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AIBU to ask current or former GCSE examiners what happens with illegible handwriting?

183 replies

Hadsuchahardday · 20/05/2026 14:59

My son is currently doing his GCSEs. Although his handwriting is joined and cursive it is truly illegible and no doubt will be worse under time pressure. It is just a series of loops; letters such as a do not join at the top, tall letters are not particularly tall, r veers off at a diagonal. His spelling is also terrible which makes deciphering even harder. We’ve been told that exam papers are scanned and blown up and that different examiners mark each question. If the writing cannot be read, it is passed on to somebody more senior but what happens then? What if 4 people look at it and no one can read it? Will he be marked on what can only be read? He is a bright boy and could verbally answer the questions well, his predicted grades are generally 7-8 with a 6 and 9 for some. Answers from examiners greatly appreciated.

OP posts:
DiscoBeat · 20/05/2026 17:50

My son had permission to use a laptop in his GCSEs and A Levels

Thelessdeceived · 20/05/2026 17:46

As an English teacher, it’s not that bad and I’ve seen plenty worse. One thing that helps is writing on every other line in exams. Another is the type of pen used. However, examiners and teachers are used to a wide range of handwriting and you do learn to get your eye in.

Calliopespa · 20/05/2026 17:36

Tableforjoan · 20/05/2026 17:17

Oh indeed no hate there.

Don't worry I wasn't pulling you up - only making an observation that very bright types tend to have messy writing.

monkeysox · 20/05/2026 17:25

RandomUsernameHere · 20/05/2026 15:50

Sorry to jump on the thread but does anyone know if a formal diagnosis is needed to be given adjustments in exams, for example dysgraphia? Also is poor handwriting likely to be flagged by school if it’s a cause for concern?

No formal.diagnosis but school can perform an assessment to award exam access arrangements

Maybeitllneverhappen · 20/05/2026 17:24

Quite frankly, why on earth did you leave it till now? In the past if handwriting was bad as a teacher I always sorted a laptop for the student. It's quite easy to do

monkeysox · 20/05/2026 17:23

Hadsuchahardday · 20/05/2026 14:59

My son is currently doing his GCSEs. Although his handwriting is joined and cursive it is truly illegible and no doubt will be worse under time pressure. It is just a series of loops; letters such as a do not join at the top, tall letters are not particularly tall, r veers off at a diagonal. His spelling is also terrible which makes deciphering even harder. We’ve been told that exam papers are scanned and blown up and that different examiners mark each question. If the writing cannot be read, it is passed on to somebody more senior but what happens then? What if 4 people look at it and no one can read it? Will he be marked on what can only be read? He is a bright boy and could verbally answer the questions well, his predicted grades are generally 7-8 with a 6 and 9 for some. Answers from examiners greatly appreciated.

If its that bad he should be given a laptop.
If not i recommend printing writing as clearly as possible, only primary school insist on cursive. As a secondary teacher I encouraged printing if students struggled with cursive.
Examiners do their best to decipher writing

littlehorsesthatrun · 20/05/2026 17:22

I’m also an examiner and can also read it. It’s a bit annoying when the writing slows you down, but you wouldn’t just give up and give them nothing!

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 20/05/2026 17:22

This happened to a friend on mine at uni. He had to dictate all his papers to a secretary including any mistakes. Not sure about and actual exam board…

Kirbert2 · 20/05/2026 17:20

My son is only Year 5 but it's already been mentioned that for SATS next year, he'll have a scribe and extra time. I'm surprised school haven't been more on the ball with GCSE's.

Tableforjoan · 20/05/2026 17:17

Calliopespa · 20/05/2026 17:14

Doctors or otherwise, they probably all got 8s and 9s once deciphered!

Oh indeed no hate there.

Calliopespa · 20/05/2026 17:15

UnaGatita · 20/05/2026 17:08

Whoever teaches cursive writing needs to seriously take a hard look at themselves.
I teach in secondary. Cursive is the bane of my life.

I don't know why prep schools hold it in such high esteem tbh.

Calliopespa · 20/05/2026 17:14

Tableforjoan · 20/05/2026 17:10

Full of retired doctors 🤣

Doctors or otherwise, they probably all got 8s and 9s once deciphered!

Calliopespa · 20/05/2026 17:13

MegMortimer · 20/05/2026 15:07

I'm going back a bit now, but when I used to be an examiner, if you really couldn't decipher the script, you had to send it back to the board. We were told (in those days) that the Board had a special office where people had the job of deciphering the undecipherable.

the Board had a special office where people had the job of deciphering the undecipherable.😆

Zanatdy · 20/05/2026 17:11

My son’s was pretty bad and school did work on it with him. In the end his GCSE’s were cancelled and all his A level subjects were maths or science so not much writing. I’m sure they will work it out.

Tableforjoan · 20/05/2026 17:10

thisistheworstpossibletiming · 20/05/2026 16:58

Did they train in a doctors surgery?

Full of retired doctors 🤣

UnaGatita · 20/05/2026 17:08

Whoever teaches cursive writing needs to seriously take a hard look at themselves.
I teach in secondary. Cursive is the bane of my life.

thisistheworstpossibletiming · 20/05/2026 16:58

MegMortimer · 20/05/2026 15:07

I'm going back a bit now, but when I used to be an examiner, if you really couldn't decipher the script, you had to send it back to the board. We were told (in those days) that the Board had a special office where people had the job of deciphering the undecipherable.

Did they train in a doctors surgery?

Koggs · 20/05/2026 16:29

RandomUsernameHere · 20/05/2026 15:50

Sorry to jump on the thread but does anyone know if a formal diagnosis is needed to be given adjustments in exams, for example dysgraphia? Also is poor handwriting likely to be flagged by school if it’s a cause for concern?

A formal diagnosis shouldn't make a difference either way, it needs to be assessed in school independently. Raise it with school if you are worried and be wary of paying out for private diagnosis if it's just for exam arrangements.

Uni can be different but at GCSE & A level it shouldn't make a difference. In practice it might help persuade a reluctant school but I wouldn't lead with it.

RandomUsernameHere · 20/05/2026 16:18

@Sartre@Tableforjoan thanks for replying

Hadsuchahardday · 20/05/2026 16:10

Thanks for all the messages so far, I’m feeling somewhat reassured. Every parents evening since year 2 I have asked if teachers can read his writing and they’ve always said yes. (I didn’t always believe them). There is no SEN and extra provisions have never been mentioned. I read online that scripts can only be sent back to the school for a known teacher to decipher if this was flagged before exams. The photo is not from a school book, it’s notes on Eurovision where he had a small box to write in. Someone spotted it was to do with music so well done there! I can read some of the words in the photo but way less than half, I wonder if examiners can scribe what they see then another person can add to that to build up the writing between several people?

OP posts:
Sweetpeasaremadeforbees · 20/05/2026 16:09

Sartre · 20/05/2026 15:58

Handwritten? Also a humanities lecturer and I’ve never marked handwritten work, thank god because I hate it! I worked in the archives for a while transcribing 17th century letters in both French and English, some people’s handwriting is much harder to decipher than that!

Tbf they did say over 30 years!

MyMilchick · 20/05/2026 16:09

unicornsarereal72 · 20/05/2026 15:13

My son had this problem. He was assessed through son was given extra time and a scribe. Have a conversation with school. Although if he is sitting them now then it is too late

yeah, my stepson had a scribe for his exams as well

Tableforjoan · 20/05/2026 16:08

RandomUsernameHere · 20/05/2026 15:50

Sorry to jump on the thread but does anyone know if a formal diagnosis is needed to be given adjustments in exams, for example dysgraphia? Also is poor handwriting likely to be flagged by school if it’s a cause for concern?

No formal diagnosis for ds. We had been told at various parents evening they were getting him to use a laptop in lessons as his hand writing was bad.

Then just got a letter in the post a while later stating that he had been assessed as requiring a laptop for his exams from the sen department and as such once would be provided for all his exams this has then carried on in sixth form.

pontipinemum · 20/05/2026 16:01

How much paper do they get? It is 20 years since my GCSE so I can't remember!

My writing is awful. I have always left a line between sentences. Apparently it makes it easier to read.

If laptop is a possibility though that would be great. When I went on to professional exams being on a computer was great for me

Sartre · 20/05/2026 15:58

Maray1967 · 20/05/2026 15:54

DS18’s writing is not much better, and he got 9s & 8s, including 9 in English Lit.

I’m an HE humanities lecturer so I’ve marked a lot of written work over thirty years. A lot can be worked out from the context, but he should be advised to space it out better. There’s no reason why he should be squeezing two lines on to a single line on the answer booklet. I do some invigilation at a nearby school and was asked last week to remind one pupil at the start of the exam not to do this.

Handwritten? Also a humanities lecturer and I’ve never marked handwritten work, thank god because I hate it! I worked in the archives for a while transcribing 17th century letters in both French and English, some people’s handwriting is much harder to decipher than that!