Panic! DD didn't follow instructions exactly in GCSEs

[namechange7711]

I hope I'm worrying unnecessarily, but DD has just realised that instead of putting a cross in the box for the multiple choice questions in each of her triple science GCSEs, she put a tick through the boxes. When I say through the boxes, I mean that the tail of the tick extended beyond the border of the box. No idea why she didn't follow the instructions, but there you go.

I'm hoping that common sense will prevail and that she will get the marks for choosing the correct answers, but are there any examiners out there who can advise what will happen? My concern is if they are marked by computer (no idea if they are) perhaps filling it out incorrectly will be marked as wrong....

Does anybody know?? Thanks.

[LazyLouLou]

As long as there is an obvious mark in the box it should be visible to the marker, real or computerised. If done by machine it might reject her paper and a human will do it.

But her name will be mud

Feel free to use this as a lesson in life. Sometime instructions are vital.... even if only to keep your own stress levels under control!

[camptownraces]

If a multiple choice paper is to be computer marked, it's first scanned into the system. If any marks were outside the margins or the boxes, the paper was sent for a manual mark. (this is as things were a few years ago, I can't imagine that things will have got much different now)

[namechange7711]

Thank you both. Starting to calm down a bit now!

[catslife]

Have marked GCSE papers and confirm that the markers will give marks for ticks in the correct boxes instead of crosses (or vice-versa).
These days Science GCSE papers are scanned into a computer system and then markers i.e. people will mark them. A few years ago there were some papers that were all multiple choice questions and these were marked by computer but these were phased out as exams became linear.
Marks are also given when candidates underline answers instead of drawing circles (or vice-versa) around the correct answers.

[namechange7711]

Thank you. Panic over!

[RainbowSmash]

The markers will do all they can to get the answers marked, do not panic it won't be rejected! I mark for exam board and even if students tick one box then answer another Q we mark the Q they wrote about, if they don't check a box to indicate their choice we still mark what they have written.

No panic :)