Any secondary teachers or even better exam markers here who could give an opinion on DS's handwriting?

[SelkieSeal]

School insist it's not too bad and that he should be encouraged to handwrite for his GCSEs. He does have an EHCP and can type reasonably well, so I am insisting on a laptop or scribe being arranged - he's only Y9 so there's time for this to be sorted but I just wanted a sense check.

I'm worried he will lose marks because the markers won't be able to read what he has written, and because the actual writing takes him so long and needs so much concentration that content will get lost in the process.

(Please nobody come along to tell me he should get better at handwriting, he's autistic and probably dyspraxic and his writing hasn't improved or changed in the last 5 years at least!).

I've attached a page from a mock paper he did at home last weekend.

Ex English teacher - looks fine to me

Thanks everyone, I am hugely reassured!

As far as "Maybe better not to be singled out for special help if you can manage?" goes - DS is in a specialist provision where the majority of students will have special exam arrangements. It really won't be an issue.

Yes, pencil doesn't show up and apparently when the papers are scanned in, the Frixon erasable pens don't show up properly either.

The 4in1 Bics are often popular with those with dysgraphia as they are thicker and hurt the fingers less when gripping the pen.

My son, 16, was constantly being pulled up by the school for his handwriting. I never attended a single parents evening since he was 5 years old where it wasn't highlighted as a massive problem. The handwriting, along with various other issues, highlighted to me that there was a problem. 3 years later, we have a dyspraxia assessment. He now uses a laptop for all classes and has a scribe for his exams and in-class assessments.

Like your son, it was a drain on his energy to focus on handwriting and also, due to his dyspraxia, his hand would quickly begin to cramp, causing him pain.

If you suspect your son has dyspraxia, it really is worth the assessment. My son gets so much more support from the school since the official diagnosis and my son doesn't beat himself up as much for the challenges he faces. It was a long process in terms of years, but it wasn't as stressful as I hear autism assessments can be.

I agree re the dyspraxia assessment, however there is no diagnostic pathway for it in this area (so I can't even get a referral and wait, there just isn't anywhere for our GP to refer to) and at present paying for an assessment isn't an option.

My writing is awful and I realised it's because I couldn't get it down on the paper quick enough. Like my head was full of everything I wanted to say!
It didn't affect my GCSEs at all

Not a teacher or examiner but i have a childhood friend whose writing looks almost identical to your dc's, we nicknamed it 'chicken scrawls'. Everyone's worry was always how would examiner's read his writing? somehow they did. Friend is now SAN as in Senior advocate equivalent to a QC. His writing never held him back.

His writing is absolutely fine and significantly better than a huge number of adults, never mind teenagers. He doesn't need to type with neat, clear, totally legible handwriting like that - it's easy for him to show his knowledge and ability/an examiner to identify every potential mark he deserves on paper.

It’s worse than that - pencil might not show up but can always be rescanned or marked in hard copy…erasable pens can be totally erased by the heat of the scanner so there’s no way to rescan or mark hard copy ….DO NOT use erasable pens!

fwiw I really like the uniball air pens - lovely to write with! Or an old fashioned fountain pen - blotting paper not allowed but tissues are and could be used instead!!!

English HOD and examiner. It’s ok but not great. I’d push for laptop personally, especially if he’s faster on it. Check regs re spg and that you’re happy you understand how it’s being used (if he has spellcheck off he can access all marks).
do NOT ask for a scribe - he doesn’t need one and they’re really hard to work with as you have to dictate punctuation - people do a great job with it but it’s really complex for students.

exams are moving online in a few years anyway potentially so he’s not really Exercising a particular advantage
https://www.aqa.org.uk/digital-exams

His hand writing is legible.

Ask the SENCo to perform a DASH test. It will show the difference in his legibility in his own pace vs writing at speed.

Its fine

i know you have tried pretty much everything, but have you seen “twist n write” pens and pencils on Amazon? They really do help to create the tripod grip.

I fully agree with this (I'm a teacher and examiner).

His writing is perfectly legible.

The writing is legible. If you think he may manage with a laptop as for this for his assessments from this point on so he can get used to it and it be classed as his 'usual way of working'. His teachers will be able to compare if he does better with the laptop v pen and he will be able to say which he preferred too. Some students prefer pen even when given a laptop.

His handwriting is legible. But how much does it slow him down? What proportion of his concentration does getting down the letters take? I don't think simple legibility is the only factor.

Could he not just have additional time for his exams, or are they all on additional time due to it being a specialist provision school

English teacher here. It’s perfectly legible. I’ve had far, far worse!

Doesn't have to be ballpoint but cannot be erasable. The scanning would potentially obliterate all of his hard work!

Former English teacher and examiner. Handwriting is perfectly legible, it would barely even register with me.