The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced a uniform system for assessment for all schools affiliated to it, that stipulates a two-semester system, from class 6 onwards.

The board has decided to do away with the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) scheme which was introduced in 2009 and restore the 10th board examinations from the upcoming academic year of 2017-18.

The new Uniform System for Assessment, Examination and Report Card will be implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009.

Under the new scheme, students of classes 6 to 8 will need to study mathematics, science, social science, three languages and one other subject while the assessment and examination pattern will comprise of two terms, each consisting of 100 marks per subject. Each semester will have periodic assessment of 20 marks and both half-yearly and annual examinations will carry 80 marks each.

The assessment, examination and report card patterns for class 9 and 10 will be similar. According to a circular released by the board on March 21, “With the restoration of class X Board examination, the CBSE will issue the report card for class X based on the Board examination with effect from the academic year 2017-18. As the assessment structure and examination pattern for class IX will be similar to that of class X, the report card for class IX issued by the school should also be similar to that of class X.”

The report cards issued by all affiliated schools will have to bear the CBSE as well as the school logos.

The new system was introduced after the decision to restore class 10 board examinations was taken. Presently, 18,688 schools are affiliated to CBSE and most of them follow varying assessment and report card patterns which creates problems for students migrating from one school to another. So, to make students more confident about the class 10 board examinations and ease their process of migrating from one school to another, a uniform system removing disparity was imperative.

Under the CCE patter followed by CBSE till now, 60 per cent of the assessment was based on pen and paper examinations and the rest 40 per cent was carried out by teachers on the basis of various activities. In the uniform assessment system, pen and paper examinations will carry 90 per cent weightage.