Having slashed the syllabus by 30 percent, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to tweak the question paper pattern for class 12 by giving more weightage to multiple choice questions (MCQs) and questions based on case studies for students who will be writing the exam in 2021.
According to the Times of India, the sample question papers released by the board shows that the weightage for MCQs have increased by by nearly 10 percent.
While half of the question paper for English will have MCQs, subjects like Physics and Maths will have more case study-based questions.
The Physics question paper will be based on assertion and thinking skills and in Biology, the number of short answer questions have been increased from 8 to 20.
Shift Towards NEP: CBSE
In case study-based questions, students will be expected to answer questions after reading through a given paragraph or a passage.
According to The Indian Express, Dr Joseph Emmanuel, the Director of Academics at CBSE, this format will shift the attention from “rote learning” and will test students on their comprehension, interpretation and writing abilities.
The questions, which previously carried one a mark each, can now be converted into short to long questions.
The purpose of this shift, said Dr Emmanuel, is to move to a competency-based and skill-oriented teaching and learning, which forms a part of the National Education Policy.
(With inputs from the Times of Indian and The Indian Express)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)