{"id":163666,"date":"2024-01-31T11:47:07","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T10:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=163666"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:09","slug":"student-writing-in-chicken-scratch-not-allowed-to-use-laptop-in-exam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/01\/31\/student-writing-in-chicken-scratch-not-allowed-to-use-laptop-in-exam\/","title":{"rendered":"Student writing in chicken scratch not allowed to use laptop in exam"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Leiden law student with \u2018very unclear\u2019 handwriting has litigated all the way to the Council of State to get permission to write his exam paper on a laptop. But this court has now also sentenced him to using pen and paper.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFemke Legu\u00e9<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

He doesn\u2019t have a medical impairment, he admits frankly, but writing neatly gives him so much stress and time pressure that he can\u2019t complete his exams successfully. He also thinks teachers give him a lower score: they can\u2019t read his answers. Can the university not make a laptop available to him for his exams? And if not, couldn\u2019t he get a bit more time?<\/p>\n

No examples<\/h2>

When the issue first came up, the Leiden University board of examiners looked at an old Introduction of Law exam handed in by the student. The board didn\u2019t see \u2018any remarks by correctors indicating the answers were illegible\u2019. So what was the actual course where his handwriting tripped him up? The student couldn\u2019t provide the board of examiners with an example of this.<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s examination appeals board couldn\u2019t be convinced either. \u201cThe handwriting is not more illegible than that of the average student and that\u2019s why this case does not qualify as a special circumstance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t