CBSE Board Exams 2022 to Be Held in 2 Parts; What Will Be Different?

Efforts will be made to make internal assessment/practical/project work more credible and valid, said CBSE.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday, 5 July, released a special scheme of assessment for the board exams of classes 10 and 12 for the 2021-22 session.

As per the new scheme, the academic session will be divided into two terms, with approximately 50% syllabus in each term.

What exactly is the new scheme? What's different? Here's all you need to know.

What is the new assessment scheme?

According to a CBSE circular, the new scheme for 2021-22 entails the following:

• The academic session will be divided into two terms with approximately 50% syllabus in each term.

• The syllabus for 2021-22 will be rationalised in a manner similar to that of the last academic session to be notified in July 2021.

• Efforts will be made to make internal assessment/practical/project work more credible and valid as per the guidelines and moderation policy to be announced by the Board to ensure fair distribution of marks.

What are the changes in the curriculum?

• Schools will continue teaching in distance mode till the authorities permit otherwise.

• Classes 9 and 10 will have internal assessment, which would include three periodic tests, student enrichment, portfolio, and practical work/speaking-listening activities/project.

• Classes 11 and 12 will have internal assessment, including end-of-topic tests or unit tests/exploratory activities/practicals projects.

• Schools would create students' profiles for all assessment undertaken over the year and retain proof of the same in digital format.

• CBSE will facilitate uploading of internal assessment marks by schools on the CBSE IT platform

• Guidelines for internal assessment will also be released along with the rationalised syllabus, divided term-wise, for the session of 2021-22.

Will these exams be held online or on campus?

If the pandemic situation improves and students are able to go to schools or centres for the exams: The Board would conduct Term-I and Term-II examinations at such venues and the theory marks will be distributed equally between the two exams.

What happens if the situation is not conducive?

In case the pandemic forces complete closure of schools in November-December 2021, but Term-II exams are held at schools or centres: Term-I MCQ-based examination would be done by students online/offline from home, in this case, the weightage of this exam for the final score would be reduced and weightage of Term-II exams will be increased for declaration of final result.

What will happen if schools are forced to shut down during March-April 2022?

• In case the situation of the pandemic forces complete closure of schools during March-April 2022, but Term-I exams are held at schools or centres: Results would be based on the performance of students on Term-I MCQ based examination and internal assessments. The weightage of marks of Term-I examination conducted by the Board will be increased to provide year-end results of candidates.

• In case the situation of the pandemic forces complete closure of schools and Board conducted Term-I and II exams are taken by the candidates from home in the session 2021-22: Results would be computed on the basis of the internal assessment/practical/project work and theory marks of Term-I and II exams taken by the candidate from home in Class X / XII subject to the moderation or other measures to ensure validity and reliability of the assessment.

FULL TEXT OF THE CIRCULAR

BACKGROUND

Meanwhile, for the batch of 2020-21, after announcing the cancellation of board examinations for Class-12, the CBSE on 17 June released details of how students would be marked for the exams, which could not be conducted due to the second wave of COVID-19 this year.

On Monday, 21 June, CBSE informed the Supreme Court that optional exams will be conducted between 15 August and 15 September for students unsatisfied with this marking criteria.