By Charles Sturt University Adjunct Associate Professor Noella Mackenzie (inset).

In recent days there has been widespread discussion and media coverage of the NSW Government asking national education ministers to scrap computer-based NAPLAN writing tests for year 5, 7 and 9 students from 2028.

In the rush to embrace technology, many schools have reduced the focus on handwriting, believing that keyboards will replace pens. But the evidence suggests this was a mistake.

Rather than creating a generation of confident digital writers, we have left many students struggling with both handwriting and typing.

Research consistently shows that handwriting remains an important skill. Writing by hand helps students develop fluency, structure their ideas and improves memory.

When handwriting becomes automatic, students can focus on what they want to say instead of using mental energy to form letters. In contrast, poor handwriting fluency can interfere with the writing process, making it harder for students to plan, organise and communicate their ideas effectively.

The problem is not that students are using technology. The problem is that many have never been properly taught or given the necessary time to practice either handwriting or keyboarding. While early years teachers introduce handwriting to young students, this instruction often stops in Year 3, before automaticity and fluency have developed.

The following summed up the findings of a study conducted with Year 7 students:

“At my primary school I was kind of taught half and half … no classes that focused on one or the other, which was bad because it meant that I didn’t learn enough keyboarding skills to be good at keyboarding, and . . . I didn’t get enough handwriting skills to be good at handwriting, so I’m kind of in a, what do you call it - a pickle?.”

That student’s experience reflects a wider issue across Australian schools.

When students lack automatic handwriting or keyboard skills, their cognitive load increases. In simple terms, they spend so much effort on the mechanics of writing that they have less brain power available for thinking, planning and expressing ideas.

Research suggests that exam results are generally similar whether students handwrite or type, provided they are skilled in the method they use. Give them the choice to write exams by hand or type on a computer.

The debate should not be about handwriting versus typing - students need both. Whatever method is required, schools must teach it well and provide enough practice.

Right now, too many Australian students have been left with weak handwriting, slow typing and fewer opportunities to show what they really know.