• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

How messy is your handwriting allowed to get in english? (3 Viewers)

artosis

Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2011
Messages
149
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
Ok I got my hands on one of those student responses book. hsc workbook thing published by bos.
and some of those responses have god awful handwriting. its basically to the point where one in five words are completely illegible. I think in one of the creative writing ones, i couldnt even read a single word past the first paragraph

ofc some of them are neat/legible.
but those who write like 12 pages in one response have horrible, horrible handwriting
i mean i could probably do 12 pages myself if i wrote like that.

so my question is; how messy are u allowed to write before the markers start getting pissed.
and what happens if the marker can only read about one in five words like some of those in the student responses book?
do they just give an estimate?
coz i cant imagine the markers sitting there trying to decipher some of those words.
 

iRuler

Premium Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
6,731
Location
3.141592654
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
Uni Grad
2014
Mine is like a Doctors handwriting, you need skill to read it :(

But what sly said, if it's readable it's all good
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
83
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
My english teacher's done HSC marking and she said if they can't read it it goes away and gets typed up by someone and then it comes back... plus english teachers I hae found can read just about anything haha.... it would have to be pretty damn bad for it not to be able to be read
 

herbs1

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2010
Messages
265
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
Writing depends. You need experience in reading it, but I often "merge" characters, so my the looks like he with a line through the h. Other times, is etc become parts of other letters etc. If you have a decent flow, you can usually guess the word by looking at the shape/starting letter etc.
 

interesting

Member
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
340
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
As long as it is legible it won't matter. If the marker can't read it i think its just tough luck then.. dont think theyll ask other markers what they reckon the words are
 

cem

Premium Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2005
Messages
2,438
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
N/A
My experience as a Modern History marker is that the marker sits with their Senior Marker and they decifer what they can and award a mark. Then when it gets to the second marker that marker again sits with the Senior Marker (who will be the same one) and again they decifer what they can with the second marker also awarding a mark. The Senior Marker is there, at this stage, to simply help decifer words. Then after the centre has been marked if the marks between the first and second markers are discrepant the SM gets the final say, having read it now three times.

I have never heard of a work being sent away to be typed - afterall would the typist be able to read it anyway?

Another furphy I have heard is them callling in the student to read it to them - not going to happen - the process has to be completely fair for all students so what about the student who sits the exams in Tonga and they don't arrive until about three days before the marks are finalised. There is no way to get that student to Sydney.

Simply put - if we can't read it we can't mark it.
 

Aerath

Retired
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
10,169
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
As messy as fuck - so long as it's legible.
 
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
434
Gender
Female
HSC
2011
what if the marker sees you're ranked first and cant read your writing? will they assume you're good or just not mark it?
 

yours

Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
300
Location
Mystery
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2011
most of these responses aren't particularly helpful. You need to show visual examples to demonstrate what you mean by borderline 'legible'
 

themanman

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
327
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
what if the marker sees you're ranked first and cant read your writing? will they assume you're good or just not mark it?
the marker doesnt know the person nor their rank

BTW, YOUR WRITING HAS TO BE ON THE VERGE OF SCRIBBLE FOR THEM NOT TO DECIPHER IT
 

s2 SEductive

MostDefinitelyIncredible
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
Messages
603
Location
...
Gender
Female
HSC
2011
Oh How my writing changes when writing essays =[



I hope the last one is acceptable =[
 

MrBrightside

Brightest Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2010
Messages
2,032
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Mine is like a Doctors handwriting, you need skill to read it :(

But what sly said, if it's readable it's all good
Doctors couldn't write to save their lives. Same goes with bad teachers.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 3)

Top