Whatever it is that you are studying and being tested on, no matter your age, exams can be a stressful time.
It’s fair to say that handwriting in exams is important.
You are going to want to perform your best and to get the best grade possible. The examiner who is marking your work is going to rely on what they can read in order to give you a mark.
Previously, marking examiners saw the actual physical written paper. In modern times, the exams are scanned into a computer system and marked virtually. This means that the examiner can zoom in and out on the screen to see what you have written. However, they are still going to be trying to read your writing.
In fact, exam boards have said that if they find the handwriting on a written exam too tricky to read, they will give it less marks. Regardless of the hard work that you have put in.
Let us take an A Level Biology exam. Can you clearly write these words:
- Sucrose / Sucrase
- Maltose / Maltase
- Lysosomes / Lysozymes
- Nucleus / Nucleolus
- Stroma / Stomata
- Exopeptidase / Endopeptidase
They are just some of the many errors students are making in todays exams.
How do you make sure your handwritingis legible?
Are you worrying about your handwriting in an exam? Or perhaps the handwriting of your child? If this is the case, then you might wish to learn more about how to improve handwriting for exams. Even if it is just to make sure that it is legible.
Firstly, keep the letters that you are writing as consistent as possible, this includes their size.
Of course, when handwriting is taught, we always say to make sure that you think about how tall the letters are as well as how they sit on the line. However, when it comes to handwritten exams, it is more important that what you have written is readable.
If you are worried about your writing being too cramped up to read, ensure that you have lots of space on the page. Leaving larger word spaces can really help. If you are concerned then you can always write on every other line. Make sure you are writing in the correct colour ink. Most exam boards like black ink to be used.
Secondly, think about the pen or pencil that you use during the exam. It’ll need to be comfortable. You’ll be holding it for a period of time. If you have a pen that you need to press heavily with, your hand may get fatigued quicker.
You also need to ensure that you take your time when writing up your answers. An exam is designed to challenge you and show what you know. Remember, it is not set as an impossible task. The paper has been planned with the right amount of time for the answers to be written.
The last thing that you should do is panic
If you panic about how much time you have, then you risk making a mess of your writing.
Finally, it is vitally important that you take breaks from writing during the exam. Stretch out your fingers and ensure that they let go of the pen. This will get the blood flowing back to your fingers again. It’s essential to form the correct pen grip as this will also help reduce aches and pains.
Your actual ‘handwriting’ in exams isn’t necessarily something that you will be checked on. However, that doesn’t mean that it is something that you don’t need to be paying attention to. If you’re worried read more about our 1 to 1 online lessons.
