Deep in the middle of marking
undergraduate exam essays. This can be quite challenging, particularly when the
hand-writing is difficult to read. Students are told to write legibly and
"those who do not may find themselves at a grave disadvantage".
Students will not actually lose marks if an examiner cannot read their writing
but they may not gain marks either. Examiners are only human after all, and if
they cannot read a particular word, how can you get a mark for it? Examiners
have a large number of essays to read through in a short period of time and
those that can be easily read are more likely to acquire the marks in they make
the appropriate points. Examples of the wide range of handwriting styles
are shown.
