[saladfingers08]

Our Maths teacher said to our class if we do it in pencil we will get 0 marks. This isnt to do with scanning but apparently to stop people changing the answers afterwards (e.g. an Invigilator could be a friend"

I dont know whether its true its just what he said.

[FredFTW]

Hmm everyone's sort of saying different things, thanks for the support everyone, but does anyone have a definite answer? I heard they did change the rules this year

[legendxo]

(Original post by FredFTW)
Hmm everyone's sort of saying different things, thanks for the support everyone, but does anyone have a definite answer? I heard they did change the rules this year

yehh i heard they did, the students who done their GCSE maths paper in pencil were told they would get 0 marks at my school

[aljabiraa]

My maths teacher said that you shouldn't really do it in pencil but he's never seen an examiner refuse to mark a paper because it is and he's been teaching maths for a very long time.
Also, that AQA test didn't need construction lines, the nearest to it was that parallelogram question

[FredFTW]

Thanks for the help. It's a shame because I've got A*s in all my tests so far and it looks like I could fail just because of this.

[Kinesthetic]

They specify black pen to ensure continuity, and to reduce the number of problems. They don't expect it to run smoothly, and if the scanner doesn't pick up your pencil, they'll just send it via post to someone to mark.

[FredFTW]

(Original post by Kinesthetic)
They specify black pen to ensure continuity, and to reduce the number of problems. They don't expect it to run smoothly, and if the scanner doesn't pick up your pencil, they'll just send it via post to someone to mark.

So are the people who say it has to be in pencil to prevent cheating wrong?

[Master.K]

Oh dear, I did my maths exam in pencil aswell, my teachers didn't even tell me to write in per nor did it say on the front of the paper!

Well I'm sure they will be marked! (Think positive)

[supercoolfred]

(Original post by FredFTW)
So are the people who say it has to be in pencil to prevent cheating wrong?

I think so. If someone wants to cheat and has an invigilator willing to help them, writing it in pencil wouldn't give them an 'edge' on cheating. They could just take out the spare paper you get, check their answers with a calculator and then hand it back to your friend who attaches it to your paper.

[BackDoorEntry]

(Original post by Zweihander)
I've never once written a maths exam in pen, and it's never been a problem. I know I'm only one example, but I dont think it should be a problem, especially for maths where you tend to need to make a lot of corrections.

Ur sig is reaally disturbing. Who are they?

[Master.K]

(Original post by BackDoorEntry)
Ur sig is reaally disturbing. Who are they?

Yep I'm with you there!

[KP40186]

A friend of mine wrote iher gcse maths exam all in pencil and got A* - promise

[FredFTW]

Well thanks for the help guys I'm going to talk to my exams officer tomorrow but you've helped me calm down and gain confidence now. ;D

[Punch]

I doubt it will be a problem, unless you used a really thin/light pencil, as the photocopier may not detect it.

I found the use of the word 'penalised' quite amusing, and imagined it to be a form of punishment for using a pencil where you were jabbed repeatedly with pens.

[Going_To_California]

I did a maths module with OCR and tried to write in pen, but it gradually changed to pencil, as I forgot
They still marked it though, and there didn't seem to be any problems, so try not to worry too much.
Good luck

[FredFTW]

Just so you all know, I talked to my exams officer and she says in future to write in pencil, but that my paper will still be marked manually and not to worry. Thanks for the help here guys. ;D

[Hotchikka]

Hi i know this is an old thread but i did that mistake and no one is giving me releiving answers and i dint think ill survive the long wait for my results to come out, can u please tell me what hapoened with u ?!

[starienight]

shouldnt be a problem, someone in my year wrote the whole english exams in pencil so yeah dont worry

[J.Nalbandian14]

Dont worry it will be picked u/detected by a scanner due to construction lines. It will be clearly readbale anyway, as pencils are usually a dark colour.

[kittyb99]

(Original post by ny2ko)
i kinda cant remember seeing anyone do that since well primary

Most of our lecturers/professors seem to use pencil all the time