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CBSE maths paper for class XII to be simpler and shorter next year onwards.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will set simpler mathematics papers for class XII next year onwards. The board will introduce short-answer type questions carrying 2 marks and reduced the number of controversial higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) questions.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will reduce the difficulty level of the class XII mathematics exams next year onwards after this year’s unusually tough question paper drove millions of students to tears and plummeted their scores.
In a relook at the paper pattern, the board introduced short-answer type questions carrying 2 marks and reduced the number of controversial higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) questions.
The marks distribution for HOTS questions will be only 10 marks which will be further split into two sections of four and six marks each. The number of choices too will be increased.
The teachers were happy with the proposed changes as they felt that the HOTS questions raided the difficulty level of the paper this year as more marks were allotted to them.
“Shorter questions require less time to solve and will help students in completing the paper on time,” a teacher from Mumbai said.
According to the CBSE categorisation 20% of the paper is easy, 60% is average and 20% is difficult.
Generally students depend on maths scores to boost their grades in the class XII, which helps them make the extremely high cut-offs set by some colleges. However, this was not to be this year as many students were simply unable to finish the tough maths paper thus lowering their overall scores.
Read | ‘Tough’ maths paper affected overall percentage, say teachers
NEW PATTERN
- 4 questions of one mark each (Total: 4 marks)
- 8 questions of two marks each (Total: 16 marks)
- 11 questions of four marks each (Total: 44 marks)
- 6 questions of 6 marks each (Total: 36 marks)
PREVIOUS PATTERN
- 6 questions of one mark each (Total: 6 marks)
- 13 questions of four marks each (Total: 52 marks)
- 7 questions for six marks each (Total: 42 marks)
After the March 14 mathematics examination fiasco, parents and students alike complained to the CBSE. The government promising an inquiry to investigate the extremely difficult level of questions posed in the exams.
The board took all the complaints seriously and held high level meetings with schools and teachers seeking suggestions to change the paper pattern. Finally, an expert committee was appointed to suggest remedial measures to look into the issue.
* Read the original story by Puja Pednekar on www.hindustantimes.com
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