The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made the decision to go back to a regular single-exam format for the next academic year. This indicates Class X and XII board exams are not likely to be divided into two parts, as per sources in the Ministry of Education.
Earlier, CBSE had introduced a new format in which the course would be divided into two terms: the first term was conducted in November-December last year, while the second term exams are scheduled to start on April 26. It has been believed that more weightage will be given to the Term-II exams.
The decision was made after the board exams for the 2020-21 academic year were canceled due to rising cases in the second wave of pandemic. Students were evaluated on their scores in the practical exams, previous exams, and internal assessments.
However, in terms of syllabus, CBSE will follow the regular policy they have been following over the last two years when the syllabus was reduced by 30 percent. “The NCERT will send us the details of rationalization based on which an announcement will be made. Schools can teach the reduced syllabus using the existing books,” said the official.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also proposed that the students should be allowed to write the board exams on at least two occasions in an academic year — “one main examination and the other for improvement” to “eliminate the high stakes aspect of board exams”.
“While the board exams for Grades X and XII will be continued, the existing system of the board and entrance examinations shall be reformed to eliminate the need for undertaking coaching classes. To reverse these harmful effects of the current assessment system, board exams will be redesigned to encourage holistic development”
National Education Policy
