Writing in pen or pencil for maths exams?

I was just wondering whether it is ok to use a pencil in my official maths exams and whether any of you have used it and been penalised/not penalised. I'm asking this because I feel that if I use a pen, firstly it will be messier and secondly if I make mistakes, then it'd look scruffy.
Thanks

Reply 1

VioletPhillippo

17

I prefer writing in pencil too but I think you have to write in pen for all official exams unless it specifies :smile:

Reply 2

brianeverit

9

Original post by Efemena15

I was just wondering whether it is ok to use a pencil in my official maths exams and whether any of you have used it and been penalised/not penalised. I'm asking this because I feel that if I use a pen, firstly it will be messier and secondly if I make mistakes, then it'd look scruffy.
Thanks

No. Most exam boards specify that you must write in pen and ink except for graphs or diagrams. Whether you are actually penalised I am not sure but it is not wotrth taking that chance.

Reply 3

ninaballet

1

Original post by Efemena15

I was just wondering whether it is ok to use a pencil in my official maths exams and whether any of you have used it and been penalised/not penalised. I'm asking this because I feel that if I use a pen, firstly it will be messier and secondly if I make mistakes, then it'd look scruffy.
Thanks

Most papers are scanned in and emailed to the examiners, which is why exam boards say you have to use pen. I guess if you pressed down hard with a pencil it'd still show up?

Reply 4

Dilzo999

19

I believe it's black for all except decision modules.

Reply 5

gdunne42

21

You are supposed to answer with a dark blue/black pen with diagrams/graphs in pencil.

Writing in hard pencil can make your paper difficult to scan so that it's hard to read on screen when marking. Things don't always properly erase so the scanner tries to enhance the remnants making the scanned copy impossible to read. Markers should go back to your original paper if they can't read the scan but this slows the marking process

Pencil leaves your paper open to modification after you have handed it in, this has led to suspicion of cheating in the past where student answers have been changed.

You could lose marks if you erase something that would have earned some method marks and don't replace it with something better.

IF you use pencil your paper will still be marked.

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Reply 6

Efemena15

OP

4

Thank you all for your responses, I'll be using a pen then :cool:

Reply 7

Arsey

10

Nah, pencil is fine. Exam boards prefer pen because of the reasons stated above. However, if you do it in pencil they have to mark it. Markers have to request the actual paper, so you run the risk of annoying them but it makes no difference.

That said, never cross out anything in the exam unless you are absolutely certain it is wrong. If you write down 2 solutions with full working, cross nothing out, all answers are marked and whichever gains the most marks is awarded.

I would recommend pencil for certain Decision questions but all others I would use a pen.

Reply 8

Ripper-Roo

Doesn't matter if it looks scruffy, you're working things out, it's supposed to be messy and disorganised.

Reply 9

Old_Simon

12

Original post by Ripper-Roo

Doesn't matter if it looks scruffy, you're working things out, it's supposed to be messy and disorganised.

It is ?

Reply 10

Ripper-Roo

Original post by Old_Simon

It is ?

It's better to see a scruffy paper with workings out etc, than a blank one or someone trying to make their work neat instead of getting on with the Qs as quickly as possible

Reply 11

Arsey

10

Original post by Ripper-Roo

Doesn't matter if it looks scruffy, you're working things out, it's supposed to be messy and disorganised.

it really isn't.

having spent far too much of my life marking scripts I can assure you it is better to have your working logical, methodical and well set out. It should be clear and easy to read.

One of my students lost many marks in his AS exams as his = sign looked a lot like a 2, so he lost stacks of accuracy marks.

Reply 12

Ripper-Roo

Original post by Arsey

it really isn't.

having spent far too much of my life marking scripts I can assure you it is better to have your working logical, methodical and well set out. It should be clear and easy to read.

One of my students lost many marks in his AS exams as his = sign looked a lot like a 2, so he lost stacks of accuracy marks.

As long as you get the right answer, that's the only thing the examiner should care about, not presentation

Reply 13

Arsey

10

Original post by Ripper-Roo

As long as you get the right answer, that's the only thing the examiner should care about, not presentation

There are more method marks in exams than accuracy marks, if your method isn't clear you may not get them.

presentation doesn't matter but the markers have to be able to read your answers and working.

Reply 14

Ripper-Roo

Original post by Arsey

There are more method marks in exams than accuracy marks, if your method isn't clear you may not get them.

presentation doesn't matter but the markers have to be able to read your answers and working.

if they can see you've got to the answer, what's the problem if the workings out are hard to read?

Reply 15

Lamalam

3

Original post by Arsey

it really isn't.

having spent far too much of my life marking scripts I can assure you it is better to have your working logical, methodical and well set out. It should be clear and easy to read.

One of my students lost many marks in his AS exams as his = sign looked a lot like a 2, so he lost stacks of accuracy marks.

Can I use pencil to draw graphs in D1 , for example, the scheduling diagram? cause if I use pen and i made a mistake, I wouldn't have extra paper to correct my answer. :confused:

Original post by Lamalam

Can I use pencil to draw graphs in D1 , for example, the scheduling diagram? cause if I use pen and i made a mistake, I wouldn't have extra paper to correct my answer. :confused:

Read the thread carefully. Answers in pen. Diagrams in pencil. That's all.

Reply 17

nooh1

1

Do the thing that's the most comfortable and still allowed. I use pen for math tests because I don't have to use pencil, I prefer it because I need to see the graphing lines. (I got 108% using a pen in a math test for the first time) In the exams though, it says you must use pencil, but I think that rule isn't important because people would use pencil anyways. In science tests you have to use pen for multiple choice and true or false, you can use pencil for paragraph questions, and you must pencil for diagrams and models. Same for science exams. In all other things, you have to use pen for things that are graded.