My handwriting is bad when I write fast!

jc2008

Hi guys. Sorry about the stupid question, but it is annoying me.

My writing is neat and readable when I am writing normally, but when I go at exam speeds, it becomes very large, uneven and messy, and although I can read it, I'd imagine it's difficult for other people to read it as they are not used to it. LC is in a week, so I really don't know what to do.

Does anybody have any advice? I don't want to write slow, as I'm afraid I won't get all my information in. For example, take Geography - I have 12 minutes to do a 30 mark question, so I need to get as much information in that 12 minutes as possible. Anyone who does Geography knows that the timing is fairly strict, so I don't really want to slow down my writing for the sake of neatness at the expensive of a few marks as I don't get as many points of info in.

Does anybody have any tips/advice? I really envy people that can write really fast but very neat at the same (girls are good at this!).

Thanks for the help in advance. I've tried different styles of writing, e.g. normal writing, joint-up/cursive writing, but it doesn't make a difference, it's still quite messy.

QueenOfLeon

Have your own teachers corrected work that you think you've had bad handwriting in? If they've managed to get through your Christmas tests or mocks, it mightn't be as unreadable as you think. Some people in my class had writing that the teachers (and any of us) struggled to read but they did as well as they expected in the exams

gant0

If your writing was really that bad I'm sure your teachers would have told you.I think you can get someone to rewrite your scripts or something like that or type it up on a typewriter.Since you haven't been warned you should be grand.It's probably just paranoia.Just try your best without slowing down,there's nothing that you can really do about it at this stage.

dambarude

I felt the same when I was doing the Leaving. In some exams I could write slowly, and my writing was quite neat. Geography, and other exams, were another story entirely.

What the other posters have said is good- unless your teachers have flagged your handwriting as an issue, I wouldn't worry about it. The examiners know what they're looking for in answer, so even if your writing is bad they should be able to make out what you're saying. In an answer on biomes in Geography they know the type of terminology that you'll be using, so will be able to figure what exactly you're saying. God knows they read enough of the same type of answers over and over to know what should be in it!

All that said you should try and write as neatly as you can- I'm sure it makes a big difference for the examiner.

What I found good was to read over an answer for handwriting as well as content when finished. If I spotted any word/few words that looked particularly illegible I crossed them out and rewrote them over it.

spurious

At least it's large and messy.
Tiny and messy is a real pain in the neck to try to decipher.

Cian92

Write quickly. If the corrector cannot read it, it will be passed onto another corrector who can. Don't worry about it.

was.deevey

Coming from someone who's handwriting is ONLY illegible when I write ..

I have a nasty habit of starting a page forehand and 2 pages in is completely backhand and looks like a different person wrote it (what does that say about me and me)

I think you'll be alright, I look back at notes I write and 90% of the time I can only make out every second word, but at least the words that count.

And to top it off somehow I passed the Leaving Cert many moons ago ..

Who knows might work in your favour ... map, weather, mound, Cumulonimbus, Terrain .. "Meh! .. looks like he knows what he's rambling about A- (just in case)"

The examiners see all sorts.

Tibbers

My handwriting was horrible when I was like 10.
My teacher sorted me out.
Do not and I repeat, do not put your head close to the page, you will only see what you currently are writing and that will automatically damage your handwriting. Keep your head at a good distance from the page. It will make your handwriting steady and the same throughout the whole page.
Also, do not push hard onto to page. Invest in a good pen with a small tip. Not the 1.0mm ballpoint pens everybody is so used to. Get a 0.5mm or 0.3mm pen but NOT gel. Even if your handwriting will suffer during the exam those pens insure it's still legible.

rebel girl 15

Try and write large and legible. Larger makes it easier to see. If a corrector cannot decipher it, they cannot give you the marks, and won't. They are under huge pressure to get a certain number of papers corrected a day, and can't be spending ages deciphering someones handwriting.

Find a pen that you write well with, and use it to get used to it.