Students in the UAE who took the CBSE board exams now have the option to review their answer sheets online and verify the marks assigned to them. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently announced that candidates will receive a link to check the marks awarded to them in the answer sheets by paying a specified fee. This service allows candidates to address concerns about low marks and will begin the day following the announcement of board results. The CBSE has also confirmed the release date for the results on its official website, stating that the results for class X and XII are likely to be declared after May 20, 2024.
Pramod Mahajan, Principal of Sharjah Indian School, explained that students will be able to view the marks provided by examiners through a link posted on the board’s website the day after results are declared. This service will be accessible for five days after the link becomes active. Each subject will require a fee of approximately Dh23 or Rs500 per student, with non-resident Indian (NRI) students remitting the fee to the CBSE’s account in Indian rupees. CBSE already has a process of revaluation of marks in case a student wishes to opt for revaluation, which includes re-totalling of the marks or complete revaluation.
Educators will benefit from this new process as they will have a clear understanding of the expected responses from students. The data highlighted from these assessments can be analysed to inform future instruction. Sangita Chima, Principal of Amity School Dubai, mentioned that with CBSE shifting to competency-focused questions in all subjects, teachers and students will understand specific answers to different types of questions. This new practice of online viewing of answer sheets is considered astounding and has never been seen before in the history of CBSE results announcements.
Principals and headteachers emphasized that this new process will expedite the evaluation process, leading to transparency and fairness. Students and parents can immediately access the evaluated answer scripts, leaving no room for ambiguity. If there are discrepancies, the process for applying for re-evaluation is instantaneous. Concerns have been raised by some stakeholders regarding the accessibility of the paid service for all students. Abhilasha Singh, Principal of Shining Star International, expressed mixed feelings towards the innovative step, mentioning that not all students may have the paying capacity for the service.
Singh also highlighted that teachers found to be lax in their stepwise marking will face disciplinary action. The move also talks about penalizing the teacher if a discrepancy is found in the marking. Despite some concerns, the new service allows students to save time when filing for re-evaluation of their marks. Previously, answer scripts were not available to students after the board exams, but now they can check their answers and analyze if the marks earned are justified. Overall, the introduction of online viewing of answer sheets by CBSE in the UAE is seen as a positive step towards transparency and efficiency in the evaluation process.
