Part A gives you 15 minutes, four short texts and 20 questions. This guide turns that into a minute-by-minute plan, shows the exact scan path on an invented practice set, and explains the copying rules that cost candidates easy marks.
The question most candidates bring to Part A is simple: how do I answer 20 questions on four texts in 15 minutes without panicking? The answer starts with knowing exactly what the task is, because it is not a comprehension test in the usual sense.
According to OET, Part A has four texts on a single healthcare topic, labelled A to D, taken from the kind of reference material you use when caring for patients: dosage charts, treatment pathways, guidelines and patient information. At least one text may be visual, such as a table, flowchart or diagram. There are 20 questions in three types: matching, short answer and sentence completion.
The Reading sub-test lasts 60 minutes, split into two separate periods: 15 minutes for Part A and 45 minutes for Parts B and C. Part A is strictly timed. On paper, the Part A materials are collected after 15 minutes; on computer you submit Part A before Parts B and C begin. You cannot go back to Part A later, so there is no hidden checking time.
Part A carries 20 of the 42 Reading marks. Fifteen minutes for 20 questions works out at 45 seconds per question on average, including finding the place, reading it carefully and writing the answer. That is only possible if you never read a text in full.
Each answer is one word or a short phrase, usually one to three words, copied from the texts. OET states that you must use exactly the same form of the word or phrase as the text, that abbreviations are not accepted unless they appear in the texts, and that a response with even one wrong letter scores zero. There are no half marks.
The timings below are a coaching guide, not an official rule. They follow OET advice to answer the questions in order, starting with matching. Practise with the plan until it feels automatic, then adjust it to your own speed.
Practice example only. The four short texts and questions below were invented for teaching. They are not real OET material and are not clinical guidance. Real Part A texts are longer; the point here is to watch where your eyes should go.
Hypoglycaemia is a blood glucose level below 4.0 mmol/L. Autonomic symptoms: sweating, tremor, palpitations, hunger. Neuroglycopenic symptoms: confusion, drowsiness, slurred speech, unusual behaviour.
Conscious and able to swallow: give 15 to 20 g of fast-acting carbohydrate, for example 150 to 200 ml of pure fruit juice. Recheck capillary glucose after 10 to 15 minutes; repeat up to three times. Unable to swallow: follow the emergency pathway and call the medical team.
Check your glucose before you drive. If you have had a hypo, wait 45 minutes after your glucose has returned to normal before driving.
Record every episode on the glucose monitoring chart. Two or more episodes within 24 hours must be reported to the diabetes specialist nurse.
Most lost marks in Part A are not about understanding. They come from the way the answer is located or written down. Each mistake below is based on the official OET answer rules.
Reading every line of the first text uses several minutes before you answer anything. Skim all four for structure, then scan only where a question sends you.
If the question already contains a word, do not write it again. OET gives the example that answering “environmental factor” to a question about which type of factor scores zero; the answer is “environmental”.
If the text says “unable to swallow”, do not write “inability to swallow”. You must copy the same form that appears in the text.
When a dose or measurement is asked for, include the unit. Copy decimals as written in the text, for example 2.5 mg, never 2,5 mg.
Do not write “(Text B)” next to a short answer. OET warns this can make the answer ambiguous and score zero.
On paper, Part A is marked by human assessors. If they cannot read the word, you do not get the mark. Block capitals are allowed, but use them consistently.
OET recommends starting without the clock: learn the question types and answer rules first, then cut the time gradually down to 15 minutes. The routine below follows that advice.
Part A rewards locating, not reading. Skim the four texts for purpose, answer the matching questions first to build your map, scan one text per question for a single anchor word, and copy the answer exactly as it appears, with the correct spelling and units.
Every test-format fact in this guide was checked against these official OET pages on 27 October 2026. OET can update its guidance, so check them again before your test date.
Short answers to the questions candidates ask most about this part of the test.
Part A is strictly timed at 15 minutes for 20 questions. It is separate from the 45 minutes for Parts B and C, and you cannot return to Part A once it has been collected or submitted.
Only if the abbreviation appears in the texts. OET states that abbreviations are not accepted in the Reading sub-test unless they are in the texts, so copy the words exactly as written.
Yes. A response with even one incorrect letter scores zero, because you are copying the answer from the text. British and American spelling variants are both accepted.
Yes. OET advises doing the questions in order. The matching questions are quick and show you what each text is about, which makes the later questions faster to locate.
Use our Listening and Reading practice route to drill Part A scanning under time, then review every lost mark by type.
