YES

Digital age

Marks should be given on the basis of an answer; none should be deducted for moderate or poor handwriting. This is the digital age where handwriting will not matter at all as it is possible to appear for exams online.

Pratham Pratap Bhalotia,
International School, Guwahati

Neatness not all

It is not easy to maintain a flow of work with neatness till the very end of the exam. Students tend to rush in the end and somehow finish their paper within the time limit. In the end, it does not matter how neat the answer paper is but how meaningful it is. If the student is able to express his or her answers then it should not be a problem.

Anuron Mullik,
Narula Institute of Technology, Calcutta

Pens will be history

Marks scored in an examination should not be affected by handwriting in this day and age of computers and the Internet. Students have a lot of thoughts racing through their minds. Capturing them quickly on paper might result in bad handwriting but not an incorrect answer. There will soon come a time when pens and pencils would become history.

Sreejita Saha,
WWA Cossipore English School, Calcutta

NO

Life skill

Good handwriting is appreciated in every walk of life, so it is a skill we should acquire. It helps the examiner evaluating a script and will put him or her in a good mood, hopefully leading to good marks. A legible and neat handwriting also reflects an organised thought process, which is always an asset.

Mainak Sett,
Seth Anandaram Jaipuria College, Calcutta

Positive impression

I think handwriting should have an effect on marks scored in an examination. Good and clear handwriting gives a positive impression to the examiner. A neat handwriting indicates a student’s attention while writing the answers. Sometimes, the most appropriate and well-written answer cannot be understood because the handwriting is so bad. So handwriting must be given as much importance as the answer when correcting a paper.

Ankush Bhawal,
Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia