CBSE to hold two board exams for classes 10 and 12 in 2021-2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised a number of concerns in the academic sphere. A few of them include risks associated with conducting regular exams, along with concerns regarding availability of internet connectivity and gadgets necessary for online classes. This prompted multiple schools to request for a rationalisation of the syllabus in view of the reduced time permitted for organising classes online. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) finally agreed to bring about these changes. They can be broadly divided into the following sections:

Special Scheme for 2021-22:

• The academic session will be divided into two terms, with each half of the syllabus covered in each term respectively. Exams would be conducted at the end of each term. 
• The syllabus for the board examination 2021-22 would be rationalised. 
• Efforts would be made to make Practical/ Internal Assessment/ Project work more credible and adhere to the guidelines and Moderation Policy that will be announced by the Board in order to ensure fair distribution of marks.

Details of Curriculum Transaction:

• Till the concerned authorities permit in-person mode of teaching in schools, distance-teaching will continue.
• The internal assessment for classes 9 and 10 would include three periodic tests,  portfolio, practical work/speaking listening activities/ project, and student enrichment.
• The internal assessment for classes 11 and 12 would include unit tests/practicals/ projects/exploratory activities.
• Guidelines for Internal Assessment for all subjects would be released along with the rationalised term-wise divided syllabus for 2021-22.

Term I examinations:

• The first term examination would be conducted between November and December 2021 with a window period of four to eight weeks. 
• The Question Paper will have Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), including case-based MCQs and MCQs of the assertion-reasoning type. The duration of the test would be 90 minutes. The marks secured by the student in Term I would contribute to the overall score.

Term II examinations/Year-end Examination:

• At the end of the second term, CBSE would conduct the Year-end Examination or Term II based on the syllabus of Term II.
• The examination would be conducted in March-April 2022 at examination centres fixed by the Board.

Assessment/Examination as per different situations:

• The Term I and Term II examinations would be conducted by the board at schools/centres in case the pandemic situation improves.
• During the period from November to December 2021, should the pandemic situation force a complete closure of schools and the Term II examinations are held at schools or centres, weightage for the MCQ-based Term I exams would be reduced. On the other hand, the weightage for the Term II exams would be increased before the declaration of the final results.
• In case the pandemic results in a complete closure of schools during March-April 2022, but the Term I exams are held at schools, then weightages would be increased for the Term I examination and reduced for the Term II examinations.
• In case of total closure throughout the academic year, the results would be based on Internal Assessment/ Project Work/ Practical and theory marks of Term I and II tests given by the candidate in classes 10/12.

For more details visit: http://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/Circulars/2021/51_Circular_2021.pdf

Along with CBSE, The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) too has made significant changes, starting with subject-wise reduction of syllabi. The CISCE has reduced the ISC and ICSE syllabus for English and Indian languages for the academic session in 2022. The board is considering reducing the syllabus in other subjects as well without compromising on quality. 

These steps have been taken due to the significant loss of institutional hours during the past one year as a result of the pandemic. These measures are expected to ease the burden on students and ensure a smooth execution of academic processes during these challenging times.