OET Writing Pass Rates by Nationality: What the 2026 Official Data Reveals

One of the most common questions nurses ask before booking OET is: “How do nurses from my country actually perform?” Until now, the honest answer was anecdotal. Preparation centres shared pass rates from their own student cohorts. Candidates shared experiences in Facebook groups. The data was fragmented and often self-selected.

OET’s official 2026 statistics change that. For the first time, there is a clear, profession-level and nationality-level picture of how candidates actually perform across all four subtests — including Writing.

This article focuses on what the data shows for the nationalities most represented in FluencyX’s candidate base: India, the Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and the Middle East. The Writing subtest is the focus, because it is the criterion where targeted preparation makes the most measurable difference — and where the variation between nationality groups is most instructive.

The Baseline: How Do Nurses Perform in Writing Overall?

Before looking at nationality breakdowns, here is the nursing profession’s overall Writing performance in 2026:

63.2% of nurses reached Grade B in Writing — which is actually the strongest subtest result for nurses relative to the Grade B threshold. By comparison, only 24.9% of nurses reached Grade B in Reading. Writing is where nurses are closest to passing; Reading is where most are falling short.

The mean Writing scaled score for nurses is 334, placing the average nurse just 16 points below Grade B (350). That 16-point gap is meaningful — but it is also closeable with focused preparation in a way that the 47-point Reading gap is not.

No nurse achieved Grade A in Writing in 2026. This is consistent with previous years and reflects the ceiling effect of the clinical letter format — there is very limited room for stylistic creativity that would push scores into the A range.

Writing Performance by Key Nationality Groups

India

Mean Writing Score: 343 | % Grade B+: 72.6% | Median Grade: B

Indian candidates perform more consistently in Writing than in any other subtest. A mean of 343 puts the average Indian candidate just 7 points below Grade B — the closest gap of any large Asian candidate group. 72.6% reached Grade B, which is a solid but not exceptional pass rate.

The challenge for Indian nurses is not Writing — it is Reading (mean 313, median C+) and Listening (mean 322, median C+). Indian candidates should be directing a large proportion of their preparation toward these two subtests.

For Kerala nurses specifically, the first-language data for Malayalam speakers shows a Writing mean of 344 and 73.2% reaching Grade B — slightly above the Indian national average. Malayalam speakers actually perform relatively well in Writing despite struggling significantly in Reading (mean 303, median C+).

Philippines

Mean Writing Score: 329 | % Grade B+: 57% | Median Grade: B

Filipino candidates have the lowest Writing pass rate of the major Asian nursing groups. Only 57% reached Grade B in Writing, with 19.1% at C+ and 23.5% at C or below. This means roughly one in four Filipino candidates did not reach Grade C+ in Writing.

The Tagalog/Filipino first-language data shows a similar picture: mean Writing score of 330, with 57.9% reaching Grade B and 23.4% scoring Grade C or below.

This is a striking result for a candidate group with generally high English proficiency. The explanation lies not in English ability but in genre unfamiliarity. OET Writing tests a very specific clinical letter format with strict conventions around hedging, thematic organisation, and reader calibration. Filipino English — highly proficient in conversational and workplace registers — does not automatically transfer to this genre without targeted preparation.

The three most common Writing issues for Filipino candidates based on FluencyX data: over-reliance on chronological structure instead of thematic priority order, under-hedging of clinical findings, and inclusion of distractors from the case notes that should be excluded.

Nepal

Mean Writing Score: 343 | % Grade B+: 72.5% | Median Grade: B

Nepalese candidates perform strongly in Writing relative to their other subtests. A 72.5% Grade B rate and mean of 343 are comparable to Indian candidates. Like India, the Nepalese candidate’s real vulnerability is Reading (mean 329, median C+) and Listening (mean 337).

The Nepali first-language group shows mean Writing score of 343 and 73% reaching Grade B — virtually identical to the nationality-level data.

Sri Lanka

Mean Writing Score: 339 | % Grade B+: 67.6% | Median Grade: B

Sri Lankan candidates perform reasonably in Writing (67.6% Grade B, mean 339) but face significant challenges in Reading (mean 331, median C+) and Listening (mean 328). The Sinhalese first-language group has a Writing mean of 339 with 66.8% reaching Grade B.

Nigeria

Mean Writing Score: 340 | % Grade B+: 69% | Median Grade: B

Nigerian candidates achieve 69% Grade B in Writing with a mean of 340. This is a solid result. Nigerian candidates generally perform more consistently across subtests than many Asian groups, with Writing being their strongest subtest relative to the threshold.

Yoruba first-language speakers: mean Writing 341, 68.3% Grade B. Ibo/Igbo first-language speakers: mean Writing 339, 69.2% Grade B. Hausa first-language speakers: mean Writing 350 — exactly at the Grade B threshold — with 79.2% reaching Grade B.

Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)

UAE (Emirati nationality): Mean Writing 347, 77.5% Grade B Saudi: Mean Writing 334, 65.1% Grade B Qatari: Mean Writing 330, 61.4% Grade B

There is notable variation within the Middle Eastern group. Emirati candidates perform consistently in Writing (77.5% Grade B, mean 347). Saudi and Qatari candidates face a steeper challenge, with Grade B pass rates of 65.1% and 61.4% respectively.

Arabic first-language speakers overall: mean Writing 342, 73.1% Grade B, median grade B. Arabic speakers perform solidly in Writing — the genre conventions of clinical letter writing are learnable regardless of first language, and Arabic speakers show this clearly.

The Nationality Writing Comparison Table

The Philippines has the lowest Writing Grade B pass rate of the major nursing-origin countries. Romania is the only large group with a lower rate (50.2%), but Romanian nurses are a smaller OET candidature and are largely targeting European rather than English-speaking destinations.

First Language vs Nationality: What the Data Shows

One of the most interesting findings in the data is that first language group and nationality do not always align in performance — and that Writing shows less variation by first language than Reading or Listening.

Writing Performance by First Language — Selected Groups

The striking finding: Native English speakers (mean Writing 345, 74.5% Grade B) do not significantly outperform many non-native groups. Bengali speakers (350), Urdu speakers (352), and Vietnamese speakers (353) all have mean Writing scores at or above Grade B — higher than native English speakers.

This is not surprising to OET examiners but it surprises many candidates: Writing is the subtest least correlated with general English proficiency level. It is the subtest most correlated with genre knowledge — knowing how to write a clinical letter in the OET format, including purpose structure, thematic organisation, appropriate hedging, and reader calibration.

A Bangladeshi nurse who understands OET letter conventions will outscore a native English speaker who writes chronologically and over-includes information from the case notes.

What the Writing Grade Distribution Tells You About Risk

Looking at the grade distribution rather than just the pass rate reveals something important: most nurses who fail Writing do not fail badly.

The vast majority of nurses who do not reach Grade B land in C+ or C — not D or E. This is important because it means most underperforming candidates are close to the threshold, not far from it. The gap between a C+ (300–340) and a Grade B (350) is often a matter of a single criterion — most commonly Content.

The Content criterion is scored out of 7 and assesses whether you included the right clinical information, excluded distractors, and calibrated the letter appropriately to the reader. It is the criterion that separates C+ letters from B letters in the majority of cases.

Generic AI tools cannot accurately assess the Content criterion because they do not have access to the verified case note blueprint your letter should be checked against. This is why candidates who use ChatGPT or Gemini for Writing feedback often still fall short on Content — the tool cannot tell them whether they included the right information from the case notes.

For a full breakdown of all six Writing criteria, see: OET Writing for nurses: step-by-step guide.

Speaking: Where Nearly Everyone Passes

While Writing shows significant variation by nationality, Speaking tells a very different story.

Speaking Grade B Achievement Rate — Selected Nationalities

Speaking is where nearly all nurses pass. The OET Speaking format — two healthcare role plays with a human assessor — draws directly on the clinical communication skills nurses use every day. The pass rates reflect this: even the lowest nationality groups achieve over 75% Grade B in Speaking.

This is the inverse of the Reading picture, where the same candidate groups often struggle significantly. The takeaway: nurses are clinically competent communicators. The OET challenge lies in academic reading comprehension and formal letter writing — not in speaking about healthcare topics.

Implications for Preparation by Nationality

Based on the data, here is how preparation emphasis should shift by nationality group:

The Data Does Not Change What Good Writing Looks Like

However your nationality group performs on average, the criteria that determine your Writing grade are the same for every candidate:

Purpose — Is the reason for writing clear in the first sentence? Every letter must open with a direct statement of why you are writing.

Content — Did you include the right information? Did you exclude distractors? Did you calibrate to the reader? This is the criterion most candidates get wrong and the one where improvement has the highest return.

Organisation — Is your letter structured thematically by clinical priority, not chronologically by the order things happened in the case notes?

Genre & Style — Is your letter objective and clinical? Are unconfirmed diagnoses hedged with phrases like “is suggestive of” or “is consistent with”?

Conciseness & Clarity — Is every sentence earning its place? Are you within 180–200 words?

Language — Are grammar, spelling, and punctuation accurate?

For annotated sample letters demonstrating all six criteria in practice, see our OET sample letters collection. For a free practice test with criterion-specific feedback, start here: OET Writing practice test.