How are CBSE question papers set?
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) found itself amidst back-to-back controversies during its ongoing Semester I board exams for classes 10 and 12.
The first controversy was surrounding the class 12 Sociology paper where a question read like this: “The unprecedented scale and spread of anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 took place under which government?” This question was criticised under communal ground. However, the board was quick enough to issue a public apology and tagged it as an “error.” There were also other minor controversies regarding the class 12 Physics exam that was called tricky and contained too many numerical questions. On the other hand, the class 12 Maths paper was considered tough and lengthy by many.
A major controversy was surrounding the class 10 English paper, that featured a sexist comprehension passage that was derogatory towards women. As and when the controversy was getting out of hands, the Council announced that it will drop the entire passage from the paper, and full marks will be given to all students as a compensation.
This is why the board has declared that it will review its entire paper setting process at the earliest. Here’s what we know so far about the CBSE board question paper setting process.
Who sets the question papers?
CBSE board question papers are set by two expert panels for each subject comprising of both moderators and paper-setters. The identities of the people involved are kept discreet, even from one another, and none of these people know whether their paper will be used or not. As per the board rules, the individuals involved in the expert panel should have a minimum of post-graduate degree in the concerned subject. They should also have a minimum of 10 years’ experience in teaching at the secondary or higher secondary levels. Furthermore, they should also be actively involved in in-service training programmes or research of study resources for the CBSE.
Nature of questions
As per the CBSE by-laws, the question papers should be set by adhering to the syllabus, design, blueprint and textbooks of the curriculum. The questions should also be free of errors and ambiguities and should at no cost be misleading or offensive to any community of students.
The process of paper-setting
For each subject, multiple sets of question papers are set. Once the paper-setters are done, moderators take over either as individuals or as part of a team.
It is the duty of the moderators to review the paper and double-check whether they are according to the syllabus, design, blueprint and text books of the curriculum. They should also look after the unit-wise weightage of the paper and whether or not they adhere to the CBSE by-laws. The rule is to keep the marks differences under each sub-unit to the minimum.
In fact, as per experts, the moderator’s role is the most vital of all as they determine whether or not the questions are correct, language used is appropriate and not provocative, can be clearly interpreted and finished during the allotted time. Finally, the moderators compile the question papers together, and send a green signal to the board.
The final step
The board does not scrutinize the papers once the moderators submit it after their final revision. The papers submitted to the board are then kept under the custody of the Controller of Examination and other officials of CBSE. Days prior to the exams, the controller picks a set at random and decides to use it without lending his eyes to it. The confidentiality maintained ensures that a limited number of eyes sees through the entire process and also paper leaks are avoided.