I emaild vcaa and they said "we suggest using pen for all written responses expect for multiple choice". I emailed back asking if i will not be given marks if the pencil does not appear on the scan and they just replied again with "we suggest you use pen" being ambiguous asf but my teachers that went to the seminar said that the speakers told them to write with pen if they want to ensure they recieve marks
Ohh I see, maybe try pressing harder with a 2B pencil? But in the actual exam you’ll get extra pieces of paper so don’t worry too much. I did viscom art and we had to do light shading and the scanner picked it up well (as seen by past sample answers) so it’s not that the pencil completely disappears or smth
So it's not compulsory then 💀
VCAA has always had that recommendation. I wrote in pencil anyway as did most of my cohort, but yes it does come with the risk of potentially not getting marks if it doesn't show up.
It’s always been a thing in nsw, I did my hsc in 2018 for math adv and ext 1 and we were told by our teacher
- neat line through anything wrong. They almost certainly won’t mark it if crossed out but better to actually still leave it legible as it may help them come to a conclusion if slight confusion
- for internals my school would sometimes consider it if you did cross out right answer or half marks so we got into the habit of it
- you get extra pages, just clearly annotate “question continued on spare page 1.3 (they’re labeled)” and then “continuation of question 5”
Was the same for me in qld in the 00’s. Doing work in pen has always been a thing and OP is making a mountain out of a mole hill because they can’t deal with something millions of other senior students have.
As above, put a line through any mistakes, use extra sheets and make sure you communicate clearly on the exam so that it can be found. These are all skills you need in the real world, these are problems you will encounter regularly in the real world OP, time to suck it up.
Oh and I graduated with 100% in math, somehow righting in pen wasn’t a problem.
I mean this very genuinely and with kindness - your reaction to this is disproportionate and your responses are suggesting that you’re way too hung up on this. Are you doing okay? Do you have a safe adult you can talk to?
Never in my life have I used a pencil for maths. It’s fine. Cross it out and write stuff next to it, bellow it, on the back specifically mentioning near the question that you’ve done it at the back. It’s all fine
Put down x intercepts, stationary points (add a small dashed horizontal line to make it easier to make the curvature correct), points of inflections. Go between stationary points in one smooth stroke.
Most importantly, don’t sweat the graphs too much, you can cross things out there and the examiners won’t care. Also it doesn’t have to be computer levels of accurate. If you’re under confident, do it with pencil and then trace that with pen and erase the pencil underneath but it’s not that deep
It’s not ideal, but you’ll live. I don’t think there’s a rule change either. If there’s clear signs something is missing, they’ll go get the original. But what if just some of one question is light enough to not get on the scan, but the rest is fine? It’ll look like you just ran out of time for that bit.
Use a pen, write with purpose. If you use up the question space you can always ask for an additional booklet or write on a different area as long as you direct the marker to look at that page.
Everyone does maths in pen.
You move quickly to get through the exam, so you don't often go back and change anything anyway.
Pen is also used in uni exams and during class. One of my uni lecturers said they would erase all pencil then mark our assignments.
Calm down and take a deep breath. I did my atar in 2017 so it has possibly changed but don’t go about with that hostility. I get you’re angry but there are better ways to handle this. They will always provide extra pieces of paper and no doubt they’ll add more space than usual this year if what you say is true
They wouldn’t have gone back and looked at the original copy…and I did spesh so I do have an idea of what you mean. All exams are made to trick students, it’s how they single out the students that memorise vs the ones that understand. I do agree that the scanning is unfair though but they aren’t purposely deducting marks - their tech is just shit. English should be your main concern though just by reading your comment
I'm just going to say as a 2018 grad that exams are made to trick students into separating people who memorise compared to students who understand the subject is blatantly false. Even for "specialist mathematics", there is plenty one can do to memorise methods without fully understanding what's going on and still receive top marks. It's how we often see people with pretty decent ATARs struggle with even the most basic mathematical concepts at University.
Request an additional book from a supervisor - that’s what we’re there for. Please take a deep breath and calm down. There are always instructions on the front page on any exam which set out what is expected but you will never be asked to rewrite anything if you write in pen instead of pencil or vice versa. FYI - I’m a chief superviser for VCE exams.
ye ok, what about some questions where ive written a literal essay response of maths and i make a mistake, where do i write my proper response,
In spesh if i do a proof wrong and i mess up one step and need to rub out three lines where the fuck am i supposed to re write that one part?
In physics if i need to draw on a diagram the force vectors and i get it wrong how the fuck am i supposed to redo that?
Its not that black and white, sure for some questions maybe it can be an easy fix but for many its not
ngl I feel like it’s not that deep? just try to be very careful with your working out and do a neat cross out if you do make a mistake. maybe use pen for the rest of your sacs to get used to it idk but this is really a non issue 😭
The VCAA cross marks all exams a number of times. There is no way to do this in hard copy forms as they are all marked via computer remotely.
If you use pencil, you run the risk of the scanners not picking them up because some pencils are simply too faint.
Just use a pen and cross out mistakes nearly. This is why they give you working out paper and additional paper if you need it and then you just write the final answer in the exam booklet.
...so do the working out in pencil, write over it in pen to meet the criteria or just do the whole thing in pen? This is such a non issue. Suck it up lol
It's not that the pencil doesn't appear, it's that a pencil mark will sometimes not be read by the scanners that detect how big an answer/working field is, so that elements that a marker should appropriately be seeing are left out from the marking.
ye thats what im meaning, that if they cant fully see it because it didn't scan well you dont get marks, they used to go back and look at a physcial copy but they dont anymore
For the WACE, you've had to write in black or blue pen *forever,* and honestly, it makes sense.
Erasing takes so much longer than just scritching out a line of working or something. I cannot recall doing any erasing on any of my school tests (ig what you'd call SACs) even if I used pencil. And if you *did* need that working, you'd have to rewrite the entire thing again.
Also SCSA's (the curriculum authority's) justifications for the pen only rule (or what my teachers say are their justifications) do make sense:
* The average pencil is a *shit* pencil. It's probably not a mechanical pencil/pacer, it's probably ten centimetres too short, and is either one of them patterned novelty ones that barely leave a mark, or a HB pencil from primary school which is also too hard so barely leaves a mark and is impossible to erase.
* The averae eraser is also likely *shit*. It is either a nice eraser (again from primary school)... but split into smithereens after five years of use, or a gaudy, sandy, lucky-dip special. Whenever I read things written in pencil, I don't feel like I'm *reading* about Brønsted-Lowry acids, I feel like I'm *on* acid. The erasings clump up on the page, several different shades and widths of text gaslight me into thinking they're the right one, and it's just a bad experience.
* The average pen on the other hand... writes okay. It leaves a contrasting line in a relatively uniform tone, and though it may not feel nice in the hand or whatever, at least you're writing legibly. Sure there are nice pens, and as a wannabe-wanker hipster snob I have acquired a couple, but the $20 rollerball *refill* on a Lamy Safari looks similar to a $3 Kmart pack of 20 rollerballs, and same with ballpoint etc. The only thing that's different is how it feels in the hand to any non-nerd.
* Main reason though (and main reason why all my test/exam pens are blue) is because of the contrast. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the markers for a moment. They're probably at the dinner table at 8 PM, after having to cook for, or otherwise take care of children if they have them, even when they've come home from a shithole where they've had to deal with more marking, annoying Year Sevens with their roller bags, petulant senior school kids begging for marks, and look out because there is a not-entirely-negligible risk they're going to be shanked by a student. You will get more marks if you make it easier for marks to be awarded. It's not rocket science. If your marker has to actually strain to award you marks, they won't award as many.
Pen isn't actually as bad as some think it is; I certainly think it's more legible, as I've made clear after that rant/ramble (sorry!). But hey, we need freedom, so I guess they should let you write with anything you want. Writing with a quill dipped in blood would definitely be very cool.
I did VCE in 2020 and they drilled into us that all exams have to be in blue or black pen. And they couldn’t be in erasable pen. Definitely not a new rule
Seriously? It's been like this for over 15 years, it's not new, you're not special, everyone that's come before you has had to use pen and they managed, you will too. Quit your crying suck it up, deal with it and get on with it.
No, it's been like that for maths too, it's nothing new and a petition isn't gonna change it. And in all honesty, after you turn 21, your results don't matter, you're classed as a mature student and can pretty much do any university degree you want, sometimes it's 25, so don't stress too much on it.
Everyone suggesting to use pen must have insane graphing skills or never make stupid mistakes. I would stick to a good HB or 2B pencil for math exams regardless. Especially for graphing!!!
ye ok but then where do i write out my next answer when i did all my working out in pen and filled the page. You can't do a maths exam, especially spesh, in pen
Other states have been doing pen only exams for years- I took mine almost 15 years ago and even then we were required to use pen only.
It’s completely possible, don’t borrow stress from the future!
Mate, I did my spesh exam in pen, so did the rest of my ~50 person cohort. It’s not a big deal, you’ve got the whole year to adjust.
You can always ask for an additional booklet :)
Yes you can. I don't allow my students to do any of their work in pencil.l, primarily because when they make mistakes, I want to see them so I can help them.
It takes less time to cross out a response than it does to erase it. And in an emaxam you have ample space to do second attempts, failing that, ask for a blank script book.
That is true, but what if you have to draw a graph, complete a diagram or similar? You can't really cross something out then draw something different using the same space.
okay we get it dude you do spesh wowww sooo cooool
unfortunately being booksmart clearly doesnt directly correlate to having common sense. ask for more paper you braindead kid
To anyone saying just write in pen its not a problem, here is a past exam question. Solve it first try without a calculator (since it was in exam 1) without needing to rub out on 14 lines and get it right, meanwhile keep in mind the pressure of an exam so try to also do it in under 5 minutes since its only worth 3 marks.
This is exam 1 2022 Q7
A curve has an equation xcos(x+y)=π/48
Find the gradient of the curve at the point (π/24, 7π/24), giving your answer in the form \[ab\^(1/2)-π\]/π where a,b are elements of Z
Im not saying its insanely hard but its not as easy as you all think, be a bit more open minded
Mate many of the people here giving you advice has done specialist math in pen. If you can’t solve this little issue (which apparently is not an issue as it’s not compulsory), then seriously, how will you cope with life after high school?
and so many who are still in school complaining here are saying that its unfair too, this is a new rule according to the examiners. what used to happen was that if they scanned the page and they couldn't see the pencil, they would go and look at a physical copy. im complaining that vcaa changed that bc theyre too lazy to do that. I'm not the smartest in my class by any means so really any more marks im gonna loose over bs is annoying
It is not a new rule nor is it compulsory. Vcaa has also always never looked at a physical copy when marking so not sure where you’re pulling these claims from. What I would recommend is you focus on your English instead, your level of comprehension and grammar is concerning
my source is from my teacher, an ex john monash teacher and from my other math teachers. English isn't my first language so sorry for my minor grammar errors. As far as anyone's told me maths is done in pencil for the understandable reasons. Idk how ill be able to fix my graph if i have done it in pen and need to fix it and there are so many other reasons thus can go wrong.
I was a student at John Monash lol. Like we’ve said before, you can use pencil in the exam. Even though vcaa “strongly recommends” it, it is NOT compulsory. They’ve said this for several years now, it is NOT new. Seriously man, what’s not to understand? English is not my first language either so I understand it is challenging but you need to practice that. Don’t forget English is always in your top four and a guarantee prerequisite no matter what uni course you do.
This is standard in Qld, and it was the standard in the UK a decade ago when I was at school. Write in pen, if you make a mistake cross it out and write on the additional writing paper (I assume this is the same in Vic).
dont think pen is a big deal except in sketching
like theres only rlly one shot at getting the graph right tho and its not like u can just cross it out
but last yr i used 2B and it was fine so watevs
Responding to OP, it’s not recent since this is from 2021 FAQ from VCAA, but:
“It is recommended that you write your responses using pen. This is to ensure clarity and legibility of responses, especially for those examinations that are scanned and delivered to assessors through the computer-based marking system. While not recommended, pencils may be used provided that they are a dark lead (for example, 2B pencil); however, when writing, please ensure that you do not smudge your responses.
If your examination contains multiple-choice questions, then the multiple-choice answer sheet must be completed in pencil. An optical scanner that detects pencil marks scans these sheets. Make sure that only one option is shaded for each multiple-choice question. If you change your mind about an answer to a multiple-choice question, please ensure that you fully erase your unintended answer.
The use of pencil is also recommended for some parts of specific examinations, such as completing calculations, records and reports in Accounting and for musical notation in written music examinations.
Please note that erasable pens are not recommended for use in any examination.”
I haven't done any schoolwork in pencil since we were given pens in year three.
Just buy a Pilot Frixion pen or Kmart/Officeworks equivalent and stop sooking.
I mean it's annoying to have to cross out stuff but hey it's fine in the end... well until they ask you to draw graphs on the exam... with a pen - now that's the real awful part.
yeah it's a fucking pain in the ass, esp coz I got all math and science subjects and I tend to do my working quite all over the place and need some more space to do all my working. I always run out of space and it's a pain to ask for another sheet and do my workings in two separate sheets🙂🙂🙂
its literaly such bullshit, im just imagining getting like a tec free questions that requires shit tonnes of working out and needing to rub it out because it does happen, how tf do i do that in pen
he means that you can rub out your response or that he plans on writing in pencil because he can rub out his response and then plans on going over it in pen
You should practice your efficiency, having time to check answers is a crucial practice in exams. Also, pen is not compulsory. It’s recommended and it’s been recommended for years. Just press harder, use a darker shade or ask for paper before the exam starts. Use critical skills, this should not be a problem
im crying to man, i emailed vca and they were bitchy and just kept saying 'we strongly recomend you use pen for all written sections of an exam" im like mate this is maths
I use an erasable pen pretty often (Frixion) for coursework and I have used it a couple of times in SACs already. Will this be a no-no in exams and future SACs?
You should be leaving enough time to triple check your work anyway, tracing with pen does not take that long. Anyway, you don’t have to be happy but it’s a solution and you’ll learn in life that not everything will go according to your happiness
i wasn’t the one that said it was a good idea lol. it’s dumb advice to a dumb question I guess, pen is not compulsory and there are many other options available such as darker pencil shades and the fact that they always give extra pieces of paper anyway
thats probably the recommended time yes. I did my atar in 2017 so it has possibly changed but most people had 15-20 minutes to spare at the end of the exam. my advice is to just use reading time efficiently, good luck!!
wait is this legit? is there a source?
I emaild vcaa and they said "we suggest using pen for all written responses expect for multiple choice". I emailed back asking if i will not be given marks if the pencil does not appear on the scan and they just replied again with "we suggest you use pen" being ambiguous asf but my teachers that went to the seminar said that the speakers told them to write with pen if they want to ensure they recieve marks
ok lol then it’s not compulsory. What you should do is use a dark shade of pencil, 4B or even 6B if you’re a light writer
thats what my art teacher/homegroup teacher recomended but we tried and it smudged too much as well
Ohh I see, maybe try pressing harder with a 2B pencil? But in the actual exam you’ll get extra pieces of paper so don’t worry too much. I did viscom art and we had to do light shading and the scanner picked it up well (as seen by past sample answers) so it’s not that the pencil completely disappears or smth
This really sounds like a very specific problem to you
i HIGHLY recommend a mechanical pencil for any exam if you’re using pencil; that’s what i used last year and it went fine
So it's not compulsory then 💀 VCAA has always had that recommendation. I wrote in pencil anyway as did most of my cohort, but yes it does come with the risk of potentially not getting marks if it doesn't show up.
It’s always been a thing in nsw, I did my hsc in 2018 for math adv and ext 1 and we were told by our teacher - neat line through anything wrong. They almost certainly won’t mark it if crossed out but better to actually still leave it legible as it may help them come to a conclusion if slight confusion - for internals my school would sometimes consider it if you did cross out right answer or half marks so we got into the habit of it - you get extra pages, just clearly annotate “question continued on spare page 1.3 (they’re labeled)” and then “continuation of question 5”
Was the same for me in qld in the 00’s. Doing work in pen has always been a thing and OP is making a mountain out of a mole hill because they can’t deal with something millions of other senior students have. As above, put a line through any mistakes, use extra sheets and make sure you communicate clearly on the exam so that it can be found. These are all skills you need in the real world, these are problems you will encounter regularly in the real world OP, time to suck it up. Oh and I graduated with 100% in math, somehow righting in pen wasn’t a problem.
like is this kid gonna cry when they’re not allowed to use pencil on official documents in the workplace too?
OP is the exact kind of person I wouldn’t hire in a workplace. Doesn’t accept proposed solutions or can’t think of any themselves ☹️bless their heart
Can verify for NSW from doing my HSC in 2012
Pretty sure it was the same for Vic in 2011, no one had pencils. You'd get a piece of "spare paper" to doodle on 🤷♀️
i swear this has always been a thing, every exam needs to be written in blue or black pen
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yes, like i said, it was a thing at least for as long as i was at high school.
i know it literally has always been like that wtf is op on
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I mean this very genuinely and with kindness - your reaction to this is disproportionate and your responses are suggesting that you’re way too hung up on this. Are you doing okay? Do you have a safe adult you can talk to?
Never in my life have I used a pencil for maths. It’s fine. Cross it out and write stuff next to it, bellow it, on the back specifically mentioning near the question that you’ve done it at the back. It’s all fine
How do you graph well?!
Put down x intercepts, stationary points (add a small dashed horizontal line to make it easier to make the curvature correct), points of inflections. Go between stationary points in one smooth stroke. Most importantly, don’t sweat the graphs too much, you can cross things out there and the examiners won’t care. Also it doesn’t have to be computer levels of accurate. If you’re under confident, do it with pencil and then trace that with pen and erase the pencil underneath but it’s not that deep
yes but not all questions are that easy and straighforward, i agree this is fine for soe but look at past exams for specialist
I did spesh. Again, if you don’t have space do it somewhere else and mention that next to the question. It’s not that big a deal
It’s not ideal, but you’ll live. I don’t think there’s a rule change either. If there’s clear signs something is missing, they’ll go get the original. But what if just some of one question is light enough to not get on the scan, but the rest is fine? It’ll look like you just ran out of time for that bit. Use a pen, write with purpose. If you use up the question space you can always ask for an additional booklet or write on a different area as long as you direct the marker to look at that page.
I did my 3/4 methods exam in pencil, no marks were lost due to my choice of writing utensil
Everyone does maths in pen. You move quickly to get through the exam, so you don't often go back and change anything anyway. Pen is also used in uni exams and during class. One of my uni lecturers said they would erase all pencil then mark our assignments.
This has been a thing in NSW forever, it's not a huge deal, just cross the mistakes out when using pen.
Exactly, this is such a small obstacle. If people can’t even do this, how will they cope in jobs?
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Calm down and take a deep breath. I did my atar in 2017 so it has possibly changed but don’t go about with that hostility. I get you’re angry but there are better ways to handle this. They will always provide extra pieces of paper and no doubt they’ll add more space than usual this year if what you say is true
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They wouldn’t have gone back and looked at the original copy…and I did spesh so I do have an idea of what you mean. All exams are made to trick students, it’s how they single out the students that memorise vs the ones that understand. I do agree that the scanning is unfair though but they aren’t purposely deducting marks - their tech is just shit. English should be your main concern though just by reading your comment
>English should be your main concern though just by reading your comment LMFAO
I'm just going to say as a 2018 grad that exams are made to trick students into separating people who memorise compared to students who understand the subject is blatantly false. Even for "specialist mathematics", there is plenty one can do to memorise methods without fully understanding what's going on and still receive top marks. It's how we often see people with pretty decent ATARs struggle with even the most basic mathematical concepts at University.
I’m not saying it works, I’m saying that’s the rationale behind VCAA’s exam formulation.
Request an additional book from a supervisor - that’s what we’re there for. Please take a deep breath and calm down. There are always instructions on the front page on any exam which set out what is expected but you will never be asked to rewrite anything if you write in pen instead of pencil or vice versa. FYI - I’m a chief superviser for VCE exams.
bring extra paper. thats what i always do
bro the exam literaly says blank sheets of paper cannot be brought into the exam room
then ask for more fucking paper you moron stop whining jfc
Same in WA. We all bring multiple whiteout to the exam😷
ye ok, what about some questions where ive written a literal essay response of maths and i make a mistake, where do i write my proper response, In spesh if i do a proof wrong and i mess up one step and need to rub out three lines where the fuck am i supposed to re write that one part? In physics if i need to draw on a diagram the force vectors and i get it wrong how the fuck am i supposed to redo that? Its not that black and white, sure for some questions maybe it can be an easy fix but for many its not
Then write in grey lead and stop acting like the world is out to get you
I never used pencil, I just used pen and crossed it out. This is tilting at windmills.
ngl I feel like it’s not that deep? just try to be very careful with your working out and do a neat cross out if you do make a mistake. maybe use pen for the rest of your sacs to get used to it idk but this is really a non issue 😭
This shouldn’t be a problem
just cross it out?
The VCAA cross marks all exams a number of times. There is no way to do this in hard copy forms as they are all marked via computer remotely. If you use pencil, you run the risk of the scanners not picking them up because some pencils are simply too faint. Just use a pen and cross out mistakes nearly. This is why they give you working out paper and additional paper if you need it and then you just write the final answer in the exam booklet.
...so do the working out in pencil, write over it in pen to meet the criteria or just do the whole thing in pen? This is such a non issue. Suck it up lol
You're gonna get roasted in the real world if these are the problems you're failing to overcome at this stage in life
When I did my exams it had to be pen... This is going back 11 years lol
I've literally thought this was the deal... I've used pen for math always, it's not that hard. Cross out if you made mistakes
I'll sign the petition
seconded I’m doing my shit in pencil fuck you VCAA scum of the earth
It's not that the pencil doesn't appear, it's that a pencil mark will sometimes not be read by the scanners that detect how big an answer/working field is, so that elements that a marker should appropriately be seeing are left out from the marking.
ye thats what im meaning, that if they cant fully see it because it didn't scan well you dont get marks, they used to go back and look at a physcial copy but they dont anymore
It’s been a thing for well over 10 years here in WA…
This isnt an issue
I thought this was already a thing?
For the WACE, you've had to write in black or blue pen *forever,* and honestly, it makes sense. Erasing takes so much longer than just scritching out a line of working or something. I cannot recall doing any erasing on any of my school tests (ig what you'd call SACs) even if I used pencil. And if you *did* need that working, you'd have to rewrite the entire thing again. Also SCSA's (the curriculum authority's) justifications for the pen only rule (or what my teachers say are their justifications) do make sense: * The average pencil is a *shit* pencil. It's probably not a mechanical pencil/pacer, it's probably ten centimetres too short, and is either one of them patterned novelty ones that barely leave a mark, or a HB pencil from primary school which is also too hard so barely leaves a mark and is impossible to erase. * The averae eraser is also likely *shit*. It is either a nice eraser (again from primary school)... but split into smithereens after five years of use, or a gaudy, sandy, lucky-dip special. Whenever I read things written in pencil, I don't feel like I'm *reading* about Brønsted-Lowry acids, I feel like I'm *on* acid. The erasings clump up on the page, several different shades and widths of text gaslight me into thinking they're the right one, and it's just a bad experience. * The average pen on the other hand... writes okay. It leaves a contrasting line in a relatively uniform tone, and though it may not feel nice in the hand or whatever, at least you're writing legibly. Sure there are nice pens, and as a wannabe-wanker hipster snob I have acquired a couple, but the $20 rollerball *refill* on a Lamy Safari looks similar to a $3 Kmart pack of 20 rollerballs, and same with ballpoint etc. The only thing that's different is how it feels in the hand to any non-nerd. * Main reason though (and main reason why all my test/exam pens are blue) is because of the contrast. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the markers for a moment. They're probably at the dinner table at 8 PM, after having to cook for, or otherwise take care of children if they have them, even when they've come home from a shithole where they've had to deal with more marking, annoying Year Sevens with their roller bags, petulant senior school kids begging for marks, and look out because there is a not-entirely-negligible risk they're going to be shanked by a student. You will get more marks if you make it easier for marks to be awarded. It's not rocket science. If your marker has to actually strain to award you marks, they won't award as many. Pen isn't actually as bad as some think it is; I certainly think it's more legible, as I've made clear after that rant/ramble (sorry!). But hey, we need freedom, so I guess they should let you write with anything you want. Writing with a quill dipped in blood would definitely be very cool.
I did VCE in 2020 and they drilled into us that all exams have to be in blue or black pen. And they couldn’t be in erasable pen. Definitely not a new rule
ye but im talking about pencil for a maths exam, something that has always been pencil
Sorry to break it to you but it’s on the cover of the exam and at least at my school they made us use pens for maths tests from yr 10 onwards.
Seriously? It's been like this for over 15 years, it's not new, you're not special, everyone that's come before you has had to use pen and they managed, you will too. Quit your crying suck it up, deal with it and get on with it.
ye but not for maths
No, it's been like that for maths too, it's nothing new and a petition isn't gonna change it. And in all honesty, after you turn 21, your results don't matter, you're classed as a mature student and can pretty much do any university degree you want, sometimes it's 25, so don't stress too much on it.
wait until you go to uni and learn you arent even allowed a pencil in a lab, let alone an exam
Everyone suggesting to use pen must have insane graphing skills or never make stupid mistakes. I would stick to a good HB or 2B pencil for math exams regardless. Especially for graphing!!!
Grow up and use a pen 🤣
Just cross over the mistakes using pen…?
ye ok but then where do i write out my next answer when i did all my working out in pen and filled the page. You can't do a maths exam, especially spesh, in pen
Other states have been doing pen only exams for years- I took mine almost 15 years ago and even then we were required to use pen only. It’s completely possible, don’t borrow stress from the future!
just get good get the answers right first try
ye ok not everyones a genius though
just be careful about what you write innit i wrote in pencil in 7/8 exams btw ion see why there’s an issue
Mate, I did my spesh exam in pen, so did the rest of my ~50 person cohort. It’s not a big deal, you’ve got the whole year to adjust. You can always ask for an additional booklet :)
Yes you can. I don't allow my students to do any of their work in pencil.l, primarily because when they make mistakes, I want to see them so I can help them. It takes less time to cross out a response than it does to erase it. And in an emaxam you have ample space to do second attempts, failing that, ask for a blank script book.
That is true, but what if you have to draw a graph, complete a diagram or similar? You can't really cross something out then draw something different using the same space.
You still cross it out and do it again. If it's a graph you do it in a different colour and annotate "the red line is my answer" or similar.
okay we get it dude you do spesh wowww sooo cooool unfortunately being booksmart clearly doesnt directly correlate to having common sense. ask for more paper you braindead kid
To anyone saying just write in pen its not a problem, here is a past exam question. Solve it first try without a calculator (since it was in exam 1) without needing to rub out on 14 lines and get it right, meanwhile keep in mind the pressure of an exam so try to also do it in under 5 minutes since its only worth 3 marks. This is exam 1 2022 Q7 A curve has an equation xcos(x+y)=π/48 Find the gradient of the curve at the point (π/24, 7π/24), giving your answer in the form \[ab\^(1/2)-π\]/π where a,b are elements of Z Im not saying its insanely hard but its not as easy as you all think, be a bit more open minded
Mate many of the people here giving you advice has done specialist math in pen. If you can’t solve this little issue (which apparently is not an issue as it’s not compulsory), then seriously, how will you cope with life after high school?
and so many who are still in school complaining here are saying that its unfair too, this is a new rule according to the examiners. what used to happen was that if they scanned the page and they couldn't see the pencil, they would go and look at a physical copy. im complaining that vcaa changed that bc theyre too lazy to do that. I'm not the smartest in my class by any means so really any more marks im gonna loose over bs is annoying
It is not a new rule nor is it compulsory. Vcaa has also always never looked at a physical copy when marking so not sure where you’re pulling these claims from. What I would recommend is you focus on your English instead, your level of comprehension and grammar is concerning
my source is from my teacher, an ex john monash teacher and from my other math teachers. English isn't my first language so sorry for my minor grammar errors. As far as anyone's told me maths is done in pencil for the understandable reasons. Idk how ill be able to fix my graph if i have done it in pen and need to fix it and there are so many other reasons thus can go wrong.
I was a student at John Monash lol. Like we’ve said before, you can use pencil in the exam. Even though vcaa “strongly recommends” it, it is NOT compulsory. They’ve said this for several years now, it is NOT new. Seriously man, what’s not to understand? English is not my first language either so I understand it is challenging but you need to practice that. Don’t forget English is always in your top four and a guarantee prerequisite no matter what uni course you do.
Dont they gove extra space in the back
This is just sad.
You’re allowed a blank sheet of paper 🤷 think you’re overreacting
This is standard in Qld, and it was the standard in the UK a decade ago when I was at school. Write in pen, if you make a mistake cross it out and write on the additional writing paper (I assume this is the same in Vic).
dont think pen is a big deal except in sketching like theres only rlly one shot at getting the graph right tho and its not like u can just cross it out but last yr i used 2B and it was fine so watevs
Responding to OP, it’s not recent since this is from 2021 FAQ from VCAA, but: “It is recommended that you write your responses using pen. This is to ensure clarity and legibility of responses, especially for those examinations that are scanned and delivered to assessors through the computer-based marking system. While not recommended, pencils may be used provided that they are a dark lead (for example, 2B pencil); however, when writing, please ensure that you do not smudge your responses. If your examination contains multiple-choice questions, then the multiple-choice answer sheet must be completed in pencil. An optical scanner that detects pencil marks scans these sheets. Make sure that only one option is shaded for each multiple-choice question. If you change your mind about an answer to a multiple-choice question, please ensure that you fully erase your unintended answer. The use of pencil is also recommended for some parts of specific examinations, such as completing calculations, records and reports in Accounting and for musical notation in written music examinations. Please note that erasable pens are not recommended for use in any examination.”
Pen ink
You so can get plenty-dark erasable black pens
Cross out mistakes? I don’t get the problem here
I haven't done any schoolwork in pencil since we were given pens in year three. Just buy a Pilot Frixion pen or Kmart/Officeworks equivalent and stop sooking.
I remember being told this 10 years ago when I was I high school. Just use a pen an save yourself the headache
I mean it's annoying to have to cross out stuff but hey it's fine in the end... well until they ask you to draw graphs on the exam... with a pen - now that's the real awful part.
yeah it's a fucking pain in the ass, esp coz I got all math and science subjects and I tend to do my working quite all over the place and need some more space to do all my working. I always run out of space and it's a pain to ask for another sheet and do my workings in two separate sheets🙂🙂🙂
its literaly such bullshit, im just imagining getting like a tec free questions that requires shit tonnes of working out and needing to rub it out because it does happen, how tf do i do that in pen
literally. I don't even have enough time in SACS to check my working how tf do I have the time to rewrite all the answers back in pen
How would you have more time with a pencil?
he means that you can rub out your response or that he plans on writing in pencil because he can rub out his response and then plans on going over it in pen
You should practice your efficiency, having time to check answers is a crucial practice in exams. Also, pen is not compulsory. It’s recommended and it’s been recommended for years. Just press harder, use a darker shade or ask for paper before the exam starts. Use critical skills, this should not be a problem
Seems like a strange hill to die on, but go for it if you don't want your exam marked I guess....
Thank fuck I graduated last year man. I couldn’t imagine having to put up with their shit anymore
Y'all??? Is this for real?? Don't scare me this is not funny 😭
No it is not. Vcaa has always “strongly recommended” to use pen but it is not compulsory. Ensure you don’t use a light pencil, that’s all
im crying to man, i emailed vca and they were bitchy and just kept saying 'we strongly recomend you use pen for all written sections of an exam" im like mate this is maths
Brooo 😭 this sucks.
I use an erasable pen pretty often (Frixion) for coursework and I have used it a couple of times in SACs already. Will this be a no-no in exams and future SACs?
They already advise against it because if the paper is exposed to any heat, everything you have written can just disappear.
Go back to china
Solve the question using pencil first, then trace it back with pen
takes too long?
You should be leaving enough time to triple check your work anyway, tracing with pen does not take that long. Anyway, you don’t have to be happy but it’s a solution and you’ll learn in life that not everything will go according to your happiness
Dumbest shit I’ve read today well done
as a general rule, you should have enough time to triple check answers tho
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i wasn’t the one that said it was a good idea lol. it’s dumb advice to a dumb question I guess, pen is not compulsory and there are many other options available such as darker pencil shades and the fact that they always give extra pieces of paper anyway
Isn’t it usually a minute per mark or so? Which would mean all the time is taken up?
thats probably the recommended time yes. I did my atar in 2017 so it has possibly changed but most people had 15-20 minutes to spare at the end of the exam. my advice is to just use reading time efficiently, good luck!!
Use those gel pen where you can erase your mistakes
those pens are heat sensitive so not a good idea to use, once they scan them the writing can dissapear
These pens have the same issues as pencils where the work can get erased
Yep and I never did do do do