Definitely ‘News’ ? Handwriting in exams is too ‘tiring’ for students, headmaster warns“

I clearly remember the queues at the hand-basins after written exams in my school-days. We were all holding our hand and wrist under the cold tap as long as possible to numb the pain, after a three or four hour paper.

At university, I took my typewriter with me to all written papers, as if you wrote by hand there were four carbon copies that had to be legible. This was physically impossible to me.

Since the advent of the laptop, no secondary school or higher education has insisted on handwritten papers in Denmark. The internet connection to the examination hall is simply blocked to deter online cheating and pupils are asked as far as possible to either bring their own printer, or to finish their paper at least half-an-hour before the exam ends, so there is time to print it.

As an examiner, I can assure you it is much easier and quicker to correct typed papers than hand-written ones.

My youngest son also kept running out of time in exams, because he was taking so much time & care over 'improving' his handwriting.But on a computer he is a whizz.

I'm all for this- several of my family have some form of disability, and/or poor motor skills, which means very illegible hand writing- and although it should not 'go against them' as one of my sons tutors said, it unfortunately still does, especially if the examiner cannot read it correctly, and especially if they are in mainstream school, trying their hardest, and yet the examiner doesn't know or realise the child has 'problems' with writing.

Moving away from handwriting has all kinds of ramifications - it will die out if not taught in primary schools. Can English be taught only using typing? Who will read handwriting from documents of the distant past? Are electronic signatures secure? Will handwriting become an elite skill for professional scribes and top people? Does everyone have equal access to electronic word-processing? What about the oldies?

I read my 12 year old grandson's homework last night and I was absolutely appalled. I found half of it difficult to understand. In fact his writing was so much better when he was in primary school.

I used to work with Y7s. Their handwriting was, on the whole, lovely and clear for about the first term. Then it rapidly degenerated.

The “computer generation” are now smart phone users!

Funny you should say that, Nannytopsy. I was just thinking that perhaps they should write their exam answers on their smartphones. It would solve the time problem as they can all use both thumbs to write messages at a far greater rate than it would take to write words by hand...

Perhaps in future all exam questions could be sent out on mobile type devices, collected back in for marking, all data transferred to the Cloud (for possible grade appeals) then wiped and reused... .

I read my 12 year old grandson's homework last night and I was absolutely appalled. I found half of it difficult to understand. In fact his writing was so much better when he was in primary school. Of course we have to go with the times but writing isn't going to disappear completely so all children should be taught to write neatly, spell correctly and should be marked down in their exams if it's not up to standard. It teaches children and young people to take pride in their work and themselves which is a good base for their future.

Haha! That'll help the little buggers cheat better, with no handwriting to compare!!
They'll have spellchecker so you can't tell that they can't spell!
I think it's so teachers can read them better.

Handwriting has become a thing of the past, goodbye pens, pretty paper and lovely letters!

All my children has hypermobile joints (as do an increasing number of children) and they struggle to write for long periods of time. The last child was given leave to type and, unsurprisingly, his grades were much, much higher than the others. None of my children have had to write much since leaving school so, whilst they need to learn to write, I don't think using a keyboard is so detrimental for their chances in life. In fact, not doing so is probably more detrimental!

DH has taught to GCSE and A level all his career. Sadly, pupils do not have the typing skills and speed to complete an exam paper in the given time. A two hour paper would need another hour.
The “computer generation” are now smart phone users!

I don't think it matters, really. It's a bit like when students and school pupil were allowed to bring texts into English exams and calculators into maths ones.

People then insisted that they wouldn't be able to manage without being able to do long division/quadratics/calculus (depending on the level) and that not being able to quote verbatim from Chaucer would mean that standards of English would drop. Instead, maths exams could test more complex calculations as the arithmetic was done by the calculator. The same applied to English, as candidates were expected to engage more fully with the text, rather than regurgitate quotes. The idea that people would be innumerate if they didn't have a calculator on them was proved unfounded - now everyone has a mini computer in their pocket everywhere they go.

I think that this will end up being the same. I have no idea how much exam time is allowed for writing, rather than thinking; but presumably taking the writing element away will increase the amount of thinking that can be assessed.

As long as the playing field was even and all pupils had to reach the required standard in keyboard skills, I'd certainly approve of the change, though for subjects requiring diagrams and tables, a typed exam might be out of the question. I wonder how I got through all the written exams in my youth without exhaustion, after all those years of note-taking in lectures too!

Josianne, there is a similarity in Harper's writing as my GGD, it's remarkable. GGD was only 9 last month, so not much difference in ages.

I do a lot of handwritten stuff and drawing

No, it just shows you are as far from dyspraxia as is possible in that you clearly have really good fine motor control. Are you good at things like sewing and crafts as well?

I broke my wrist shortly before Christmas one year and couldn't write. or cook or drive for that matter It was an eye opener and humbling reminder to me into the world of people who can never write or type.
I typed a Christmas letter for the first time. At least it was legible.

I always receive at least one card which I spend ages trying to work out who it's from. There is a squiggle for a signature.

You're alright then M0nica. I'm obviously very thick because my handwriting is always commented on as being immaculate!!

I wrote out the table plans and place names in silver pen for DD's wedding.

Very often the most intelligent and original students had dreadful handwriting I will treasure that remark Grandma70s

All my handwritten school and university essays actuallyshowed was the real physical struggle I had with writing.

I know now that it was because I am dyspraxic. My wrist locked when I started writing and I was forming the letters from the elbow not my wrist.

Fortunately when the dyspraxia was diagnosed, I also started a focussed physiotherapy programme, which unlocked my wrist. Now my messy untidy and illegible script is a sign of my wildly original and highly intelligent persona

I was never taught how to write. Just had to get on with joining it up. Unlike my grandmother’s day when they were taught beautiful copper plate writing.

Pretty handwriting today does not take you anywhere, it is not a skill valued in the job market (generally)

This is a digital world and this is a natural move to accommodate it

I love the idea of typing vs handwriting
1. You can type much faster than you can write and edit as needed
2. The exam format may have changed
3. Illegible handwriting is a problem
4. Learning disabilities also take advantage of this
5. Overuse of the hand and wrist may create issues like tendonitis, for example, making it harder to write in legible form

I write reams every day, by hand. Diaries and creative writing. To me there is a connection between the thought and the hand, so I don’t type unless I have to.

When I was reading university essays and marking exams I found the handwriting interesting. It often reflected the students’ personalities, from the neat and proper to the wildly flamboyant. Very often the most intelligent and original students had dreadful handwriting.

It's the going rate Josianne. You take it or leave it. There is always the very occasional joy of a No Response paper. But I think they filter them out at scanning now. Didn't get a single one this time round.

When I was 12 and at school in France it was a real struggle for me to emulate their handwriting. All those loops and curls, and that weird lined paper so that the letters are all different heights. Maybe because in Britain we were meticulously taught non joined up writing to start when little, we then struggled where to put the flicks and joins later on?
That's maybe why everyone has a different style ranging from illegible and scruffy, to beautiful and easy to read.

£4 a paper doesn't seem fair GagaJo if you are having to assess the content as well as battle with its presentation.

Nandalot

I used to mark GCSE English papers but decided to stop when they brought in scanned copies of handwritten papers. It was bad enough trying to read and retain the sense of a poorly handwritten essay when you had the physical paper in front of you and didn’t have to scroll up or down and could refer back a page with ease, so I think this is a sensible step.
As for touch typing, I could touch type since primary school as my DM, a shorthand and typist teacher taught me, but even my two 10 year old DGC can type as fast as me with their two index fingers.

I've marked upwards of 1,400 of them this year Nandalot (well, not just GCSE, other English exams too). Horrific on the eyes.

A clearly written paper takes 10 minutes. A paper with poor handwriting can take upwards of half an hour. It'll probably negatively affect the students grade (can only mark what the examiner can read). And all for just £4.

It would be much easier for teachers to mark typewritten exam papers than hand written.
I am an Open University student and have special permission to do my exams on my laptop as handwriting is difficult for my arthritic hands. The invigilator checks that you only have Word open and no internet where you could get help answering. Since lockdown, all OU exams are at home and you have a limited time to complete them.
Very little is handwritten nowadays so learning touch typing is a much more useful skill for school students now.