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Jul 31, 2026 · 4 min read

How Shorthand Exams Are Actually Graded

It's easy to assume a shorthand exam is purely a speed test — write fast enough to keep up with the dictation, and you're done. The actual marking scheme tells a more detailed story: the transcript you produce afterward is graded almost as carefully as the shorthand itself.

Two sections, two different skills

A Shorthand Senior Grade paper is split into two sections that are marked separately:

• Condensation (40 marks) — summarizing the dictated passage accurately and within a specified word count.
• Elaboration (60 marks) — reproducing the full content of the passage in proper form.

What the Condensation section actually checks

The rules here are specific and easy to lose marks on if you don't know them going in:

• The word count of your answer has to be counted and stated at the end — missing this costs 2 marks.
• Your answer needs to land within 50 words of the specified length; going over or under costs 5 marks on the whole.
• The answer must be written in indirect speech and past tense — getting this wrong costs 5 marks on the whole.
• A suitable heading and sub-heading are expected; missing them costs 2 marks.
• Up to 5 marks are reserved specifically for shorthand performance itself, assessed separately from the written answer.

What the Elaboration section actually checks

Elaboration rewards completeness and accuracy over raw length:

• The answer needs to sensibly convey the subject matter, with all essential points reproduced — missing relevant points is penalized directly.
• Omitting or misreproducing figures, place names, company names, person names, or street names counts as a mistake — each one costs 1 mark.
• Each spelling mistake costs half a mark.
• As with Condensation, up to 5 marks are reserved for shorthand performance.

What this means for exam prep

The practical takeaway: writing speed gets you through the dictation, but the marks are won or lost afterward — in grammatical form, in getting proper nouns and figures exactly right, and in following the word-count and formatting rules precisely. Practicing transcription and proofreading discipline matters just as much as building raw shorthand speed.