CBSE Introduces Special Scheme of Assessment for Board Examination Classes X and XII for 2021-22
20.07.2021 | Education News | EduLegaL | www.edulegal.org | mail@edulegal.in
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) introduced the Special Scheme of Assessment for Board Examination Classes X and XII for the Session 2021-22 wherein the Board decided to rationalize the syllabus and bifurcate it into two equal terms for conducting the exams. The Circular No. A cad-51/2021 dated 05.07.2021 is applicable to the Class X and Class XII of Academic Session 2021-22.
In the backdrop of the canceled 2020-21 Board exams owing to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic; the Board deliberated with various stakeholders, took into consideration the socio-economic situation of students, differential availability of electronic gadgets, connectivity, and effectiveness of online teaching and formulated the Special Scheme of Assessment for Board Examination Classes, X and XII, for the Session 2021-22.
Studying that the rationalization of the syllabus in the year 2020-21 yielded positive results and schools requested that the pattern be followed, below is a brief of the scheme as released by the Board:
Rationalization and Bifurcation of the syllabus
The syllabus will be rationalized for the year 2021-22 and the same will be notified in the month of July. However, for academic transactions schools have to follow the syllabus vide Circular no. F.1001/CBSEAcad/Curriculum/2021 dated 31 March 2021.
The syllabus will be bifurcated into two equal terms by keeping the interconnectivity of concepts and topics intact. Board will conduct exams at the end of each term in the prescribed manner. This bifurcation is to improve the probability of conduction of Exams by the Board.
Board will also notify moderation policy to ensure fair distribution of marks in the Internal Assessment/ Practical/ Project work
Curriculum Transaction and Internal Assessment
Teaching will continue in distance/online mode till physical reopening of schools is allowed by the authorities. Internal assessment of students will continue throughout the year irrespective of Term Exams. The internal assessment shall include;
For Class IX – X: 3 periodic tests, student enrichment, portfolio, and practical work/ speaking listening activities/ project
For Class XI-XII: end of topic or unit tests/ exploratory activities/ practicals/ projects.
A student profile will be created by schools for all assessments of the year and digital records will be maintained. The marks will be uploaded on IT platform provided by CBSE. Detailed instructions for the internal assessment process will be notified by the Board.
Examination Pattern for Term Exams
Term I Exam:
In the month of November-December 2021, the exams will be conducted in a flexible window of 4-8 weeks for schools across India. Question Paper shall consist of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ) including case-based MCQs and MCQs on assertion-reasoning type. The exam will be exclusively on the rationalized syllabus of Term I (approximately 50% of the entire syllabus) and the duration of the exam will be 90 minutes. Question Paper will be sent by CBSE to the school and exams will be conducted under the supervision of the External Center Superintendents, Observers appointed by CBSE. Schools can upload either marks after evaluation or Scanned copies of the OMR Sheet. These marks will contribute to the final score of the student.
Term II Exam:
Approximately in the month of March-April 2022, descriptive exams will be conducted on the exclusive syllabus of term II. Duration for the exam will be 2 hours and the question paper shall consist of case-based/situation-based, open-ended, short answer/ long answer type questions. The exams will be conducted in examination centres fixed by the Board. If the same cannot be conducted due to the severe situation, an exam similar to term I (i.e., 90 minutes MCQ) will be conducted.
Assessment as per different scenarios
Various probable scenarios and methods of weighted assessment for the final score are contemplated by the scheme as follows:
- Situation Improves and students can come to schools/exam centres: The exams will be conducted at schools/exam centres and theory marks will be distributed equally between the two Term Exams.
- Closure of Schools during Nov-Dec 2021 but Term II exams held at centres: Students will give Term I Exams online/offline from home. The weightage of Term I would be reduced and that of Term II will increase.
- Term I exams held at Schools/Centres but Closure during Mar-April 2022: Term II will be conducted online/offline from home as MCQ. More weightage will be given to Term I exams and internal assessment over Term II exam
- Complete Closure of Schools during the academic year 2021-22: Results would be computed based on the Internal Assessment/Practical/Project Work and Theory marks of Term-I and II exams taken by the candidate from home.
In all the above cases, data analysis of marks of students will be undertaken to ensure the integrity of internal assessments and home-based exams.
Vaibhav Karadale | Research Intern | EduLegaL
