Are we allowed to write outside of the lines?

[dekoyl]

There are lines in the script/question book for us to write on. Are we allowed to write outside of the lines or off the lines?
 I'm guessing if it's all hand-marked, they won't be so tight as to ignore the answer if I don't write it on the lines will they?

[ninwa]

I had paragraphs written on the blank unlined sides of the pages, with arrows going everywhere pointing at where on the lined pages they were supposed to be. Probably pissed my examiner off a fair bit, but I don't think they'll take marks off for it.

[dejan91]

Are you talking about maths exams specifically (considering you posted after the English exam )?

I hope so because I get anxious when there is little room to write and I start running out of lines!...Which just makes me more prone to making mistakes lol.

[shinny]

I did it all the time. It's fine, as long as it's neat and logical as to the order of your working out/sentences.

[Edmund]

I think the space outside the lines is for markers to make notes/write marks...

[/0]

I thought markers didn't write anything on the paper

[chem-nerd]

It's fine, as long as it's neat and logical as to the order of your working out/sentences.

^^ this

I think the space outside the lines is for markers to make notes/write marks...

nope, examiners don't write on/put marks on your paper at all.


Also, the space given is an indication of how much they expect you to write. Unless you have very large writing or have crossed out a mistake you shouldn't often need to write outside of the allocated space.

[shinny]

Also, the space given is an indication of how much they expect you to write. Unless you have very large writing or have crossed out a mistake you shouldn't often need to write outside of the allocated space.

Unless you have massive writing. I wrote off the lines for most Biology questions. It's also better to write in excess than not enough, so it's obvious which option you'd take if you have time left over. This is particularly true for those 4 mark+ questions where the mark allocation isn't clear, so it's hard to know whether you've written enough yet as you may have just elaborated one mark too long. For this reason, I always left these long questions until last so I'd know how much time I'd have left over to elaborate and basically just crap on.

[dejan91]

For this reason, I always left these long questions until last so I'd know how much time I'd have left over to elaborate and basically just crap on.

I did that with the physics mid-year

Anyway, for maths exams I usually double space (especially with integrals, etc), so I run out of room quicker.

[moshi]

I did for psych and history last year, and I don't think the examiners cared too much. However, for Japanese, our teacher's been an examiner for years, and when we did practice exams in class, he'd take marks off for writing outside the lines, claiming that the examiners should reward people who can fit the information in the lines, as opposed to people who get all the information but can't fit it in the space provided. I think it's unreasonable, but to be on the safe side for Japanese at least, I'll abide by what he's told us. But for economics and methods, I write outside of the lines if necessary.

[IntoTheNewWorld]

I did for psych and history last year, and I don't think the examiners cared too much. However, for Japanese, our teacher's been an examiner for years, and when we did practice exams in class, he'd take marks off for writing outside the lines, claiming that the examiners should reward people who can fit the information in the lines, as opposed to people who get all the information but can't fit it in the space provided. I think it's unreasonable, but to be on the safe side for Japanese at least, I'll abide by what he's told us. But for economics and methods, I write outside of the lines if necessary.

but the lines (and tables) for Japanese are soooooo short/small though. JLTAV line length is just ridiculous =[

lucky I have pretty small writing...

[dejan91]

I did for psych and history last year, and I don't think the examiners cared too much. However, for Japanese, our teacher's been an examiner for years, and when we did practice exams in class, he'd take marks off for writing outside the lines, claiming that the examiners should reward people who can fit the information in the lines, as opposed to people who get all the information but can't fit it in the space provided. I think it's unreasonable, but to be on the safe side for Japanese at least, I'll abide by what he's told us. But for economics and methods, I write outside of the lines if necessary.

Are you serious?? That's super stingy and it shouldn't matter how much you write! Japanese exam marking is sooo tight in general though!