CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021: Reason behind CBSE's decision to consider Class 11, 12 marks

The Central Board of Secondary Education announced the Class 12 board result 2021 evaluation criteria on Thursday (June 18), which includes marks based on unit test/mid-term/pre-board exam will have 40 percent weightage for Class 12; for Class 11, marks based on the theory component of the final exam will have 30 percent weightage; and for Class 10 marks based on average theory component of the best three performing subjects out of the main 5 subjects will have 30 percent weightage.

Now, a section of students and experts are asking why the CBSE has included past year performances and not just class 12 internals? 

This is what CBSE's policy document explains how the class XI results helped bridge the gap of assessment, “Class 10 board examinations held for the current cohort of class 12 students fit the requirement. The results of these examinations may be treated as a measure of students’ ability. This was the only public examination conducted by the board for the actual year-end assessment when conditions were normal and the examinations were conducted in a regular standardized manner without any deviation from the scheme announced by the board at the start of the academic session.”

However, it was found that it is likely that a student may not have been equally interested in all subjects in class 10 and may have underperformed in a few subjects. “Since the students did not know at the time of class 10 board examinations that those marks will count the all-important class 12 results, some of the shortcomings can be overcome by using the scores obtained in theory exams average of best three subjects out of main five for the purpose of calculating marks, to give benefit to the students of omitting the scores of the subjects in which they underperformed due to any reasons.”

There were two additional concerns remaining: “First, that the student’s ability may have evolved since when the class 10 board exams were held.” Second, “the best three subjects in class 10 board may not coincide with the subjects being taught and assessed in class 12.

“It is, therefore, advisable to include class 11 results as well the overall assessment since they were held a year ago, were based on the prescribed senior secondary syllabus and were conducted in settings that approximate standardized examinations,” said CBSE in its policy document.

The Supreme Court approved the CBSE and ICSE's formula to calculate the final marks of Class 12 students whose Board exams were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBSE, on Thursday (June 17), told the Supreme Court that the CBSE Class 12 Board Exams Results, 2021 will be assessed based on two components - theory and practical. The CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021 results will be declared by July 31, the board told the Supreme Court.

The CBSE, in an affidavit, informed a bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar and comprising Justice Dinesh Maheshwari that the performance of the students in Class 11 and Class 10 exams will also be factored in while making the assessments for Class 12 students.