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I did all my exams in blue ink

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To be fair, you should read the instructions, if you're not capable of reading and comprehending the simplest of instructions, it's probably better that your exam won't be marked.

'to be fair' most people have more important things to worry about on the day of the exam than the colour of their ink.

you mug

You're ****ed.

Original post by Architecture-er

'to be fair' most people have more important things to worry about on the day of the exam than the colour of their ink.

'Write in black pen only' is read out by every exam invigilator at the start of every exam. It's a legal requirement that they read out the rules of exams, with this being part of it. Even if you don't read the front of the paper, you are told every single time to write in black pen.

Reply 24

gemnomnom

Original post by Add!ction

As long as they can read it when it's scanned it should be fine. You won't be the only person, I guess they worry about people writing in highlighter or glitter gel pen.

ARGH ****E.

Reply 25

Brookzy

At least with Edexcel, any exam script particularly difficult to read (faint scanning etc.) will be flagged on ePEN and marked in the traditional manner. Not sure of the procedure for other boards.

Reply 26

tsveta

Original post by EmmaJane_

Genuinely worried that my papers won't be marked.
Thanks for your valuable input.

Don't worry hun I'm sure it will be ok. Our school always says do it in black ink but I had my history retake yesterday and it said on the front of the paper 'use blue or black ink' so you should be alright :smile:

good luck x

Reply 27

Architecture-er

Original post by Flyteryder

Well that's mighty handy - if my house is next-door to the exam room and I can quickly nip out and get a black-ink pen. Our school didn't provide pens to those who forgot, because they didn't need to.

Personally I chose to do all my exams in blue ink because I didn't have any fountain pens with black ink, and I preferred to be able to write comfortably over pleasing some pedantic rule about ink colour, when they go ahead and mark it anyway :smile:

p.s. **** you TSR, you are an English website so why are you telling me that I should be spelling "colour" as "color"... :angry:

Reply 28

gemnomnom

Original post by Brookzy

At least with Edexcel, any exam script particularly difficult to read (faint scanning etc.) will be flagged on ePEN and marked in the traditional manner. Not sure of the procedure for other boards.

Haha, that's pretty cool. I didn't know that :smile:

Reply 29

username533239

Original post by EmmaJane_

I never realised you were only supposed to write in black.
What's gonna happen? I'm doing A-levels by the way.

I had a mate who got 0 in a Biology exam for using blue, that's the reason he always assumed, never did anything else about it, just retook and used black.

Reply 30

LouiseOrd

I didn't know people still brought blue pens into exams...

Reply 31

Architecture-er

Original post by gemnomnom

ARGH ****E.

Tell me about it, I did an exam with lemon juice, but when it came to writing a disclaimer for the exam guy to heat the paper to reveal my answers, I only had more lemon juice to write it with :frown:

Reply 32

Rahul.S

Original post by Evan7788

Reply 33

Bellissima

what did you use for your GCSEs? i'm sure it'll be fine! i think it's just in case but they'll probably see when they're scanning it and send it off as a paper if there's a problem.

Reply 34

callum9999

Original post by Flyteryder

Because everyone dutifully listens to the exact same exam script over and over again don't they......

Get a grip. Yes, EVERYONE on here knows you are told to write in black ink - with that being posted many, many times before your enlightened post. The OP is also fully aware you are meant to write in black - otherwise how would they have known to start this thread...

I'm not quite sure I believe a scanner that "only" scans black pen really exists, or why they'd want to use it (as someone else said), but the worst case scenario is their writing isn't legible on the scan so it will be processed manually - with no punishment or mark penalisation whatsoever.

Reply 35

bluemax

The Edexcel exam instructions on the paper say ".....written in blue or black" so if you're for that board you'll be okay. I did all my A'levels in blue ink with a fountain pen and ended up with 3 A's

PS: i remember my invigilator telling us to use only black pen. I never paid attention to that douche. Just follow whats written on the exam paper instructions.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 36

Bellissima

Original post by shezshez

To be fair, you should read the instructions, if you're not capable of reading and comprehending the simplest of instructions, it's probably better that your exam won't be marked.

oh shut up, don't be so condescending... everyone makes mistakes or does something wrong in the heat of the moment.

and tbf i think the people who actually those instructions on the front are in the minority.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 37

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by EmmaJane_

I never realised you were only supposed to write in black.
What's gonna happen? I'm doing A-levels by the way.

It doesn't matter at all. Blue scans almost as well as black. If you had written in yellow felt-tip or something and it was impossible to read, we would just put in a request for someone to look at the original.

Reply 38

:)ella

No invigilator in our school has ever said write in black, though it does say it on the front.

But if the scanners can cope with picking up pencil diagrams then I'm sure they'll cope with blue pen.

Reply 39

callum9999

Original post by bluemax

The Edexcel exam instructions say ".....written in blue or black" so if you're for that board you'll be okay. I did all my A'levels in blue ink with a fountain pen and ended up with 3 A's

When? I'm sure they switched to black only when I did them a few years ago? I remember our GCSEs saying "black or blue", but our AS/A-levels all said "black" - unless I'm imagining things!