Class 9, 11 final papers not 'board exams': Know about CISCE's latest rule

CISCE would now be providing its affiliated schools with common question papers for select subjects in Classes 9 and 11

The Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) clarified on Friday that classes IX and XI annual exams would be held on the council’s common question papers to reduce students’ anxiety and stress and help them perform better in the “actual board examinations”.

The clarification aims to allay apprehensions among a section of teachers and parents that a centralised examination at the end of classes IX and XI will be a burden on students, a principal of an ICSE school in Calcutta said.

This is what the circular said: "CISCE would like to clarify that the class 9 and 11 final examinations to be held in February/March 2020 are not Board Examinations."

The board would be providing its affiliated schools with common question papers for select subjects in Classes 9 and 11. Questions for the remaining subjects would continue to be set by subject teachers in their respective schools.

According to the CISCE, the subjects selected for setting the question papers are those in which candidates often tend to lose marks or fail during board examinations. 

The board said that the exercise would benefit students and provide them an exposure to board-like question papers. It would also lead to reduction of anxiety and stress during the actual board examination.

The objectives are:

1. To help students get acquainted with the correct format and type of question papers for the board examination

2. To ensure proper preparedness and completion of syllabi for both class 9 and class 11.

3. To standardise the level of teaching and learning in all CISCE-affiliated schools.

Though the council would set the questions of the annual examinations, the final examination will continue to be an internal school activity and the scripts will be marked by the respective school subject teachers.

The students who are now in classes IX and XI will be the first batch to be tested under the new system. Their annual exams are scheduled for February-March next year. The students in the hills will write their annual exams in November.

Earlier, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) claimed that CISCE had been found violating the RTE by not teaching curriculum, which was prescribed for pre-school and classes till elementary level. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) shot a letter to Gerry Arathoon, the chief executive and secretary at the CISCE.