--- title: Handwriting: holding the pencil and joining up — how Mova does on the tests · English description: Lesson 5 of the english course of Mova's primary school: 6 of 12 tests right, exam 2 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/) / [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/) / 5 # Handwriting: holding the pencil and joining up **Tests:** 6 of 12 right · **Exam:** 2 of 4 right · **Kind:** plain · **Understood:** 9 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72` Lesson 5 of the english course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/). Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/). ### Test 1 · wrong ✗ {#t1} «lefties write wrong, my nan says they made 'em use their right hand back in the day». What is true? - **1.** Left-handers really do write wrongly — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Left-handers can only ever write capital letters, so they should practise with the right hand — no support - **3.** Forcing the right hand was a good idea that helped — no support - **4.** Left-handers write just as well; forcing the right hand caused harm — **✓ the right answer** · no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t1/) ### Test 2 · right ✓ {#t2} «ugh my hand's dead after one line, I hold it like a sword». What would you tell him? - **1.** Pinch it near the tip with thumb and finger and rest it on the middle finger — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8 - **2.** Use both hands at once to share the work, one pushing and one steering the pencil — no support - **3.** Hold the very end of the pencil, far from the tip — no support - **4.** Grip harder with the whole fist so it doesn't slip — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 17: «When a spelling has two possible sounds, try one, then the other, and keep the one that makes a real word that fits.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same thing acted on «one» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t2/) ### Test 3 · wrong ✗ {#t3} «b and d again!! is something wrong with him?» Ben's mum is worried. What is the calm answer? - **1.** No, it means he's very clever — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** It's common up to about seven; try the «bed» trick — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **3.** Yes, it always means a serious problem — no support - **4.** Yes, and he should stop writing for a year — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t3/) ### Test 4 · right ✓ {#t4} What would happen if Nate kept leaving no spaces between words? - **1.** Readers would struggle to find where words begin and end — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 4 - **2.** His spelling marks would go up, because no spaces means no mistakes between words — score 3 - **3.** His writing would be read twice as fast — score 4 - **4.** Nothing, readers can always see where words end — score 4 **Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 4, tied with another option at 4 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 5, line 3: «Letters come in three sizes. Small ones like a, c, e sit between the lines; tall ones like b, d, h reach up (ascenders); tails like g, p, y hang below the line…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «find» (+2); the same doer «reader» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t4/) ### Test 5 · right ✓ {#t5} «write faster, bruv, the marker'll work out what you meant». Is that right? - **1.** No, a marker can only mark what they can read — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 5 - **2.** Yes, markers always guess the best meaning — no support - **3.** Yes, speed always matters more than anything — no support - **4.** No, markers never read the answers — score 5 **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 5, line 5: «Handwriting still matters: in tests a marker can only mark what they can read, and joined-up writing (cursive) helps speed and even spelling, because the hand…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «marker» (+3); the same action «mark» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t5/) ### Test 6 · wrong ✗ {#t6} A cartoon pencil shows «a» starting at the bottom and going up. What should it show? - **1.** Start with a dot in the middle — no support - **2.** Start at the bottom on the line, then go up and round the other way, like a backwards c — **← Mova's choice** · score 6 - **3.** Start from the right and go left — no support - **4.** Start like a c at the top, then the down stroke — **✓ the right answer** · score 5 **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 2 with score 6, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 5, line 2: «Every letter has a starting point and a direction. Isla starts her «d» at the bottom and pushes up; her teacher says «start at the top». Many letters, a, d, g,…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «start» (+4); the same place «bottom» (+4). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). The right option, 4, scored 5. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t6/) ### Test 7 · wrong ✗ {#t7} «lush that, cariad, but why've you got capitals in the middle?» What should the child fix? - **1.** Make every letter a capital — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Remove all capital letters, even at the start — no support - **3.** Use capitals only at the start of sentences and names — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **4.** Put capitals at the end of words — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t7/) ### Test 8 · right ✓ {#t8} «no-one writes by hand any more, it's all phones». Why might joining up still help? - **1.** Joining is only for tidiness and does nothing else — no support - **2.** Phones will be banned soon, so handwriting is the only way — no support - **3.** Joined letters are easier for computers and phones to read when they scan a page — no support - **4.** The hand learns letter groups, which helps spelling and speed — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 12 **Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 4 with score 12, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 5, line 5: «Handwriting still matters: in tests a marker can only mark what they can read, and joined-up writing (cursive) helps speed and even spelling, because the hand…», reached through the cause of the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «learn» (+4); the same doer «hand» (+4); the same thing acted on «letter groups» (+4). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t8/) ### Test 9 · wrong ✗ {#t9} «her writing's ugly so her story's rubbish». What is the fair answer? - **1.** Messy writing means a bad story every time — no support - **2.** Stories are only marked on neatness — no support - **3.** Neat writing makes any story better, whatever the words say — **← Mova's choice** · score 6 - **4.** A great story can be in messy writing; they're different skills — **✓ the right answer** · score 4 **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 6, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2, line 1: «Reading and spelling are the same skill going in two directions. Reading is blending: you see «stop», say the sounds /s/ /t/ /o/ /p/ and push them together int…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «say» (+3); the same doer «sounds» (+3). The right option, 4, scored 4. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t9/) ### Test 10 · right ✓ {#t10} ★★★ Which word has BOTH an ascender and a descender? - **1.** dog — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** man — no support - **3.** cat — no support - **4.** sun — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t10/) ### Test 11 · right ✓ {#t11} ★★★ How many letters in «happy» hang below the line? - **1.** 3: p, p and y — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6 - **2.** 1: just y — score 6 - **3.** 2: p and p — score 6 - **4.** 0: none do — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 5, line 3: «Letters come in three sizes. Small ones like a, c, e sit between the lines; tall ones like b, d, h reach up (ascenders); tails like g, p, y hang below the line…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «hang» (+4); the same place «line» (+4). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t11/) ### Test 12 · wrong ✗ {#t12} ★★★ In the middle of a sentence, Jo writes «mydoG». How many fixes does it need? - **1.** 4 — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** 1 — no support - **3.** 2 — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **4.** 3 — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/t12/) ### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1} Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the tripod grip? - **1.** The pencil is held between the third and fourth fingers — **← Mova's choice** · score 6 - **2.** The pencil is held between the thumb and forefinger and supported by the middle finger — **✓ the right answer** · score 6 - **3.** The pencil is grasped firmly in the closed fist and propelled across the page by the muscles of the arm and shoulder — score 2 - **4.** The pencil is balanced upon the palm and guided by the wrist — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 5, line 6: «The tripod grip holds the pencil between thumb and first finger, resting on the middle finger; a fist grip tires the hand fast.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «hold» (+2); the same thing acted on «pencil» (+2); the same place «thumb» (+2). The right option, 2, scored 6. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/e1/) ### Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e2} Identify the principal reason for which illegible handwriting is disadvantageous in a written examination. - **1.** The examiner is obliged to award full marks regardless — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Illegible handwriting is invariably penalised with a fine — no support - **3.** Illegible handwriting causes the paper to be destroyed — no support - **4.** An answer which the examiner cannot read cannot be awarded marks — **✓ the right answer** · no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/e2/) ### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3} It is given that a pupil of six years frequently reverses the letters b and d. Select the response consistent with the established facts. - **1.** Such reversals are common at that age and do not of themselves indicate dyslexia — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support - **2.** Such reversals conclusively demonstrate the presence of dyslexia — no support - **3.** Such reversals indicate a defect of eyesight requiring immediate treatment — no support - **4.** Such reversals are unknown among pupils of that age — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/e3/) ### Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓ {#e4} Ascertain the relation which subsists between handwriting and composition in the assessment of pupils' writing. - **1.** They constitute one skill and are assessed together — score 4 - **2.** They are distinct skills which are assessed separately — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6 - **3.** Composition is assessed solely by reference to handwriting — no support - **4.** Handwriting is not assessed in any circumstances — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 6, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 5, line 16: «Handwriting (presentation) and composition (what is written and how well) are different skills and are marked separately.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «handwriting» (+2); the same thing acted on «different skills» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/5-handwriting-holding-the-pencil-and-joining-up/e4/) - ← previous: [4. Vowel teams, split digraphs and choosing the spe…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/4-vowel-teams-split-digraphs-and-choosing-the-spelling/) - next →: [6. Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves and odd ones](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/6-spelling-plurals/) - ↑ back to [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/)