OET Type 1 Diabetes Referral Letter: Correction and Analysis
Compare original student sentences with a corrected OET referral letter for a patient with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes and recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis. The analysis shows how purpose, organisation, clinical language and information selection can make the referral clearer for the receiving endocrinologist.
What is happening in this diabetes referral?
Ms Tabitha Taborlin is a 45-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes mellitus, recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis and continuing difficulty adhering to her treatment. The GP is referring her for specialist endocrinology assessment and optimisation of her diabetes management.
Most of the important clinical information was already present in the student’s response. The main problems were how that information was expressed, how the referral request was framed and several language and accuracy issues that made the letter harder to read.
Original opening and corrected opening
The first sentence needs to identify both the patient and the clinical reason for requesting specialist care.
I am writing to refer to your clinic a patient called Ms Tarbolin, a 45 year old female with poor controlled type 1 diabetes.
I am writing to refer Ms Tabitha Taborlin, a 45-year-old woman with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus, for specialist assessment and optimisation of her diabetes management following recurrent episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis and persistent difficulty adhering to treatment.
What changes?
The corrected version removes informal wording, corrects the description of the condition and tells the endocrinologist why specialist input is being requested.
Corrected OET type 1 diabetes referral letter
The corrected version keeps the clinical meaning of the case while improving the structure, professional register and referral request.
Dr Sharon Farquad
Endocrinologist
Endocrine Specialists and Associates
115 Burke Street
Omaha
27 January 2026
Dear Dr Farquad,
Re: Ms Tabitha Taborlin, 45 years old
I am writing to refer Ms Tabitha Taborlin, a 45-year-old woman with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus, for specialist assessment and optimisation of her diabetes management following recurrent episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis and persistent difficulty adhering to treatment.
Ms Taborlin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus at the age of seven. Due to poor adherence to treatment, she has experienced multiple episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis. Her medical history also includes essential hypertension. In addition, she is physically inactive, smokes approximately two cigarettes per day and is currently underweight at 48 kg, with a BMI of 18.2.
On 2 April 2018, she was admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis. Her blood glucose level was 550 mmol/L, and she was treated with intravenous fluids and insulin. She responded well to treatment and was discharged in a stable condition.
Despite her current stable condition, Ms Taborlin remains non-compliant with her insulin regimen and has not been following the recommended diabetic diet. She has received education regarding glucose monitoring, correct insulin administration and smoking cessation.
Given her history of recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis and ongoing difficulties managing her condition, I would appreciate your assessment for stricter glycaemic control and consideration of insulin pump therapy.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.
Yours sincerely,
Doctor
Sentence-by-sentence comparison
The original student sentences below have been kept exactly as they were provided.
1. Introducing the patient
I am writing to refer to your clinic a patient called Ms Tarbolin, a 45 year old female with poor controlled type 1 diabetes.
I am writing to refer Ms Tabitha Taborlin, a 45-year-old woman with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus for specialist assessment and optimisation of her diabetes management.
The correction removes “a patient called”, changes “poor controlled” to “poorly controlled” and makes the specialist purpose clear.
2. Describing the diabetes history
Since 7 years old Ms Tarbolin has found herself diabetic.
Ms Taborlin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus at the age of seven.
Was diagnosed with is the natural clinical construction for describing when a diagnosis was made.
3. Presenting risk factors and previous complications
Due to poor adherence to the treatment he has experienced multiple episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis. Besides that, she has a history of essential hypertension, does not exercise, is a smoker (2 cigarettes a day), does not exercise and is currently underweight.
Due to poor adherence to treatment, she has experienced multiple episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis. Her medical history also includes essential hypertension. In addition, she is physically inactive, smokes approximately two cigarettes per day and is currently underweight at 48 kg, with a BMI of 18.2.
The revision corrects the pronoun, removes the repeated reference to exercise and groups the risk factors into a clearer clinical sequence.
4. Reporting the previous admission
The patient responded well to the treatment and was discharged with stable HbA1Ac.
She responded well to treatment and was discharged in a stable condition.
The corrected sentence describes the patient’s condition at discharge without retaining the problematic HbA1c wording.
5. Making the specialist request clear
Considering the past medical history and the risks of complications; she needs a higher level of care, thus I refer her to your clinic for sticter glycemic control and possible insulin pump.
Given her history of recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis and ongoing difficulties managing her condition, I would appreciate your assessment for stricter glycaemic control and consideration of insulin pump therapy.
The revision replaces the vague phrase “higher level of care” with a specific request to the endocrinologist.
What does the endocrinologist need from this referral?
A useful referral does more than reproduce the order of the case notes. It makes the current problem clear and then provides the history that explains why specialist management is needed.
Current problem
Poorly controlled type 1 diabetes and continuing difficulty managing treatment.
Reason for referral
Specialist assessment and optimisation of diabetes management.
Relevant history
Long-standing type 1 diabetes, hypertension and other clinically relevant factors.
Previous DKA
Recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis demonstrates the seriousness of inadequate control.
Current management
Ongoing difficulty following the insulin regimen and recommended diet.
Requested action
Assessment of glycaemic management and consideration of further treatment options.
The clinical history supports the reason for referral
The long history of diabetes, recurrent DKA, adherence problems and previous management all matter because they help the endocrinologist understand why specialist review is now being requested.
Language corrections from this diabetes referral
Many of the student’s sentences are understandable. The problem is that several expressions do not sound natural in correspondence between healthcare professionals.
| Original wording | Improved wording | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| poor controlled type 1 diabetes | poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus | Correct grammar and standard clinical wording. |
| a patient called Ms Tarbolin | I am writing to refer Ms Tabitha Taborlin | More appropriate professional introduction. |
| has found herself diabetic | was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus | Standard way to report a diagnosis. |
| insulin regime | insulin regimen | Appropriate treatment terminology. |
| importance on glucose monitoring | importance of glucose monitoring | Correct preposition. |
| possible insulin pump | consideration of insulin pump therapy | Clearer specialist request. |
Useful expressions from this case
Poorly controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus, diabetic ketoacidosis, insulin regimen, glucose monitoring, glycaemic control, specialist assessment and insulin pump therapy are useful expressions to recognise in diabetes-related clinical correspondence.
What this correction shows about OET Writing
The value of the corrected version is not a predicted numerical score. It is seeing how individual writing decisions affect the main areas assessed in an OET letter.
Purpose
The opening establishes who is being referred, the current problem and why endocrinology input is required.
Content
The relevant diabetes history, previous DKA, adherence difficulties and current management are retained because they support the specialist request.
Conciseness & Clarity
Repetition and awkward constructions are reduced so the clinical progression is easier to understand.
Genre & Style
Informal expressions are replaced by wording appropriate for communication between a GP and endocrinologist.
Organisation & Layout
The letter moves from purpose to relevant history, previous acute presentation, current management and the requested specialist action.
Language
Grammar, spelling, pronouns, prepositions and clinical expressions are corrected where the original wording interferes with professional communication.
Writing problems illustrated by this referral
Unnatural medical collocations
Expressions may be understandable without sounding natural in clinical correspondence.
Pronoun mistakes
A single incorrect pronoun can be distracting when discussing a patient.
Repeated information
Repetition increases length without giving the specialist additional useful information.
Informal expressions
Everyday wording does not always suit correspondence between healthcare professionals.
Vague referral requests
The recipient should understand what assessment or management is being requested.
Insufficient proofreading
Spelling and punctuation errors can make otherwise relevant clinical information harder to process.
Questions about this OET diabetes referral letter
Why was the opening paragraph changed?
The student’s opening identifies the patient and diabetes, but the revised sentence makes the referral purpose and the clinical reason for specialist involvement much clearer.
Why was “patient called” removed?
In this context, identifying the patient directly with “I am writing to refer Ms Tabitha Taborlin” produces a more natural professional opening.
Why was “insulin regime” changed?
Insulin regimen is the standard expression for the patient’s prescribed insulin treatment plan.
Why was the HbA1c sentence changed?
The corrected version avoids using HbA1c to describe the patient’s immediate condition at discharge and simply states that she was discharged in a stable condition.
Can medical terms such as diabetic ketoacidosis and glycaemic control be used in OET Writing?
Appropriate medical terminology can be used when communicating with another healthcare professional, provided it is relevant to the case and used accurately.
Does this corrected letter guarantee a particular OET score?
No. A complete OET Writing response is assessed as a whole. This example is intended to show how purpose, information selection, organisation, professional style and language can be improved within one clinical case.
Compare this endocrinology case with other OET letters
Working across different clinical scenarios makes it easier to see which writing principles stay consistent and which details change according to the recipient and reason for referral.
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