exam marking

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:57 pm

I know that exam boards INSIST on HB - as a teacher I had to check every child's pencil and replace if it did not say HB on the side.

They would not put this in their regulations if it was not important - where did you get your advice from?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:02 pm

All of my children have been through the 11plus and not once did any of them have their pencils checked.

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:09 pm

It's easy to check without the child being aware - pencils looked at as they lie on the table as papers are given out!

Guest99 · Post by **Guest99** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:14 pm

Hello Guest55
May I ask which county you are in? My child sitting the Kent test chose a 6B pencil because it gave a darker line. We were given no advice at all about pencils other than, apparently, a suggestion in the instructions on the front of the paper that the children have two. (Or ask the invigilator for a spare if they broke their own!) Surely OMRs just pick up contrast like OCRs don't they? Or is it possible that Kent have a more advanced reader than some? Please tell me this isn't the reason why the pass mark in Kent is apparently so low and that my child's choice of pencil hasn't just cost her a grammar school place!!

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:20 pm

Exam board regulations are country wide - I have worked in a number of LAs - currently living in Buckinghamshire.

Perhaps Kent is different - it is on most things! If the paper can't be read by the OMR I have always presumed it is marked by hand - but this is expensive hence the insistance on HB.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:14 pm

Hi
I am the guest whose daughter's pencil was replaced.
We didn't have any advice prior to the test as to what could or couln't be brought to the test. I bought HB pencils (with an eraser on the end to save time during the test). There was no reason given as to why it was replaced as my daughter didn't debrief me on the finer details until 3 days later! They were also given erasers that were in wrapping and they couldn't get them out!!
They have the maths test tomorrow so I will ask one of the invigilators what the score is on the pencil front! It has made me extremely anxious to think marks could be lost for not using the right sort of pencil! Sometimes I wished I wasn't so addicted to this site as it can (sometimes) make you worry even more if that is at all possible!

Bo Peep · Post by **Bo Peep** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:45 pm

Guest whose daughter's pencil was replaced...my eldest son said exactly the same thing to me. In fact he said he is going to bann me from the site!

As far as I understand it the OMR does pick up contrast. I believe that hb pencils are requested in preference to softer pencils as these can sometimes smudge and cause difficulties with reading the results (not make it impossible) and harder pencils might make too fine a line to be picked up, or might only occasionally be picked up causing an incorrect score.

I am certain that if anything other than a HB pencil could not be read then it would say so very clearly in bold capitals on the exam info PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR PENCIL IS A HB PENCIL AND SAYS HB ON THE SIDE. In addition to this, if this were the case I am sure all pencils would be provided to avoid any problems.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:52 pm

Thank you Bo Peep, your answer is very reassuring and I will sleep easier (I hope)!. Now where did you put those sheep!!

Bo Peep · Post by **Bo Peep** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:57 pm

Dear Guest Whose daughter...

Should have said hope your daughter has a good paper tomorrow and all goes well for her.

Redbridge Rover · Post by **Redbridge Rover** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:12 pm

Bo Peep is right:

Pencil lead is not lead at it's a combination of finely ground graphite and clay, mixed with water and pressed together at high temperatures into thin rods. We call it lead is because the Englishmen who first discovered graphite believed they had found lead.

Manufacturers label pencils according to their hardness. They can make different hardness by adding more or less of clay or graphite. The pencil HB that you have is in the middle of the hardness/softness scale and is the pencil most used in schools as it is ideal for handwriting.

The letter 'H' is used to indicate a hard pencil. The letter 'B' is used to indicate a soft lead that gives a black result.

One can also have 2H 3H 4H 5H 6H 7H leads that indicates pencils of increasing hardness and 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B to indicate leads of increasing softness. Soft pencils make a dark, heavy line. Harder pencils make a finer, lighter line.

So in essence when they ask you to bring a HB pencil they are just asking for a hard black pencil...which I'm sure all our kids had.