The CBSE Class X and XII Term I board examinations are proving to be quite a challenge for students.
The examinations are being held as per a new two-term pattern, with the Term 1 Board examinations having objective multiple-choice questions and Term 2 examinations slated to have subjective questions.
The Class 12 Term 1 English paper, said the head of an institution, was complicated enough, but the Mathematics examinations had sent students’ confidence plummeting. “The maximum marks the students hope to secure is 30 out of 40,” she says.
Students and teachers alike said the paper was tricky and lengthy. Some questions were very time-consuming, and even then, a student could not be sure they would arrive at the right answer if they attempted it.
“The time provided was not enough to solve such lengthy problems. Questions that were marked out of two or four marks earlier have been included as one-mark questions. Students were unable to identify a notation in a question on determinants and could not answer it,” says a teacher.
Another subject teacher said there were very few direct questions, and even bright students found the paper difficult. Many questions required lengthy calculations. Some short-cuts could have saved time, but not many students would be able to attempt these, he said.
One teacher said questions from deleted portions were included.
Students even struggled with the English paper. The question paper had no connection with the sample paper introduced to students. They found all the three sections in the paper challenging, one student said.
The teachers said that at a time when classes had been held online and a good number of students struggled to absorb what they had been taught, questions with such a high difficulty level should have been avoided. Not all students would be able to pull themselves up and give the remaining examinations their best.
Authorities of a school said Class 10 students too had not fared much better, with Mathematics (Basic), English, and Science papers being very tough. “Even students who had opted for standard Maths found the Basic Maths paper difficult.”
They said Class 10 students sitting for the first offline examinations in a year-and-a-half were finding it very difficult to mark answers on OMR sheets as per the new pattern since they not only had to darken the bubble for the right answer, but also write the choice in a separate box, and then mark the unanswered questions in a separate column. “Students have committed many mistakes while filling in the OMR sheet.”
It did not help that some questions were ambiguous or there were discrepancies in answer keys. “The answers that the board is looking for may not be what students mark. Students who think they have done well realise after checking the answer keys that they will not get the expected marks. This is putting them and their parents under much mental stress.”
