How would you feel about doing exams on computers?

Simply as the title says.

What are your pro's and con's of it?

Personally I'd prefer it. During exams, my writing is messy, rushed and cramped due to nerves which makes it difficult for examiners to read it. It's also easier to rub out mistakes without it being messy. My teacher said that as an examiner, when the writing is just too messy and cramped and he cannot understand it, he simply doesn't mark it.

Reply 1

justinawe

19

I'd prefer it for an essay subject. I type faster than I write, and my hands don't get tired as easily when I'm typing.

Reply 2

pinksugar

10

I would prefer to hand write essays because I find that it flows better and there's less stopping and starting. Also, it's harder to make mistakes with grammar and punctuation- as on a computer we're used to it correcting us which wouldn't be allowed in an exam. I also write faster than I type most of the time.

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Reply 3

xMr_BrightSide

11

I'd be much too tempted to change things or alter the layout of sentences, so would write less in the time given. Also, I write faster than I type and it seems to flow better when I'm writing an essay by hand.

Reply 4

TaliTalulla

OP

Original post by DrFantastic

If it's subjects like Chemistry where you have to work calculations out and draw things, I'd definitely want a pen and paper. For essay style papers like Business, I'd much rather do it on the computer.

Oh no, I agree of course subjects such as Art, Maths and Chemistry would be better for pen-paper examinations.

Reply 5

sabian92

13

I'm doing my English GCSE resit on a laptop and it's so much better.

I can type far quicker than I can write (dyspraxic so I ache like a bugger as well but typing is the lesser of the two evils) although my maths exams are done with pen and paper because drawing/equations etc are far better on paper.

Reply 6

ladymarshmallow

16

I would definitely welcome a development like this, especially for essay subjects. Then you wouldn't need to worry about illegible handwriting, and I think you'd be able to make your essays read well and flow more.

Reply 7

Kosovaa

9

Like everybody above said, you don't have that 'flow'

Reply 8

slothgal

2

I type so slowly, so I would hate it but I can see why it might be good

Reply 9

tory88

18

For essays I'd be fully in support of it, but for maths and science it can be incredibly fiddly and take far too long to complete.

Reply 10

joey11223

20

Essay subjects yeah sure, my pen grip is terrible and my hand aches so much it makes my writing barely legible. It would feel weird at first but I'd get used to it.

Maths/Science type exams where you need to do rough calculations, I don't think it would work that well.

Reply 11

TaliTalulla

OP

I think it's interesting from a student/pupil point of view that some would be for and some would be against but no-one has yet mentioned the practical issues such as resources. For example, it would require more invigilators, employing more IT staff, would be very expensive for mass amounts of pupils to be using computers at the same time and may even require usage of other computers that would otherwise by used by other students/pupils who are in class during exams.

Reply 12

cambio wechsel

20

I can type faster than I write but I think I cannot type as fast as most people can, while I'm content that I can write as fast, and that's perhaps the more important consideration.

Reply 13

Kalliope

17

I wouldn't like it - I'd keep going back to edit and so, though I type fast, I wouldn't write as much as I do by hand. I also think handwriting is an important skill and would die out slowly if we went to exams being typed, like so much else is. Plus of course, there's the question of resources...

Reply 14

username845765

3

Spoke to some boy today after history exam, turns out he gets to do all his essay exams on a laptop because of his poor handwriting. wtf.

that's a ridiculously massive advantage in my opinion. oh well.

Reply 15

manchesterunited15

I think they should be done on computer. So many more jobs are done on computers than by hand, so exams should be the same.

Reply 16

pinksugar

10

Original post by TaliTalulla

I think it's interesting from a student/pupil point of view that some would be for and some would be against but no-one has yet mentioned the practical issues such as resources. For example, it would require more invigilators, employing more IT staff, would be very expensive for mass amounts of pupils to be using computers at the same time and may even require usage of other computers that would otherwise by used by other students/pupils who are in class during exams.

I'm not in favour of it, but it would also save examination boards having to scan the work into a computer, and there would probably be less mistakes such as forgetting to put your name on it or writing outside a margin.

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Reply 17

TaliTalulla

OP

Original post by JessicaGarlai

Spoke to some boy today after history exam, turns out he gets to do all his essay exams on a laptop because of his poor handwriting. wtf.

that's a ridiculously massive advantage in my opinion. oh well.

It would be an advantage if he is fast at typing but I can only assume that he would have less time to complete the exam and would run into the same difficulties as other posters have pointed out. Interesting tho, as I've never known that people actually done that at all.

Reply 18

TaliTalulla

OP

Original post by pinksugar

I'm not in favour of it, but it would also save examination boards having to scan the work into a computer, and there would probably be less mistakes such as forgetting to put your name on it or writing outside a margin.

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Good point. That's also why I think it would be less time consuming and more efficient for examiners as there are regular complaints of not being able to understand pupil handwriting, especially when nerves are high during exams.

Christ, I don't even understand my own handwriting at times!

Reply 19

iLoveMyCatsx

11

Putting all the practicality about it aside (stopping, editing, grammar mistakes, only for essays etc)

I honestly would hate it if it was in an exam hall around people (in ear shot), because if I were to get stuck on a question, trying to rack my brain for the answer would take 1000000x more energy and time and would leave me so frsutrated with a bunch of key tapping noises all around me

How would you feel about doing exams on computers?

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