The new set of rules and procedures implemented in the Plus-Two public examinations from this year has made it easier for the students.
Every year, at least 10 per cent of the candidates taking the public examinations commit some mistakes while entering details such as their hall ticket number and examination code or indulge in overwriting due to nervousness.
This possibility had been eliminated this year with the introduction of bar-coded answer sheets in which all details would be printed, a senior official in the Department Of School Education told The Hindu .
This type of answer sheets also eliminated the possibility of impersonation since it came with the photograph of the candidate imprinted on it.
Further, the bar codes on the answer sheets also do away with the need for entering dummy numbers while sending the papers for evaluation. The bar code will then be scanned and all data will be stored in a secure format, making ‘paper chasing’ impossible.
Further, the official said that from this year, the answer booklets had 38 writing pages in place of the usual 16.
This would almost ensure that the students would not need additional answer sheets, thereby reducing the scope for malpractices such as inclusion of answer sheets.
Even the maps and graphs, needed for Geography and Mathematics subjects, were stitched into the booklet. This would prevent instances of these additional answer sheets being misplaced in transit.
An official in the department said that a review meeting to assess the conduct of Language Paper I was held at St. Michael’s Higher Secondary School last week. Most of the feedback from the teachers was positive.
Planning“Months of planning preceded the implementation of these new procedures. They were first implemented for the Class X and XII supplementary examinations held in September-October 2013,” the official added.
A Plus-Two student in a biology group said that students’ role was reduced to just signing the front page after verifying the details.
Another student said that with the answer booklets being introduced this year, the students did not have to waste time in signing for the additional answer sheets and tying them up before submitting them.
