Unreadable handwriting has been identified as a persistent issue in Western Australia's ATAR exams, with markers warning that Year 12 students may have lost marks due to illegible answers. The concerns were highlighted in examiners' reports released last week by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority, following exams held in November.
Literature markers reported difficulty understanding responses when forced to decipher writing letter by letter. 'The coherence of the response can be lost when markers need to slow down to try to decipher your writing,' the literature exam report stated. It emphasised that students are responsible for writing legibly, with letters that are 'well-formed, of an appropriate size and not excessively slanted'.
Physics and visual art markers also noted ongoing issues with legible handwriting. Physics markers said 'legible handwriting continued to be an issue', while visual art markers stressed that 'handwriting must be legible to be marked fairly'. Teachers were advised not to make allowances for poor writing that could cause problems in exams.
Occupational therapist Hayley Huxtable from the iThrive clinic in West Leederville said children's handwriting skills have declined over the past 13 years. She attributed the trend to increased time spent at desks, reduced physical activity for developing gross motor skills, and reliance on digital technology. 'There's quite a lot of kids that we're diagnosing with motor dysgraphia,' she said, noting that students with brilliant ideas struggle to get them down on paper.
Chris Dove from Dove Occupational Therapy in Claremont added that children are practising writing less due to early access to iPads and laptops. 'If you're doing less practice, obviously you're going to be less proficient,' he said. Some schools have dropped cursive writing instruction entirely, leaving students without formal training in joined-up handwriting.
