectly acceptable to ask. You can do this in a variety of ways. Here are some suggestions on how to ask for the interlocutorâs name politely:
- Iâm sorry, I didnât get your name.
- May I ask how I should address you?
- If you donât mind my asking, may I know your name, please?
Can I call the interlocutor by his or her name?
Once you know the interlocutorâs name, the next question in your mind may be whether you can use their name. In some cultures, people tend to like saying, âYes, Sir,â or âYes, Maâamâ rather than âYes, Corineâ. Actually, it is perfectly alright to use the interlocutorâs name so we encourage you to do so but this brings us to the next question.
Do I use the interlocutorâs first name (e.g. Corine)? Or do I have to attach a title to his or her name (e.g. âMr. âŠâ or âMs. âŠâ) and use his/her surname?
So, if the interlocutorâs name is Corine Mills, do you address her as âCorineâ, âMs Millsâ, âMrs Millsâ, or âMdm Millsâ? Again, it is a cultural thing and different people in different countries will have separate expectations. Actually, for the OET test, it is fine to call the interlocutor by his/her first name, âCorineâ.
However, if you feel that it is culturally unacceptable to you and you are uncomfortable doing that, the best thing is to ask the interlocutor. When you greet the interlocutor, just say, âMay I know how I should address you?â The interlocutor will then tell you, âOh, you can call me Corineâ, or âYou may call me Ms Millsâ. Then you should just go with what the interlocutor has said.
What about the role play? Can I just assume that the patient uses the interlocutorâs name? Or should the patient in the role play have a different name?
In the role play, you have a few options and these are all acceptable. We list down the various ways you can use to identify the patient and sort out the patientâs name.
- Ask the patient
The most direct way to get the patientâs name is to ask. You can say, âGood morning. I am Dr Abbott. Can I have your name, please?â
If it bothers you and you are still not sure whether to call the patient by his/her first name or to use his/her surname, you can ask, âHow would you like me to address you?â However, usually, once the patient has provided a name, it is perfectly alright to use the patientâs first name.
- Just go with the name in the role play card
Obviously, we cannot assume that the role play card will mention the patientâs name or whether it will not. Just go with the instructions in the role play card. If the role play card says âYour patient is Agnes, a 22-year-old motherâŠâ then, obviously, you need to call the patient âAgnesâ.
- When the role play card does not give you a name
Usually, the role play card will not provide the name of the patient. So, how do you address the patient then? You have a few options:
Refer to the patient using the interlocutorâs name
It is perfectly alright to use the interlocutorâs name as the patientâs name. So, if you already know that the interlocutor is âCorineâ, then you can start with âGood morning, Corine. I am Dr Abbott. How can I help you today?â Do not worry about how you got to know the patientâs name because in a real-life healthcare situation, usually you would know the patientâs name through the patient card.
Refer to assumed appointment details or hospital information
This depends on the setting which is provided for you in the role play card. Is the setting is in a âCity Centre General Practiceâ of example, you can assume that an appointment was made prior to the patient coming into the practice. So you can say, âGood morning. I am Dr Abbott. I see from your appointment details that you are Corine Mills. Is that correct?â
If the setting is in âHospital Wardâ, then you can possibly say, âGood morning, Corine,â straightaway because you can assume that you already know the patientâs name since the patient is still in the hospital ward.
What if the role play card states that the patient is âa motherâ but the interlocutor is man? Do I still call the interlocutor by his own name?
Usually, the role play card will be quite general with the patientâs gender and will state âthe patientâ or âhis/herâ in order to allow both male and female interlocutors to be the patient. This means that you can use any of the strategies mentioned above to address the patient.
In rare instances, however, sometimes the situation is unique to a female or male patient. For instance, the situation may be about breastfeeding. In this case, the patient should be addressed as a lady and the best approach for this is to use the strategy mentioned above and ask the patient for a name (i.e. âGood morning. I am Dr Abbott. Can I have your name, please?â)
What if I am doing a role play with a patientâs next-of-kin and not the patient?
The same tips apply when you are talking to the patientâs next-of-kin (instead of the patient). For instance, you may be talking to a mother who has brought her 2-year-old son in for treatment. In this case, you are obviously talking to the mother, not the son. However, you will need to refer to the patient once in a while. It is advisable to refer to the patient by name. Pay close attention to the conversation and try and pick up the patientâs name. For example, at the beginning of the role play, the mother may say, âGood morning. I am Corine and this is my son, Johnâ. In this case, try to refer to the patient as âJohnâ as much as you can. This makes the interaction more personal and shows that you have been paying attention to the conversation.
You can always clarify things with the interlocutor
If you are in doubt, just ask the interlocutor during the preparation time for the role play. Just say, âCan I ask you a question? How should I address you in this role play?â Do this before the role play starts â during the preparation time.
Donât be too worried about this
Donât worry too much about how to address the interlocutor. Get it right quickly and then move on with the rest of the role play. There are usually many things for you to cover in the role play so do not waste too much time on the form of address. If you require some practice before the OET test, you should do a mock test for OET Speaking. That should boost your confidence and when you are confident, you will tend to speak more fluently.
In writing if todays date is not given means we can put exam date?? If discharge is on today means can we use todays date as discharge date??
Yes, itâs the exam date which is written at the top. Yes, in that case both discharge date and todayâs date are the same.