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Handwriting, please assist me.

Hello,

I have never been offered any help to do with my handwriting with exams etc., however I feel I struggle to write in a legible format for exams under the time limit and often lose marks for words being hard to understand, perhaps a couple of marks per exam in cases.

I will attach a scan of part of a timed past paper I did for Higher English (note that this is equivalent of A level I believe) but it isn't really about the level anyway.

I completed the paper within the specified time however I feel like the handwriting is something that even I can barely read.

Please could someone let me know if this is legible and if I should be given some sort of help when it comes to exams in order to make it a little better/not to lose marks?

Thanks,
Ben.

IMG_2297 2.jpg

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I personally struggled to read it but I'm sure more experienced examiners can read this writing as there are pieces which have poorer legibility too
I too, have very messy handwriting, however, yours is legible to me. Mine is a little better and still teachers complain about it a lot, so I guess its worth discussing. I do feel this is an issue exam boards fail to really highlight. An examiner will have seen hundreds up different types of handwriting, so its likely they just get better at adapting to different handwriting styles to decipher script.

Some students are given extra time, or a scribe if there's a health problem, this is subject to the exam board though so I think its worth talking to a teacher or an exam officer about it, don't hesitate to PM me though
not very legible to me
quite a few examiners say when your handwriting isn't neat/ laid out well it puts the examiner in a bad frame of mind when marking the paper
can't you just do more practice ?
My cousin has the same problem. If it's a real problem, they let you use a computer.
Reply 5
I can't read it and I thought my handwriting is bad. Is this a troll?
Reply 6
Original post by jawsontheflooor
not very legible to me
quite a few examiners say when your handwriting isn't neat/ laid out well it puts the examiner in a bad frame of mind when marking the paper
can't you just do more practice ?


Hello, I wish I could just do more practice but with 1.5 hours to complete the paper there is not much room for writing nicely and handwriting is quite a unique trait to an individual that is hard to change.

But thanks for the reply.
Reply 7
Original post by sandvika
I can't read it and I thought my handwriting is bad. Is this a troll?


No hahaha this is genuinely my exam handwriting.
Awesome this made me lol, becayse I have or had the same problem. Spider writing your may be better than mine.

They may let you have it typed up later.

Imo what you need to do is write more slowly and use a fountain pen. It will help you form the letters and ink looks nicer.
Reply 9
Original post by 999tigger
Awesome this made me lol, becayse I have or had the same problem. Spider writing your may be better than mine.

They may let you have it typed up later.

Imo what you need to do is write more slowly and use a fountain pen. It will help you form the letters and ink looks nicer.


Hello, I appreciate your response.

However, I cannot write more slowly as I finished this 5 minutes below the allocated time and thus could not really slow down without having no time to check over :/

I often have to go back through and fix words in questions that I myself can barely read lol.

Thanks for the reply.
Reply 10
Original post by meediaabid
I too, have very messy handwriting, however, yours is legible to me. Mine is a little better and still teachers complain about it a lot, so I guess its worth discussing. I do feel this is an issue exam boards fail to really highlight. An examiner will have seen hundreds up different types of handwriting, so its likely they just get better at adapting to different handwriting styles to decipher script.

Some students are given extra time, or a scribe if there's a health problem, this is subject to the exam board though so I think its worth talking to a teacher or an exam officer about it, don't hesitate to PM me though


Hello, thanks for the reply.

Yes it is a common problem and I know of people who get a computer/extra time but I do not want to get anything if it isn't necessary, but a lot of people can barely read what this says when it seems okay to me haha.

Like I did get almost all A+/A star/A band ones in my exams last year so they might just think, "Oh, he managed these exams and doesn't need it" but I want all the marks I can get. I struggle with numbers sometimes too where eights have looked like fours and other weird combinations.

Thank you for your help.
Reply 11
Original post by BFCBP
Hello,

I have never been offered any help to do with my handwriting with exams etc., however I feel I struggle to write in a legible format for exams under the time limit and often lose marks for words being hard to understand, perhaps a couple of marks per exam in cases.

I will attach a scan of part of a timed past paper I did for Higher English (note that this is equivalent of A level I believe) but it isn't really about the level anyway.

I completed the paper within the specified time however I feel like the handwriting is something that even I can barely read.

Please could someone let me know if this is legible and if I should be given some sort of help when it comes to exams in order to make it a little better/not to lose marks?

Thanks,
Ben.

IMG_2297 2.jpg


I have dyspraxia so my handwriting is illegible or nearly illegible. I got to type my exams because I couldn't write quickly and legibly.

It may be worth having an educational psychologist assessment if you have significant symptoms of dyspraxia, dyslexia or dysgraphia. There are lists if symptoms available online.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by BFCBP
Hello, I appreciate your response.

However, I cannot write more slowly as I finished this 5 minutes below the allocated time and thus could not really slow down without having no time to check over :/

I often have to go back through and fix words in questions that I myself can barely read lol.

Thanks for the reply.


well you have to realise what was said above poor writing can lose you marks and put the examiner in a bad mood. i dont blame them.

So you are going to have to find a balance. speed v legibility. Its hard I know, but its because you stop forming the words.

If you are running out of time bullet point. As i said try a fountain pen. It slows you down by default.
(edited 7 years ago)
i have the same problem, whenever i think about the time limit my hands just write fast on their own and i struggle to keep my handwriting legible. I've gotten a bit better with practice, i looked up some solutions on the internet which helped because i realised that my grip wasn't right. Try adjusting your grip, try different ways of holding your pen till it feels the most comfortable and when it's time for the exam try to concentrate on writing instead of just the time limit. for me, i found that focusing on each individual letter while i was writing made my handwriting look more decent than when i focus on the word as a whole.
Some videos on youtube helped , but i am sorry i can't remember which one helped the most.
Just practice "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" for 10 minutes each day, consistency is key.
Also try experimenting with different pens, thicker ones, or thinner ones , type of ink ...etc.
it's cause you're not forming the root of the letters properly, "messy" is fine my exam writing is messy to, but you can't just put a little line and expect people to know that is a g

practise forming the letters right that's all I said, alot of it is legible despite being messy because they resemble the original letters.


eg. the last two lines are almost completely illegible, the lines above that are more so cause although messy the letters are formed better
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 15
I was able to read it without any problems, and I'm not even an examiner who is used to seeing hundreds of papers every day. Seems fine to me but don't hesitate to talk to a teacher. I know someone whose handwriting was so poor they had to receive a laptop for written papers!
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 16
Original post by Katty3
I have dyspraxia so my handwriting is illegible or nearly illegible. I got to type my exams because I couldn't write quickly and legibly.

It may be worth having an educational psychologist assessment if you have significant symptoms of dyspraxia, dyslexia or dysgraphia. There are lists if symptoms available online.

Posted from TSR Mobile


Yes, I have heard of all these conditions but of course would not like to think that I might have one in case I am just an idiot when it comes to writing, haha.

It won't be dyslexia because I don't have problems with spelling, numbers, or the actual formation of the word on the page. Sometimes I just can't write quickly with it still being easy to read, and I also feel as though writing is a bit of a pain in the backside as I feel I cannot write things nicely and it is frustrating, and something that I don't want to do. I type at every opportunity lol.

As an indication last year in my three science assignments I got over 15/20 in each of the two typed ones and then in chemistry I got 8/20 for a handwritten one, but it was probably just s**t lol (although I didn't feel it was that bad, how silly of me)!

As you can see in the attached page, I sometimes miss out large sections of words or important letters and I don't know if this is a symptom of something or just me being an idiot again lol. Also, sometimes if writing smaller words I will write the second letter first and then realise I have missed the vital start - probably just an idiot.

Thanks for the reply.
Your handwriting looks like mine when I am very tired and rushing. For a long time I couldn't figure out why I found writing to be such a chore, then one day I started writing with a slant to the right and it made all the difference. Try it.. If you're right handed it should work and it puts less strain on your hand. I write with ease now and my writing looks much neater than before.
Reply 18
Original post by i want to pass
i have the same problem, whenever i think about the time limit my hands just write fast on their own and i struggle to keep my handwriting legible. I've gotten a bit better with practice, i looked up some solutions on the internet which helped because i realised that my grip wasn't right. Try adjusting your grip, try different ways of holding your pen till it feels the most comfortable and when it's time for the exam try to concentrate on writing instead of just the time limit. for me, i found that focusing on each individual letter while i was writing made my handwriting look more decent than when i focus on the word as a whole.
Some videos on youtube helped , but i am sorry i can't remember which one helped the most.
Just practice "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" for 10 minutes each day, consistency is key.
Also try experimenting with different pens, thicker ones, or thinner ones , type of ink ...etc.


I appreciate this response and it is helpful but it is now a month until my exams and I don't truly think I can change it in that time.

But I will have to try depending on what the teachers say lol.
Reply 19
Original post by spaceblues
Your handwriting looks like mine when I am very tired and rushing. For a long time I couldn't figure out why I found writing to be such a chore, then one day I started writing with a slant to the right and it made all the difference. Try it.. If you're right handed it should work and it puts less strain on your hand. I write with ease now and my writing looks much neater than before.


Thank you, although I have tried things such as this and it seems to make it messier as the letters then seem to cascade into each other.

I may post an example of my handwriting if I write like a snail but who can't write nice if they write at that pace?

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