University Exam: No Regrade if written in pencil

[SharkTank7]

Imagine the following scenario. Suppose that upon receiving a graded exam, you decide that you believe your answer to a question should be awarded more points, but you realize that your answer was written in pencil, a rule clearly states that no regrades will be permitted for answers written in pencil. Also, academic integrity holds that submitting a regrade of an altered exam is a violation and punishable by receiving an F in the course.

Now my question is, would it be considered "altering" an exam if you rewrote the exact same answer as what you had written in pencil, in pen, so that it will be accepted for regrade? While the exam is altered in that the answer is now written in pen, it is the same answer, so to me this does not look like cheating. What do you think? As usual, some of the students' exam, randomly chosen, are photocopied to ensure that altered exams submitted for regrade will be noticed. Will this be punished if the graders checked the photocopy and realize that the answer was rewritten in pen, although it is the exact same answer?

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[summergirl]

Don't write anything on your exam with anything, same answer or not, using pen or pencil. It could end very badly for you. Just submit the exam for regrade with the original answers in pencil and see what happens. Sometimes the prof will still regrade it for you if he/she is nice.

 

[Volshe]

Agreed. Hand it in as is, much better than altering an exam in an attempt to gain further points (if those points are even going to be awarded).

 

[WedgeDawg]

If you alter the exam at all, even if to write the same thing in pen, you run a very real risk of being brought up for honor code violation. If there was a rule that says no regrades if in pencil, you might be out of luck, but trying to haggle a few points is 1000% not worth the risk of a cheating violation, which will follow your academic career forever.

Your best bet might be to talk to the professor and ask if it is possible to get a regrade of a specific question even though it's in pencil. They might take pity on you and look it over or they might say sorry rules are rules. Either way, DO NOT ALTER THE EXAM AND RESUBMIT.

 

[redsox93]

Agreed with everyone here. 1-2 points is not in any way worth an institutional action, even if you're not actually changing the content of your answer.

 

[Goro]

The exam instructions were very simple. Was there any trouble and understanding them?