After a difficult CBSE Grade 12 paper, Grade 10 students complain the same

Dubai — Following the outcry over difficult questions in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) Grade 12 maths examinations, students from Grade 10 have now voiced disappointment with the recently concluded board exams.

Teachers and students who spoke to Khaleej Times confirmed finding at least one erroneous question in the paper and said the board needs to provide more clarity.

Officials from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have remained tight-lipped on how the board intends to rectify the situation, with sources citing relaxed marking as a possibility.

Devdutt Dakhane, a parent said: “Most of the Grade 10 students found the questions (in maths) quite puzzling and out of portion. Even the brightest students found the paper lengthy and tough. The teachers also agreed with them saying that all the three sections were tough. I feel we must place our complaint with the Indian Education Minister as this is the future of the students and their motivation to study further.”

Another parent, Parthasarathi, alleged a small error could affect students. “In one set, one question on coordinate geometry had a callous error confusing the students. I am referring to question No 15 of set 2 maths paper of grade 10. This was an incorrect question and we hope all students who have tried the answer will be given full marks. Students work hard for months together and such an error in the question paper is unpardonable,” she said.

The Class 10 exams are seen as a means to prepare students for tougher exams, including the competitive entrance exams.

While the board is yet to communicate a formal decision on the matter, it is believed an evaluation committee will take a look at the grievances to find a solution.

A student who did not wish to be named said: “We spend many sleepless nights trying to prepare for the worst that can happen. It is disappointing to walk out of the exam hall knowing you won’t score well because of a tough paper.”

Sunita Razdan, Headmistress (Senior Secondary) at Delhi Private School Dubai, said: “All grade 10 students found the maths paper very difficult because most of the questions were application based. It was not following the usual pattern given by CBSE sample questions, the paper was lengthy and one question was wrong.”

She highlighted a need to provide students with more clarity on any changes planned in exam patterns.

“We should be intimated one year in advance of the changes so that students are aware of new trends and patterns  and teachers are able to guide and train students accordingly. Moderation should be done so that the student doesn’t lose out on an opportunity to get admission in good universities due to low scores,” said Sunita.

She added: “Generally, students have a phobia for maths. When the paper is difficult, they are not able to concentrate on the subjects that follow the maths paper and thus attainment in other subjects might also go down.”

Earlier, Grade 12 students had voiced disappointment with the high proportion of tough questions, which is against the norm the board follows in question setting.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com