Neat Writing?

Bewildered · Post by **Bewildered** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 9:23 pm

Would anyone know how many points are attributed to handwriting in the Yr6 KS2 SATs test?

Whilst not terribly tidy, it is always legible, and therefore have concentrated on aspects of Grammar and Punctuation. Got the impression, from somewhere, that only a max of 5 marks can be gained in this discipline. Can anyone advise if this is correct.

Cheers

BW

SilverGirl · Post by **SilverGirl** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:38 pm

Hi,
I'm not [i]exactly[/i] sure but I think that they don't mind the writing - as long as it is legible. That's just a guess though. An educated guess - because in the secondary school exams, they said that they didn't mark the handwriting, except if it was illegible, then you didn't get a mark for the question at all.

I am suddenly very unsure. Oh well.

Hana

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:49 pm

The school told me handwriting has a maximum of 3 marks - have dyslexic and dyspraxic child and they told me this to put me at ease as the work for my child will be transcribed or possibly scribed.The content is much more important and spelling is not taken in to account on some papers so i've told my child to go for it and use the best most interesting words he can even if it's hard for anyone else to read

Dover mum · Post by **Dover mum** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:58 pm

My daughters school has informed us that "The writing test" does carry a handwriting mark - but not sure of the marking system

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:00 pm

I have just had a look at the past SATS papers I bought. These show a breakdown of the marking.
For the longer writing test there are 3 marks out of a total of 31 for handwriting.
Spelling is not specified except for the spelling test

which is worth 7 marks in total.
I had always been told by a year 6 teacher friend that spelling and handwriting are not a huge issue - it is more content, punctuation, grammar. The breakdown of scores on the papers gives the most marks for "composition and effect" on both writing tasks.

Bewildered · Post by **Bewildered** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:52 am

Thanks everyone. Suspicions confirmed. Will stay with legible and tidy then.

BW

Kent Mum · Post by **Kent Mum** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:04 am

I hadn't even thought of this!!!!!
Yikes! My son does really well academically- but his handwriting is pretty awful!!!
He's been through all the triangular shaped pencils and pencil grips right through primary school- but no- one has managed to break him out of his rather bizarre way of holding pens and pencils. He insists he can't manage any other way. not sure if I buy that- but I can't think of anything else! It does worry me a bit that it'll be a problem when he starts Grammar in September.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I could help him- and for other parents of children about to take SATs?

HP · Post by HP » Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:23 am

Hi Kent Mum,

There are lots of different grips on the market, your son probably hasn't been given the right one.

Try this link for some you may have missed www.otideas.com it's US based but they do supply to the UK.

How does your son hold his pen?

HP

stevew61 · Post by **stevew61** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 10:08 am

How does your son hold his pen?

Very interesting.

We were having handwriting problems so I watched what was happening.

Although right handed dear son was using a round the back grip like a left hander. The underlying cause was the disposable ink pens had poor grip. Solution went to high street and purchased a pen with a large rubber ball at base to grip. Smudging sorted. Now need to encourage bigger rounded more legible writing as five year old younger sister says 'small writing is not neat writing'.

This is an example of bad habits learnt that have to be unlearnt and good habits learnt. A lot to be said for getting it right first time.

stevew61

sj355 · Post by **sj355** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:25 pm

Yikes! My son does really well academically- but his handwriting is pretty awful!!!

Academically gifted children think they can get away with murder regarding handwriting (and they ususally do!). Do not buy that; my son was exactly like this until last January (2006) when we started him with an English tutor and in 2 months from awful handwriting he acquired the most fantastic joint handwriting anyone could hope for (not to mention his marks in English practically shooting though the roof at the same time!) Hence handwirting can be fixed. The only downside in our case is that for the first 40 days or so his hands were constantly ink-stained as she made him use an old fashioned pen!!!

Personally, my handwriting is absolutely horrible (and not always eligible) and I suspect that the reason behind it is that they did let me get away with it, and I knew that they would! We thought that in the case of my son it was heriditary, but there you go.

Having said this, as for the SATs I very much doubt that any school would shoot itself in the foot by subtracting marks for bad handwriting (so long as it is eligible) or even spelling in the case of Maths and Science.

Neat Writing?

Neat Writing?

Handwriting