CBSE reviews 3 tough Class XII papers

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 31

The HRD Ministry has been flooded with petitions from students demanding grace marks for CBSE’s Class XII Physics paper conducted on March 9 and re-examination of Maths test conducted on March 18.

Citing gross departure by the CBSE from the norm of paper setting (based on NCERT curriculum), students have in representations to HRD Minister Smriti Irani and the board said the papers were extremely lengthy and designed on the lines of competitive tests rather than on the NCERT syllabus.

The CBSE is analysing three papers — Math, Physics and English — for difficulty and lengthiness. Sources in the HRD Ministry today said CBSE’s subject expert committees were examining the issue and contemplating marks moderation and grace marks to compensate students for losses. No final decision on solutions had been taken so far.

Students’ worry is that they will lose the opportunity to enter a good engineering college due to a very difficult Maths paper. Reason: Joint engineering exam for admissions to NITs, IITs and other top central technical institutions give weightage to Class XII board marks.

Several representations to both the ministry and the board say the CBSE students would lose out in the JEE 2015 race to those from other state boards which will award better marks for Math and Physics.

As for the CBSE, it has asked school principals to send suggestions on what can be done to help students. There is a likelihood of the board deciding to give grace marks.

However, students, who took the test feel it would be unfair to give grace marks for Math paper as grace can’t compensate for questions left un-attempted.

“Grace marks are fine for Physics but Maths paper must be reset because it was the toughest in many years,” said Ruchi Gupta, a student, who wrote to Irani.

Most students have complained to the ministry that three-hour time was not enough either to complete Physics or Maths paper which were not even based on the CBSE sample papers.

“On the one hand, the CBSE has introduced comprehensive evaluation system in schools and made Class X Boards optional saying it doesn’t want to stress students. On the other hand, it is setting papers which only coaching students could solve,” said a parent.

The CBSE is currently without a Director since its former chief Vineet Joshi left. It is being administered from the HRD Ministry while Director’s appointment process is underway.