Teen’s handwriting & GCSEs

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My DS handwriting is barely legible. He’s in year 10. The teachers have asked him to improve it but it’s always been bad. Despite the handwriting - he is doing averagely in all subjects.

He was late to start writing, is on the autistic spectrum, with some mild sensory issues.

Question is: how do we manage exams? I’m worried his handwriting will pull his GCSE marks down.

Any advice for managing exams?? Can we ask for extra time or a computer for exams??

DS1 was allowed to use a laptop in his GCSE's - but he has been using a laptop all through primary school and secondary school so was documented as his normal way of working.
He had occupational therapy when he was young who organised several things for him such as special pencil grips, writing slopes etc. His primary school also put him through a touch typing lessons.

@falalalalalalalallama in order to use a laptop for GCSE exams it needs to be the pupil’s normal way of working.

I do believe my son's dysgraphia really did hurt him when it came to exam results - you can't expect someone who has to mark hundreds of exam papers to spend hours deciphering spider-writing

We really can read more than people think, and we are expected to give it a bloody good try!

Writing on alternate lines can help too.

Agree a scribe or laptop. It’s useless insisting a year 10 child improves their handwriting, it’s unlikely to happen especially when in exam conditions.

@doorkeeper my son has just been diagnosed with dysgraphia. He is younger so enough time to get things in place to help, typing being the main one.
It's making a difference to his work already. The teachers couldn't read his work, I could mainly read it but then I've been reading his writing for a long time, sometimes my son couldn't even read what he had written so was unable to check through for punctuation, spellings etc. it's so much easier for him to type. And better for his self esteem to see nicely typed work rather than scrawled writing.
Maths is still a bit of an issue as he does have trouble setting out calculations but he tried his best.

@Newuser75 squared paper in exams would be a reasonable adjustment and help him set out his calculations. The school can put this in place as long as it is his normal way of working

Thank you! This is worth knowing, thanks.!

From the other side of the problem - exam markers will go to extraordinary lengths to make sense of difficult to read manuscripts. If a marker can't make total sense of some hardwriting then they pass them on to other markers in their group as often a different set of eyes can decipher the text. If that doesn't work then the markers can go back to the school and teachers who know the child's work/writing for help - but I've only known of a couple of occasions where this has been necessary.

Apart from 1cm squared paper and 25% extra time (both already in place for DS) what are reasonable adjustments for maths?
In his recent exams he was above average for everything except maths, and he got 48% (cause for concern).
In primary his maths was “working within expectations”.

Unfortunately, there are no other adjustments available.

I think I'm a bit emotional today, but the thought of examiners trying so hard to decipher just really warmed my heart. Good eggs for doing that.

@Rolypoly2961 would a scribe be an option for maths? Or is it too tricky with having to work out the calculations?

Also I have seen a tablet called Remarkable. It apparently recognises your handwriting and converts it to type. It has a squared page that could be used for sums? I think you can make the squares bigger which may help.

I'm keeping it in my tool box for if my son needs it when he gets older to take notes and things where it is easier to write than type.

They are pretty expensive mind 🙈

That's what they pay us for.

I know some people like to present examiners and exam boards as the enemy, but they genuinely want students to achieve the best possible marks. We do whatever we can to achieve that.

I know, but it's good to hear it.

Thanks for doing it!

My DS has in my opinion terrible handwriting.
He still got 7/8/9 in essay subjects.
The examiners must have superpowers!

Will they provide a laptop? I’m not sure as per pp it would be a ‘crap slow laptop’ is that all our kids deserve? If he’s deemed to need adjustments then they need to be provided. 30 years ago (dyslexic) I had a reader scribe. It was difficult for maths however I did the working out by hand and then dictated to scribe for the paper my working and the scribes was sent off to examiner. My mum also taught me to type in primary school so I am pretty fast it really helped.

my son has asd/adhd and school have already said he will entitleD to extra time. However all the kids have individual laptops via school from p5/6 To use at school then they get one in s1 to bring home for use in high school as so much of the work is done via google classroom. My handwriting was horrendous too op I got the reader scribe and extra time.

We do :)

I read a lot of the hard ones out loud. That helps.

Will they provide a laptop? I’m not sure as per pp it would be a ‘crap slow laptop’ is that all our kids deserve? If he’s deemed to need adjustments then they need to be provided.

We don't have spare laptops of any kind. Exams are done on PCs - which are as uncrap and unslow as our frankly shit school budget allows. We provide what we're obliged to but within the limits of what we can afford.

@MrsHamlet you should do a AMA! I'm an invigilator and I often wonder what happens next in the process, there are those that write loads, those that just scribble on their paper etc!

My son has a similar issue. We got him assessed by an OT and she did a report for the SENCO and recommended a behavioural optometrist. The latter was time consuming and expensive but had helped to some extent. He still needs to do school work on a laptop though.

There's a really interesting video that one of boards put out which explains it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o-X8Hc7dc4g

All the boards, I assume, use a similar process.

We get a lot of penis drawings.

OP can you put his writing on here? Many of us are examiners and senior examiners and teacher at the coalface (or all three) and able to advise you better

If the school has spare laptops available, it won't necessarily be a good one/a latest model. Schools don't have lots of money to put towards IT, and unfortunately laptops get damaged by students carrying them around school all day (and occasionally deliberately or semi-deliberately). Schools often don't have funds to replace laptops mid year.

Obviously our kids deserve better, but you may have seen some things in the news about lack of school funding, especially in England...

Most schools will allow students to use laptops and tablets from home in lessons as a reasonable adjustment as well.

FWIW as an additional suggestion, if his typing isn't very good, could he try writing on a tablet? Some of my students do this as they find it easier to write this way- I think it's a thing about there not being as much resistance from the page?

If he's not currently a quick typist, there are touch typing etc programs which students can partipate in.

In terms of maths, a scribe can be a possibility, but students need to practice with one, as it's quite hard to use a scribe well.

This. Use of a laptop wouldn't confer additional time though unless your DC has a learning disability or dyslexia or something that needs additional processing time.

DS1 had a laptop for exams and it made the world of difference as his writing is awful. DS2 yr8 had parents evening just before Christmas and all the teachers said his writing is on the border for being legible…but not bad enough for a laptop. I’ve told him to make it worse and put no effort in and I’ll speak to senco it’s wrong to play the system but DS1 found it so much better with a laptop in the library and DS2 would benefit from less people in exam conditions as it stresses him out. Fight for one now and they should be able to support.