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What pen are you using for your GCSEs?

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I have a million z-grip pens.
Original post by gozzabomb
just a revelation; gel pens are not allowed for gcse exams (fml)


What do you mean by gel pens?
These ones
Lamy Safari fountain pen, just bought it the other day, only £12 and seems like it'll be cheaper in the long run than constantly buying an entire new ink pen.

After a day or two of getting used to it, it feels amazingly nice to write with and is like constantly having that 'new pen' feeling when writing, you don't get that thing where it just writes like **** when the ink gets close to running out - it just writes fine and then suddenly starts running out and writing badly, then you change the ink and it's fine.

Before that though, Zebra Z grip gel pens (probably keep a few of these as backups in the exam) and before that, Uniball ink pens.
I would use my Parker IM (fountain), but I only have the washable blue ink (which is too light, so I can't use it), so instead I'm using a black ink pen (Pilot V-Ball, 0.5)
Original post by centurygothic
I used a gel pen in my English exams and then my friends told me I would be disqualified because all my work would smudge out when it's scanned, is that true? (Those were CIE exams)

I started using a ballpoint pen (one of those with 4 colours on them) to be safe but it's so much more uncomfortable and tiring because I need to use more pressure to actually get the ink to appear on the page / doesn't flow as well. I'm doing past papers at home using the gel pen and I really prefer it. I've got at least 8 pens in my ziploc (bought some cheap ones in a pack) though so at least I won't run out of ink.


I doubt that's true.
If it didn't smudge onto the previous page when you turned the page and wrote on the other side then it should be fine, and it would have had some time to dry before being scanned.
Also, they don't want to disqualify you if they can. If your work is slightly smudged but they can still read it they will mark it, the exam is not on your knowledge of what pens to use (I assume, unless you're doing art I guess :tongue:) so they are testing you on whatever the exam was.
Original post by gozzabomb
just a revelation; gel pens are not allowed for gcse exams (fml)


Where did you get this?
If it was true, the exams would have that very clearly marked on the front, it just says 'write in dark blue or black'.
Original post by TheBirder
Where did you get this?
If it was true, the exams would have that very clearly marked on the front, it just says 'write in dark blue or black'.


http://www.jcq.org.uk/Download/exams-office/information-for-candidates-documents/information-for-candidates-written-exams-2015-2016

its in the PDF, just about to go out and buy a million biros

edit: JCQ govern all the major exam boards.
These pens are lifesavers imho:
http://www.zebrapen.co.uk/pens/ballpoint/z-grip-smooth/

They write like gel pens (really, really smooth on the page; takes very little effort and I naturally press down hard when writing) but are in fact ball points, so come without the smudge. They also produce a really strong black colour, much stronger than the grey-ish colour produced by the BIC biros I was using prior to these.
Reply 29
Original post by zanner
i love these pens they are best

LMAO i'm using that to revise now!
Reply 30
Just a plain biro :smile:
Either Z-Grips or some random commercial pens since commercial pens always seem to have the best flow (I find that the Z-Grips quite often catch on the page or sort of trip up in the ink if that makes sense? Like it'll randomly stop working in the middle of a word)
same here
Reply 33
Original post by rahuleo
LMAO i'm using that to revise now!


Yes! They're amazing but sometimes they just stop working for no reason, even when its 3/4 full :/
Original post by zanner
i love these pens they are best




LOL USING THE EXACT SAME


i got like 10 in one pack, they were baree cheap LOL

asda init :smile:
Reply 35
Original post by mariam687
LOL USING THE EXACT SAME


i got like 10 in one pack, they were baree cheap LOL

asda init :smile:


Ygm :biggrin:
Can you use fountain pens?
Original post by gozzabomb
http://www.jcq.org.uk/Download/exams-office/information-for-candidates-documents/information-for-candidates-written-exams-2015-2016

its in the PDF, just about to go out and buy a million biros

edit: JCQ govern all the major exam boards.


Not CIE though :tongue:
Which is I guess why you can write in dark blue or black for CIE but only black for other exam boards.
Original post by zanner
i love these pens they are best



Except the pack I bought has pens that stop working after like ten minutes. :cry2:
Uniball Eye Micro pens. Make my handwriting look 10x better.

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