CBSE Board Exams: Introduction of changes in assessment and evaluation practices in 2021-22

According to the new exam pattern, there will be more competency-based and application-oriented questions, along with objective-type questions.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to put greater emphasis on competency-based education (CBE) from the new academic session 2021-22. The board has decided to introduce certain changes in the CBSE 10^th, 12^th examination, and assessment practices for the year 2021-22. With no change in the overall marks and duration of the exam, a greater number of competency-based questions or questions that assess the application of concepts in real-life/ unfamiliar situations will be part of the question paper.

According to,” Biswajit Saha, director, Training and Skill Development, CBSE, “The COVID19 pandemic has exposed the Indian education system to various challenges and opportunities. We are trying to shift the focus from assessment of learning to assessment for learning. Students must be equipped with the ability to solve problems and assessment must shift from testing primarily rote memorisation skills to one that is more formative, is more competency-based, promotes learning and development for our students, and tests higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity.”

According to the revised exam pattern, there will be 20 per cent competency-based questions and 20 per cent objective questions for class 11 and 12 as compared to 20 per cent objective-type questions. Competency-based questions can be in the form of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), case-based questions, source-based integrated questions or any other type. Presently, 70 per cent of questions are short answer/ long answer type but now it will be reduced to 60 per cent.

“The race for completing the syllabus and achieving the highest marks is still visible in our system. We have changed the pattern for classes 9 to 12 as most schools use a similar evaluation strategy for performance analysis for class 1 to 8. There will be ripple effects of the move and the system is expected to change positively over time and competency-based education will become the prime focus,” Saha added.

For class 9 and 10, a minimum of 30 per cent will be competency-based questions, objective questions will be 20 per cent and the remaining 50 per cent short answer/ long answer type questions. As per the current scheme, class 10 question papers have 20 per cent objective-type questions, 20 per cent case-based/source-based integrated questions 20 per cent and 60 per cent short answer/ long answer-type questions.

The board had earlier announced the cancellation of CBSE 10^th exams 2021. The students will be assessed based on objective criteria, which is under process at the moment. Meanwhile, class 12 exams have been rescheduled and the new CBSE date sheet will be announced on June 1 once the pandemic situation improves across the country.

Read More:

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