Minor side point, I鈥檝e never seen an x written as )( but always as / and then \ (or vice versa). I wonder if this is a regional thing ir just one person鈥檚 preference.
I was taught the ")(" way at primary school.
"I was taught the ")(" way at primary school" is a perfectly reasonable response to your question, which wondered whether it was just one person's preference. That answer tells you it isn't.
Nowhere did the reply suggest it wasn't regional, nor, for that matter, that "/ \" isn't regional. Both are presumably regional, but whether one is more common requires a fair bit of work to answer.