CBSE Exams at Later Date or Internal Assessment: What’s Next in Store for Class 12 Students

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to offer more clarity on the options given to Class 12 students between internal assessment marks and taking the exams at a later date after the board cancelled the exams scheduled between July 1 and 15.

The court asked the board to issue for a redrafted notification for students to get better clarity on aspects of optional exams, publication of results and the new academic session, and has fixed the matter on Friday for issuing orders.

The Class 12 students, the CBSE told the court, will be given an option to accept the scores on the basis of their last three internal assessments conducted in their schools, or sit in the remaining exams at a future date, which will be conducted as and when the situations are conducive.

The option to sit for the exams is only available to Class 12 students, the CBSE said, and exams for Class 10 have been scrapped completely.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the HRD ministry and the CBSE, said Class 12 students can apply for higher studies on the basis of their internal assessment marks, results of which will be published by schools and the board by July 15.

To this, the court said that the new academic session should perhaps commence from September so that the students, who wish to improve upon their scores by sitting in the exams, could apply with their new scores.

Wanting there to be no confusion, the apex court asked the CBSE to issue a new draft notification by Friday in which all these points will be clarified in greater detail. The bench said it will pass formal orders tomorrow after vetting the draft notification.

The bench has also asked the board to clarify on the status of state board exams.

The central board decided to postpone the pending exams as a precautionary measure on March 18 due to the coronavirus crisis, and had scheduled the remaining exams in the first half of July.

But since the pandemic shows no signs of slowing and cases have crossed the 4.7 lakh mark, worried parents had moved the Supreme Court against the exam schedule.