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.

That handwriting is not illegible, speaking as an Examiner.

Experienced senior examiner here. It's a problem. Exams may well, in the not too distant future, by typed. It is a permissible option under certain conditions. Actually, your ds's writing isn't too bad. I can read it. It isn't easy, but it's decipherable. We do become very, very good at reading truly dreadful writing.

Or a solicitor. I was a nurse and now work with solicitors and they both have dreadful writing!

I'm going back many years now early 1980s,but a girl in my class who was highly intelligent and consistently achieved top grades in most subjects,had absolutely awful handwriting. I clearly remember her dismay on O level results day when she learned she'd got an 'U' (ungraded) for her English language exam. My guess was that the person marking her paper just couldn't decipher it.

Just returning to add that I have started this season of marking. On our training this scenario was specifically mentioned during the training conference. The message was ‘please don’t escalate a script because you can’t read it, if you can’t read it then your team leader won’t be able to either’ We were told to use our judgement and if it was completely illegible and you couldn’t award marks then so be it. So there are definitely not people paid to decipher illegible handwriting as some may have suggested. The message is kids should be writing as neatly as they can and that any major issues should have been flagged by the school and access arrangements put in place.

Back in the day there was a rubric on all GCSE/O and A level papers, apart from MFL's perhaps:

'Credit will be given for the use of good English and the orderly presentation of materials. Candidates who neglect these essentials will be penalised.'

I have had to fail 1st year university students whose writing is illegible. They get a second chance but unfortunately a 1st mark for a summative written piece in my university, that is illeginle is 0%, obviously. On their 2nd attempt, if they pass, they are told their grade but it is capped at 40%, minimum pass rate. They soon up their game for subsequent coursework...come on teachers!

And don't get me started on the number of 18 year olds arriving at university with undiagnosed dyslexia. All they needed was someone to notice, a quick referral to student support services who assessed their particular difficulty and orovided focused support incl specialised software. These students were more often than not high achievers consequent to this. They needed to have worked extra hard to get to.university in the first place

They award a MbCHB !