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What age would you say this writing was?

98 replies

blessedbethechocolate · 17/11/2021 21:27

Just wondering really.

What age would you say this writing was?
OP posts:
RuthW · 17/11/2021 21:53

Teenage?

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 17/11/2021 21:54

I wouldn't be able to guess an age.

I can read it, but not sure I'd fancy reading pages of it. What's his writing like if he prints?

MrsHamlet · 17/11/2021 21:58

An examiner just won't bother reading that.
Examiner here. That's completely untrue. I wouldn't spend long trying to decide what it said though. He needs to try to make it clearer - not joining it might well help.

mynameiscalypso · 17/11/2021 22:02

@MrsHamlet

An examiner just won't bother reading that. Examiner here. That's completely untrue. I wouldn't spend long trying to decide what it said though. He needs to try to make it clearer - not joining it might well help.
Sorry yes, I was being a bit flippant. I know when I've marked papers before that I will try but I won't make too much effort because there's simply too much to get through without spending hours trying to decipher what someone's written. I'm a big believer in making it easy for examiners too.
Luredbyapomegranate · 17/11/2021 22:02

Looks a bit like mine TBH..

blessedbethechocolate · 17/11/2021 22:03

To answer a few questions he's autistic and refuses to print as he believes he will get into trouble if he does. He's been offered a laptop but doesn't want to stand out. The message is a bit odd and I'm not too sure what it was about except for the bit about sign language. He was trying to boss his younger brother about as always and writing notes about it too. Apparently it's something to do with showers. I'm really worried about GCSEs as he really struggles with this kind of thing but he doesn't have an ehcp as he is very well behaved at school and they say he is fine. At home is a completely different matter.

OP posts:
Pythonesque · 17/11/2021 22:03

I agree that it is very difficult to read, I only got about half of it and have always considered myself pretty good at making stuff out.

Does he manage better when writing on lined paper? How much can he improve if he slows down, and just how slow is it when he does?

If he's 13 then I'd want to be sure he is / gets good at touchtyping, and if his teachers are already not marking some of his work I would really hope that someone's started talking about having him do some of his classwork on a computer.

Having said that, as part of an assessment in ? year 6, the comment was made that my DS's handwriting was bad enough that he'd probably need to take exams later on a computer and to make sure he learnt to type. I didn't worry too much as he could type well already at that point. At some point the message that better writing was worth it finally sank in; and at age 16 it usually stays more or less on the line and can be read, he does a lot of work on his computer but can manage written exams fine. He can produce good stuff but finds it too slow to be worth doing.

I think the two things that make a difference to writing are, does it stay the same size, and does it stay on the line. You can get practice books with paired lines closer together - if you review which letters/parts of letters should fit within those lines and practice lining words up that way, it can really help.

Good luck to your son moving forward in the right (write?!) way for him.

BananaPB · 17/11/2021 22:07

Sure he does.
Can X have a shower tomorrow morning
Also how do you say hi in sign language

That's what I think it says but very hard to read

blessedbethechocolate · 17/11/2021 22:07

As for speed his writing looks the same no matter how fast/slow he writes. I'm middle school he got kept in to practice but never got any better which probably didn't help his confidence.

OP posts:
Pythonesque · 17/11/2021 22:07

Cross posted with you. Would there be any mileage in suggesting that he will stand out if he's the only one with work not getting marked because the teachers can't read it? And that it is better to work in a way that allows them to mark it properly for him?

cttontail · 17/11/2021 22:07

I can read most of it... About making sure someone doesn't have a shower tomorrow morning and also how to say hi in sign language.

Is your son neurodivergent?

Takeitonthechin · 17/11/2021 22:09

Your child's school ought to put a scribe in place, especially for tests, exams, if there isn't one in place already

minipie · 17/11/2021 22:09

Non joined up is a LOT slower than joined up so I wouldn’t go down that route

Laptop and touch typing would be my suggestion- I know he is resistant as he doesn’t want to stand out but he might find the other kids are envious?! Are there no others who use one? I agree get the school to suggest it.

NiellyNoFive · 17/11/2021 22:12

@blessedbethechocolate

Thanks everyone you will cheer my son up who has a real complex about his handwriting. He's 13 and says no one can understand it and often doesn't get his work marked because of it.

At my DS school they get given a chrome book to use if it's illegible and do their exams on a PC

SushiGo · 17/11/2021 22:12

@blessedbethechocolate

Thanks everyone you will cheer my son up who has a real complex about his handwriting. He's 13 and says no one can understand it and often doesn't get his work marked because of it.
Looks like my 12yo, she uses a laptop at school. Worth asking about maybe?
MrsHamlet · 17/11/2021 22:13

Please don't go down the examiners won't mark it line. I really hate that, and it's not true. It's also really not okay that his teachers aren't marking it - I'd be making him read it to me so I could decode it.
BUT he really does need to try either printing or typing. There's no longer the ability for a teacher to do a transcript and that will probably hold him back. If I have hundreds of papers to mark I'm going to take a best guess but I wouldn't be reading it three times to work out if it's worth 5 marks or 8.

Adelino · 17/11/2021 22:15

It says :
If I make sure he does can x have a shower tomorrow morning. Also how do you say hi in sign language.

His letter formation is really not that bad, just needs to try to work on slowing down a bit (totally not an expert opinion).

Adelino · 17/11/2021 22:17

Sorry.
Cross posted re. speed

Shitfuckcommaetc · 17/11/2021 22:21

Looks like my 12 year olds, he has dyspraxia.
His school provide a chrome book for extended writing tasks, so it can't be marked correctly.
He will also take exams using one when the time comes. Talk to the school, as for use on exams a precedent has to be set

clary · 17/11/2021 22:23

I would definitely suggest some support for GCSEs OP.

I was a teacher and I was good at reading challenging handwriting but I cannot decipher all that.

I recall the SENCO asking us to flag up anyone in yr 9 who might need extra support - a scribe (which can be challenging to work with for the student) or a laptop. I would have mentioned your son. His behaviour is neither her nor there wrt this.

My boss had a really really able student who gained all A*s and As, but his writing was unreadable so he used a laptop. So no one is saying he is not able if he needs a laptop.

Tractordiggerdump · 17/11/2021 22:23

A 50 year old doctor Grin

Knifeandfawkes · 17/11/2021 22:25

35 year old doctor. It's completely fucking illegible Grin

If it's your reception age DC, they're obviously destined for a career in medicine.

NiellyNoFive · 17/11/2021 22:26

Also ask him to read out loud to you

Does he read the word as a whole or letter by letter to form the word in his head

You can tell by the speed he reads

I ask this because my DS is very bright in top 1 % and it was only when a teacher told him to get his eyes checked in Yr 7 and I got him to read at home did I realise something was a bit off

I mentioned it to the school who said he can't possibly be dyslexic or anything.

They decided to test him after the next day and although a bit inconclusive it did veer towards him being slightly dyslexic hence the never being able to improve on his handwriting and using a blue tinted plastic thing to read words through

He can use a chrome book or laptop in classes and is doing all his gcse exams and mocks etc on a school PC

At Uni he'll be supported and can do any exams in a room with others on a PC.

TuftyMarmoset · 17/11/2021 22:27

It’s roughly as good as mine, so 27

Wedowonder · 17/11/2021 22:28

Looks like my doctor's writing