How to write a cursive q

Forming the cursive q

In English q is followed by u almost every time, so teach 'qu' as a single joined unit from the start, it gives the tail a purpose and sidesteps the confusion with g that comes from practising q on its own. Lead-in is a downcurve, exit leaves from the baseline.

Start: On the baseline, at the left of the oval

1. Undercurve lead-in up to the midline, stopping at the one o'clock position
2. Downcurve back over the top and counter-clockwise round the outside of the oval to the baseline
3. Run along the baseline and take the line back up the right-hand side to seal the oval at the midline
4. Retrace straight back down the right-hand side and keep going through the baseline into the descender space
5. Swing the tail round to the RIGHT and bring it back up to touch the baseline
6. Undercurve exit at the baseline, swinging away toward the next letter

How it joins

The cursive q finishes on the baseline with an undercurve, which is exactly where the next letter begins. That is why cursive can be written without lifting the pencil: the exit of one letter is the entry of the next. Practise q inside a word rather than on its own as soon as the shape is reliable, because the join is the part that actually needs practice.

Common mistakes

• The tail loops to the left, which produces a g. This is far and away the most common q error.
• The oval is left open, so q reads as y.
• The tail does not come back up to the baseline, so the join into u starts below the line.
• A printed q with a plain straight tail is substituted, which cannot be joined to the letter after it.

Letters that move the same way

Counter-clockwise oval letters: A downcurve lead-in: rise from the baseline to about the one o'clock position on the letter body, then roll back over the top and travel counter-clockwise round the outside of an oval down to the baseline. What happens after the oval, a short stem, a tall stem, a tail, or a level exit, is all that separates these six.

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Print first, then cursive

Cursive is usually introduced once print handwriting is automatic, typically around third grade. If a child is still thinking about how to form printed letters, adding a second script makes both harder. Theprinted q page covers that form, andwhen cursive is usually taughtexplains why the timing varies so much.