Pencils.

Patri

Out of curiosity can you do the leaving cert in pencil for maths??? Or any subjects.

Chuchoter

No. It can rub off and become unclear to the examiner.

Patriciamc93

Patri wrote: »

Out of curiosity can you do the leaving cert in pencil for maths??? Or any subjects.

I think you can but anybody i know says you shouldn't because it can fade on your script.Which does kinda make sens, but i am not 100% sure

Bbbbolger

I presume you can although I dont see what the point would be. It would be likely to smudge and fade which is never good. The only reason I could see for using a pencil is so you can rub out mistakes but in subjects such as maths you can often get marks for things you think are wrong but turn out to be partly right.

Patri

crayolastereo wrote: »

No. It can rub off and become unclear to the examiner.

That's a reason for not using pencils. I'm more comfortable with using a pencil in maths, what's your basis for saying no?

**Timbuk2**

I'm sure you can use pencil - the examiner isn't going to throw your script in the bin and refuse to award you marks because it's in pencil, but you're making life difficult for the examiner. Pencil, is actually quite hard to read while correcting, can easily smudge/rub off while the papers are being transported, sorted, opened, closed, and possibly opened again (a process that takes a lot of the summer months). I would advise against it.

To present maths neatly, everything should be done so it flows down the page. A new line should be started for each step of the calculation (your Leaving cert isn't the time to be worrying about trees being felled in the Amazon!). If you make a mistake, simply put a diagonal line through it, and make the correction to the right of your original working. Remember, marks can be awarded for workings - they can't be awarded for rubbed out pencil markings.

For accounting, I used a black pen and one of those tippex mouse tape things - you don't need to wait on it to dry - much quicker than using a pencil and rubber.

But for science subjects / geography etc., don't hesitate to use pencil for diagrams and graphs. Don't use pen for those, you actually lose marks in Geography for doing so (according to my teacher last year). Plus correcting mistakes in graphs/diagrams with tippex isn't practical.

nommm

I'm definately going to be writing in pencil. I think all the scribling out involved with using pens would piss the examiner off more. My teacher said that it's ok to use pencils as long as they're not really faint.

ciara95

If you really want to use pencil: Get dark pencils. I have Pentel pencils that are a B and they are SO dark.

spurious

Pencil is a real PITA to correct. I wouldn't recommend using pencil for anything other than constructions, graphs etc., but whatever you do, don't write any figures in red biro.

If you want to highlight an answer, put a box around it or use black/blue biro - never red or green as these are the colours used by assistant and supervising examiners. The last thing you want to do is annoy the examiner, who may get to your colourful and utterly confusing paper at the end of a long day.

Chuchoter

Wait whats this about red pens? I always write Ans: or number questions in red. Is that bad?

Aoifums

Hope this doesn't sound stupid, but what are people's opinions on mechanical pencils compared to normal ones. I'm just wondering what everyone else does. And any idea on the best shade (no idea what to call it) of 'lead' to use? I think I use HB at the mo.

rainbowtrout

spurious wrote: »

Pencil is a real PITA to correct. I wouldn't recommend using pencil for anything other than constructions, graphs etc., but whatever you do, don't write any figures in red biro.

If you want to highlight an answer, put a box around it or use black/blue biro - never red or green as these are the colours used by assistant and supervising examiners. The last thing you want to do is annoy the examiner, who may get to your colourful and utterly confusing paper at the end of a long day.

+1 to all of this

nommm wrote: »

I'm definately going to be writing in pencil. I think all the scribling out involved with using pens would piss the examiner off more. My teacher said that it's ok to use pencils as long as they're not really faint.

It doesn't matter what you have scribbled out. If you make a mistake just put a line through it so it's clear that you are crossing it out but it's still legible, if the examiner can read it and it's correct you might just get some marks for it. We have to read everything. What's really annoying is the students who insist on obliterating every last word which takes them considerable amount of time in case the examiner thinks what they wrote is stupid. We don't care, when you're correcting 400 exams you don't have time to ponder the stupidity of possibly incorrect crossed out answers. And you don't know who the student is either.

crayolastereo wrote: »

Wait whats this about red pens? I always write Ans: or number questions in red. Is that bad?

Numbering stuff or writing Ans is fine. Just don't put your actual answers in red as examiners mark in red and it can make it harder to correct. Eg. If you wrote all your workings in black in maths but wrote the answer as x = 3 and an examiner wrote a mark beside it in red, when they come to totting up your marks your answer could be mistaken for a mark or the mark could be mistaken for past of your answer and missed by pure accident. So leave all answers in blue or black.

Aoifums wrote: »

Hope this doesn't sound stupid, but what are people's opinions on mechanical pencils compared to normal ones. I'm just wondering what everyone else does. And any idea on the best shade (no idea what to call it) of 'lead' to use? I think I use HB at the mo.

Stick to biro. Oh by the way don't write in luminous gel pens either. It's a pain in the arse to read. You are not doing yourself any favours by writing in luminous pink.

Exothermic

We haven't been allowed to write in pencil in any subject since 1st year! :P Of course, we use them for graphs in Chemistry or drawing a more complex diagrams in Biology such as the heart.
All written parts of the exam should be in pen though. All you really need is a blue and a black pen. Use your black to write, and the blue to highlight parts or put a box around your answer.

partyatmygaff

Aoifums wrote: »

Hope this doesn't sound stupid, but what are people's opinions on mechanical pencils compared to normal ones. I'm just wondering what everyone else does. And any idea on the best shade (no idea what to call it) of 'lead' to use? I think I use HB at the mo.

HB Is best for general writing.


The further you go up in B (As in B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B) the softer the graphite becomes and the darker and more likely to smudge the pencil becomes.

The further you go up in H (As in H, 2H, 3H, 4H , 5H) the harder the graphite becomes and the lighter and less likely to smudge the pencil becomes.


Unless you're going to be sketching anything it's best you stick to HB.

Aoifums

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Stick to biro. Oh by the way don't write in luminous gel pens either. It's a pain in the arse to read. You are not doing yourself any favours by writing in luminous pink.

I'm only talking about diagrams and graphs. I wouldn't dream of doing anything else in pencil.

Exothermic wrote: »

We haven't been allowed to write in pencil in any subject since 1st year! :P Of course, we use them for graphs in Chemistry or drawing a more complex diagrams in Biology such as the heart.
All written parts of the exam should be in pen though. All you really need is a blue and a black pen. Use your black to write, and the blue to highlight parts or put a box around your answer.

I'd be careful with that. My Bio teacher says you instantly lose 50% of the marks going for your diagram if it's in pen. It has to be large, clear, labelled and in pencil.

rainbowtrout

Aoifums wrote: »

I'm only talking about diagrams and graphs. I wouldn't dream of doing anything else in pencil.



I'd be careful with that. My Bio teacher says you instantly lose 50% of the marks going for your diagram if it's in pen. It has to be large, clear, labelled and in pencil.

It doesn't say anywhere on any marking scheme that you must draw diagrams in pencil. They are neater in pencil and easier to read if labelled in biro, but you cannot be penalised for drawing them in biro. It is easier to rectify mistakes if they are drawn in pencil though.

spurious

nommm wrote: »

I'm definately going to be writing in pencil. I think all the scribling out involved with using pens would piss the examiner off more. My teacher said that it's ok to use pencils as long as they're not really faint.

If you insist on using pencil, don't use the dark ones that smudge.

Scribbling out will not bother an examiner in the least. Big gobs of tippex sticking pages together or loads of tiny writing crammed into a tiny space will.
If you make a mistake in writing something, put a line through it and carry on. If you run out of space, go further down the page or to another page and draw an arrow indicating where the work is continued.

You will not lose marks for incorrect or irrelevant work that has been clearly struck through or marked 'wrong' or 'please ignore' by yourself. There is no need for 'Sorry, I made a mistake' to be written beside it.

Violafy

I really don't see why you'd want to use a pencil (other than for graphs and diagrams). Either it's too thick and smudges, or it's too light to read properly. It will annoy an examiner regardless, and that's the last thing you want to do!
And as for scribbling out in pen, just put one line through it. It's fine.