Using pencil on essay portion

MINUTIAE!!!

As other posters have commented, people have used pencil and been graded. And if you’re that worried about it, just use a pen. I would bet that anyone wasting more than two minutes on this topic is a definite pass or definite 2013 re-taker, no in between, since they think pondering this is a better use of time than studying < 2 weeks from the exam.