As part of my weekly commitment to post tips to help students with their Economics results, there is something inevitably beyond my control to help and pains me as a reader and a marker.
“A bad handwriting is as annoying to a reader … as an irritating voice is to a listener.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Yes, BAD HANDWRITING KILLS and PRESENTATION MATTERS. I often joked that if I was able to type out my university’s exam instead of writing out, I would easily make it into Dean’s List instead of a Second Upper Honours degree.
A good handwriting and presentation, especially in writing Economics Essay or big Case Study questions provide the following key benefit:
Your marker will enjoy marking your paper – as the marker has hundreds of scripts to mark, quality of writing matters a lot. A fairly mediocre script with good handwriting and well-illustrated diagram is worth as much as a good content but poorly written script. The marker is more inclined to award you more marks, providing your content is there. Remember the golden rule in exam – never frustrate your marker. Ease his/her eyes by good handwriting and presentation.
Here are some tips that you may adopt if you find yourself writing poorly:
- Write slower – instead of squeezing as much economics content into a 45 min essay, learn to slow down and write neater. Keep a conscious lookout of your own handwriting and ask yourself while writing: “will my handwriting be legible to my marker?” Remember, never frustrate your maker;
- Plan your work – with an adequate tree diagram to plan for your essay/big case study questions, you will feel less frustrated while writing as you are now fully in control of your own work. Many students fall into the trap of not planning their big questions and feeling frustrated while writing half-way. And they subconsciously vent their internal frustrations of the question in the form of hastened and untidy handwriting;
- Relax – don’t panic. Remember, everyone is constrained with the same condition. Don’t panic and be more confident of yourself. Your handwriting is simply a state of reflection of your inner self. By learning to relax, you will be able to cultivate better handwriting.
I have specially designed Intensive Revision Classes for JC2 students who require refresher courses on their year 1 topics like Market Failures / Market Structures or topics that they are unsure or not confident with. Please contact me at 97299250 for more details!
Photo courtesy by SGAG. And don’t worry, I am not as mean as the teacher in the picture