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

[Hadsuchahardday]

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.

Teachers pick up on this early- from year 9 and if there’s no marked improvement, they advise the student sits it on a laptop. I know because my DS was told he might have to sit exams on a laptop in yr 9 but it has improved a little so he doesn’t have to. He’s a leftie so ink smudges have been an issue. I think cursive writing is hideous and they should stop forcing children to do it. It looks much messier than print.

His writing isnt bad at all to me.

Oh and also if they marked his mocks fine I wouldn’t worry about it, they mustn’t be concerned.

I can't say for sure but 20 years ago when I was a student I had an Alevel paper marked as a U. A complete anomoly from every other paper where I got high grades. I can only think it was my awful handwriting meaning they wouldn't mark it. I didn't contest it as my grades were good enough to go to university anyway, but it would certainly suggest illegible handwriting can be an issue depending on your examiner.

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?

Nope, the teachers decide usually by year 10. As I said, it was flagged in year 9 for my DS basically by two teachers who had taught him since year 7 and said it had taken them that long to get used to his handwriting! They raised concerns but said they’d see if it improved by year 10, which it did so he’s not using a laptop.

I can definitely read it more now than before. It’s partly because it’s cursive which I think looks messier regardless. He’s also a leftie so has more ink smudges than righties and his brain goes too fast for his hands to be frank so he writes really quickly.

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.

I’m an examiner in an essay subject and don’t think that’s illegible. As others have said, you’re not reading a completely novel piece of writing; you’ve read many other responses to the same question so you’re attuned to the vocabulary used again and again. I marked a thousand essay responses last year and only passed one on because I couldn’t read it, and that was because it was at the end of the day and I was really tired which made it harder.

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!

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

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.

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

Tbf they did say over 30 years!

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?

@Sartre@Tableforjoan thanks for replying

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.

Did they train in a doctors surgery?

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

Full of retired doctors 🤣

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.

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

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

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

Oh indeed no hate there.

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.