Handwriting problems .... help ???

[Zlatan]

Hi everyone,
I didn't know where to post this but here it goes.

As the title implies, my handwriting is not the best, especially when it comes to SAC's and other writing assessments ..... I had a Bus Man SAC last week (which involved LOTS OF WRITING !!!) and I got it back today. The only thing that my teacher commented on was my handwriting and how some of the words are illegible, and she mentioned how it could potentially affect the marking of the end of year exam.

This isn't the first time I've been told that my handwriting is bad, but I really couldn't be bothered changing it. But now that my exam comes into play, I really want it to basically look neater and in a way improve my chances of getting full marks. Any advice would be appreciated !!!!

Thanks

[keltingmeith]

I feel your pain - my handwriting was so bad, I had maths teachers (yes, MATHS teachers. Both methods and specialist got on my case) telling me I needed to neaten up.

Look for writing exercises online (such as "The brown fox jumps over the lazy dog's back") and try doing those for ages on end to increase your writing speed. What you want to do is write slowly so that you can write neatly, and learning to hasten your writing slowly (if that made sense).

[Zlatan]

Look for writing exercises online (such as "The brown fox jumps over the lazy dog's back") and try doing those for ages on end to increase your writing speed. What you want to do is write slowly so that you can write neatly, and learning to hasten your writing slowly (if that made sense).

yeah, I've started looking for those exercises. And btw, how long did it roughly take you to make your handwriting go from "bad" to "reasonably neat" ??

 

[keltingmeith]

With no exercises to improve my handwriting, my teachers weren't complaining when I got my trial exams back... So I'm guessing by that stage, they were readable.

I reckon if you make a real effort every night (even for only 5-10 minutes), you'll be good within a month.

[Ballerina]

If it wasn't for an English subject, I used to WRITE IN ALL CAPS TO HELP WITH LEGIBILITY, BUT MY TEACHER SAID SHE FELT LIKE I WAS YELLING AT HER THROUGH MY ESSAYS ALL THE TIME SO MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST TRY TO SWITCH AWAY FROM CURSIVE TO PRINT. I USED TO WRITE WITH A YELLOW PEN TOO, DON'T DO THAT.

[90ATAR]

I can almost certainly promise that my handwriting is worse. My English SAC I wrote 7 pages and scored 15/30 because the marker couldn't read my handwriting. My handwriting is so readable by me but not to others.

[AngelWings]

Hahaha... it's good to know that I'm not alone. My essays are generally near illegible because I tend to correct every mistake by crossing out so it looks like a mess! I'm rectifying myself by thinking it through more (even though I had plans prior) and generally writing slightly slower than usual (otherwise it looks like a line with minute ones coming off it).

Like EulerFan said, try writing exercises and avoid using computers to type up things where possible. Write slightly slower. When you have a minute, grab a sheet of paper and practise writing the alphabet. Research the proper writing position, find pictures of neat handwriting (and trace like a child with some tracing paper) or "how to write neatly". Surely there will be resources out there to help you.

[Zlatan]

I reckon if you make a real effort every night (even for only 5-10 minutes), you'll be good within a month.

That's good to hear, considering the exam is roughly 3 months away.

SO MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST TRY TO SWITCH AWAY FROM CURSIVE TO PRINT.

Yeah, I occasionally do try to write print, but I'm really slow at it, maybe because I'm so used to cursive. Nevertheless, I WILL KEEP ON TRYING

I can almost certainly promise that my handwriting is worse. My English SAC I wrote 7 pages and scored 15/30 because the marker couldn't read my handwriting. My handwriting is so readable by me but not to others.

Oh wow !! That is quite harsh. Were you able to make it legible at the end of year exam ??

Like EulerFan said, try writing exercises and avoid using computers to type up things where possible. Write slightly slower. When you have a minute, grab a sheet of paper and practise writing the alphabet. Research the proper writing position, find pictures of neat handwriting (and trace like a child with some tracing paper) or "how to write neatly". Surely there will be resources out there to help you.

Thanks for the tips !!! Appreciate it.

[marsbareater12]

Try double spacing as well (especially for English - this may not be a valid strategy in the exams, however)

[keltingmeith]

Try double spacing as well (especially for English - this may not be a valid strategy in the exams, however)

Wouldn't be an issue in English, since you can ask for as many answer booklets as you like. For other exams where you're writing space is limited (eg. drama), you'll run into issues. Brilliant for an incredibly mathsy/science combination, though.

[Yacoubb]

Practice writing! Simply pick up a pen and write nearly. Initially, you may be slow. However, you'll pick up speed the more practice you do. What I do is accentuate my letters to make the words as clear as possible in order to avoid any trouble from assessors.

[Crystall97]

Maybe try going into officeworks or a similar store where you can try pens out. Have a play and see what style of ink, thickness and even weight of the pen suits you. Although its only minor, writing with a pen that feels nice in your hand, will start to correct some bad habits and improve your handwriting.