The 20 factors, in plain English.
Vahini gives handwriting a score out of 100. That score is built from 20 simple things, the same things a good teacher looks for. Here is every one, what it means, and what good looks like.
One score, two solutions
No pen needed for the 20 factors.
People often ask if the score needs the sensor pen. It does not. The two work separately, on purpose.
The 20-factor analyser
Scan or photograph any handwritten page and computer vision scores all 20 factors. No pen, no special device. Works with the printers and scanners schools already have, in English and Telugu today. Try it free →
Dedicated to autism support
The dual-IMU sensor pen has its own job: research with special educators and therapists, sensing grip, steadiness and writing flow directly, each child measured against their own baseline. Meet the pen →
The big picture
Four simple groups make up the score.
Every factor belongs to one of four groups. Each group counts for a share of the final score, shown beside its name. You don't need to know all 20 to start, the report always tells you the few that matter most for you.
Structure
How each letter is shaped and controlled. 30% of scoreAre your letters shaped correctly and consistently?
Good: each letter looks the way it should, every time you write it.
Do you build each letter with the same strokes in the same order?
Good: a steady, repeatable way of forming letters. Best with the pen
Do round letters like a, o, e and g close up neatly?
Good: closed loops, so an ‘a’ never reads like a ‘u’.
Are your strokes smooth, or shaky and wobbly?
Good: clean, confident lines instead of jitter.
Are your letters all a similar size?
Good: even height, not some big and some tiny.
Do tall letters (b, h, l) and tails (g, y, p) reach the right length?
Good: talls and tails are balanced, not stunted or overgrown.
Spacing & layout
How the writing sits on the page. 30% of scoreDo your words sit on the line, or drift up and down?
Good: letters rest on an even invisible line.
Are the gaps between words even, not too tight or too wide?
Good: about one letter's width between words.
Are the letters inside a word evenly spaced?
Good: letters neither cramped together nor spread apart.
Do your lines start at a tidy, even left edge?
Good: a straight left margin down the whole page.
Do your lines run straight across, or slope off?
Good: level lines, even on blank, unruled paper.
Do your letters stand upright in a consistent way?
Good: uprights all lean the same, not in random directions.
Movement & flow
How you move while writing, the pen measures this live. 20% of scoreDo you write at a steady pace?
Good: an even rhythm, not rushing then crawling. Best with the pen
Do you press with an even, relaxed force?
Good: steady pressure, not pressing hard and tiring out. Best with the pen
Do you join your strokes, or stop and start a lot?
Good: smooth, connected movement through a word. Best with the pen
How often do you lift the pen in the middle of a word?
Good: few unnecessary lifts, the hand keeps flowing. Best with the pen
Style & readability
How easy and how tidy the writing is to read. 20% of scoreDoes your writing lean at one steady angle?
Good: a consistent slant, upright or italic, but the same throughout.
How easy is your writing to read at a glance?
Good: a stranger can read it without effort.
Are look-alike letters easy to tell apart?
Good: a/o, n/h and r/v are each unmistakable.
How tidy does the whole page look, all together?
Good: even size, even spacing and straight lines add up to a clean page.
Four of the factors (movement & flow) measure how you move as you write. A photo gives a careful estimate; the Vahini sensor pen measures them live for the most accurate score.
Try the coach's test first
Score yourself before any machine does.
Handwriting coaches have used this for years: sit with a few pages you wrote, look at eight things, and give yourself marks out of 10 for each. The scoring itself is the trick. From tomorrow you will write consciously, watching every detail, and most people see real improvement within a week or ten days. Then scan the same page and compare your marks with the analyser's. The gaps between the two are where your practice should go.
Add up your eight marks out of 80. Then scan a page, look at where your self-score and the measured score disagree, and spend the next week writing with those two or three things in mind. Re-scan in seven to ten days. Write better, get better.
See your own 20-factor breakdown.
Upload one handwritten page and get every factor scored, with the few to fix first and exercises to match. Free to try.