Handwriting

[ThisPerkySloth]

DS (now year 11) was assessed and given a laptop but he wasn’t keen. He was assessed again and doesn’t need a laptop now. His handwriting is still an issue but advised to at least write bigger i.e. have large handwriting than small so more readable.

any similar experience! Any tips? And any specific type of pen that might help!

when I was at primary school (late 70s / early 80s) in juniors we were taught to write in cursive - specific dedicated lessons. Totally different time! 😊

Dd1 used Stabilo Easy

Dd2 uses uniball, didn't get on with the stabilo.

We recently found that if DD2 wrote on alternate lines for English she was more accurate with her spag.

Both have dyspraxia

Definitely try a range of pens - I prefer to mark work done in a slightly thicker, very black pen because it's easier on the eye.

And cursive often doesn't help.

I recommend triangular pens

@TeenToTwenties thanks have now googled Uni-ball air - i quite like them myself / used in past but then I like fountain pens!

DS is somewhat pigheaded on occasion and doesn’t think he has an issue.🤨

I’ll get one anyway and keep cajoling him to try it or else bribe him.

Also building in revision that requires writing (he prefers online less physical effort) like past papers / workbooks will help to practise.

👍

As a GCSE English examiner, I have to say that handwriting shouldn't matter, but it really does!

If your DS's handwriting is legible, then that's fine. However, if it's really difficult to read at times, I would insist that he either uses a laptop, or you work with a handwriting tutor.

Hope that helps. Do drop me a dm if you need any more advice.

Ink joys are the best

@EnglishEducator hello apparently it is legible and one teacher said they are probably more strict when marking. DS is satisfied with his writing which doesn’t help - he can be quite stubborn. School deemed ok, but does concern me a very busy examiner might not be sympathetic when reading his writing.

so I’ve bought some GSCE workbooks that will force him to write rather than do all revision online. I noted the other day he’d been doing a previous book using felt tips 😣
we’ll work on making legible as possible, try to get him to use a better pen plus write letters a little bigger. The mock exams mid November will be a good indicator if teachers find his writing is difficult to read.

he won’t entertain the idea of a tutor and did not like the laptop. Ugh

👍

When I learned handwriting in the late 1960s, we started with a pencil. Then when our writing was judged acceptable we were allowed to use a fountain pen. Only after our writing continued to improve were were given a ballpoint pen. I still use a fountain pen as a matter of course, as does a classmate I see regularly. We both have a distinctive and very legible style. Check his grip on the writing instrument too.

@ThisPerkySloth It sounds like you're doing everything you can to help him. It must be frustrating for you, because, of course, being able to use a laptop in the exam would avoid these issues. That said, it's great that you're really focusing on him hand writing his responses now. As lots of people have said, handwriting is effected by the pen choice, and there are a lot of tools to help. Speed is also a factor and in the exam, when candidates have to write quickly, handwriting can sometimes suffer. So, as time goes on, make sure you're timing him to see how his handwriting changes under time pressure. Just to reassure you, if one examiner is having real difficulty reading a response, it is passed back to the chief examiner, who will also do their best to make sense of a response. The writing part of the language paper is also double-marked, as a matter of course, so two examiners decipher the same piece of writing. Best of luck with it.

@muddyford many primary schools award pen licences once students can write satisfactorily in pencil.

@EnglishEducator thanks for the encouragement and tips and good to know the examiner process. Hopefully we’ll make some progress. 👍

Well done for all the work you are doing to help him. Along with all the recommendations given, give him plenty of encouragement and praise, even for any little effort.

A laptop would probably be far better practise for any future job he might get? Learning to touch type is a really valuable skill - if he had to choose between handwriting tutor or learning to touch type which would he go for?

As a teacher, I encounter this problem a lot and laptops don't solve the problem in my subject. I also think it's better to explore other options first, as handwriting is a useful skill beyond exams and can have a big impact on confidence. If they are not currently printing (as opposed to joining up), I'd get them to start there and slow down. It'll feel unnatural to start, but in my experience, there isn't a child I've met that this hasn't helped at least a bit.

I agree with this.

I've been teaching and examining for a long time, and always want to address handwriting before suggesting typing. Many many students cannot type more efficiently than they can hand write, and refining their handwriting skills is often a more effective strategy.