Can you lose marks in an exam due to poor handwriting?

For my RS essays for my mock GCSEs, I was awarded 1/3 and 2/3 for spelling, punctuation and grammar for my two twelve mark essays. The only explanation offered for both was "illegibility'.

Is my work illegible?

PS My handwriting was never neat :frown:

(edited 8 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Compost

Original post by flibber

Looks completely legible to me.

Reply 2

username987675

Original post by flibber

It's legible to me but if your teachers are finding it hard to read it may be worth asking if you can type the exam. My writing is legible but for most my writing subjects at GCSE in year 11 I was offered the choice to type. Of course that will only work if you are a reasonably fast typer and won't make many typos (and not notice).

You don't lose marks for typing but if an examiner can't read your work then you can lose marks just simply because they may miss some important points because they couldn't read it all. Remember examiners will have lots of work to mark and they won't want to spend a lot of time trying to make out one candidates paper when they've got several more to mark. Up to you still however.

Reply 3

flibber

Original post by Compost

Looks completely legible to me.

Original post by k4l397

Sorry to both of you. I forgot to attach the first half of my essay (which I have done) now.

I might ask the teacher if I can type it up.

Reply 4

STUDYREVISE

Posted on TheStudentRoom

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 5

testing1234568

Original post by STUDYREVISE

believe me, my handwriting was way way way more worse. I had like one word on a line and one paragraph a side. It was HUGE and really scruffy. ended up with 3 A* in year 10 last year so no.

Surely it would be easy to read if it is that big?

Reply 6

Another

1) - No, you can't get marked down for it. I knew some people with bizarre handwriting, and still got brilliant marks

2) - I can read that paper perfectly fine. Is your teacher just lazy?

Reply 7

flibber

Original post by STUDYREVISE

believe me, my handwriting was way way way more worse. I had like one word on a line and one paragraph a side. It was HUGE and really scruffy. ended up with 3 A* in year 10 last year so no.

So was my teacher wrong to knock off a mark or two?

Reply 8

flibber

Original post by Another

1) - No, you can't get marked down for it. I knew some people with bizarre handwriting, and still got brilliant marks

2) - I can read that paper perfectly fine. Is your teacher just lazy?

He is usually lazy. I was three marks off A* (I got 80%, A* was 85%), so I could comfort myself that I was actually only two marks off.

Reply 9

username987675

Original post by flibber

So was my teacher wrong to knock off a mark or two?

They can't mark you down for 'illegibility' but if they can't read/understand a section they may not give you the mark for the point you were making (at least that's what I thought).

Reply 10

flibber

Original post by k4l397

They can't mark you down for 'illegibility' but if they can't read/understand a section they may not give you the mark for the point you were making (at least that's what I thought).

Then after the real exam results day, I'll automatically send my paper off to a remark in the hope that the remark examiner is able to understand what I wrote.

Reply 11

Ozark

Original post by flibber

My dear friend,

Your handwriting is perfectly legible. Nevertheless, it requires more 'effort' to read/decipher when compared to neat handwriting. As someone firmly in your camp when it comes to handwriting, I have realised that minimising the effort the person marking your script must put in can only be a good thing. So perhaps try to dot the is and cross the ts literally because this can make a surprisingly large difference.
I sat behind a boy who typed in all of my GCSE exams and he swears that it was the best thing for him and allowed him to concentrate on the content of his work over everything else. Perhaps give typing a go and talk to your exams officer.

I wish you the best of luck with your GCSEs :smile:

Reply 12

oswalds

I've always been told that if a marker can't read your handwriting, they will just pass it because they have so many papers to mark. Also, on some mark schemes you are marked on your written communication, but I believe this is more to do with the way you actually communicate when you write, like your phrasing. I do not find your handwriting hard to read though, and I often find handwriting hard to read!

Reply 13

username1560589

They won't mark you down for bad handwriting, but if they can't read a point you are making, they can't give you the mark for it.

Reply 14

funkydee19

My English teacher told me that I needed to change my handwriting in time for the exam otherwise I wasn't going to get the right marks because my handwriting was illegible. I came out with an A* for my English Literature exam, and I did NOT change my handwriting, (in fact it was worst) so that meant nothing.

Reply 15

TorpidPhil

I printed 22pages in my A2 exam for religious studies in 3hours. Imagine how that looked :biggrin:

Reply 16

sedil

I think by now examiers have seen handrwriting which is worse then yours. Don't worry about it. Of course it was neat they would of prefered it as it makes it easier for them. But I can read your handwriting so I guess another person should be capable of it too.

Reply 17

guitaristemily

Echoing a point made above - ask if you can type your exams. i type my wirtten exams becuase of my poor handwriting, and some other things.

Reply 18

SerLorasTyrell

I've seen so much worse handwriting not ever be marked down due to bad handwriting

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 19

Tcbl37_

Hi quick question it might not be extremely relevant to this thread. So I had an exam today where there was a lot writing and little time so my handwriting looked a mess. Usually I don't write notes to examiners but it was so messy I just said sorry for messy handwriting. I was fine till I read somewhere that you could get disqualified for writing a note to an examiner!! It wasn't even offensive :frown: