The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has provided a clarification concerning the question pattern for Semester 4 of the forthcoming Higher Secondary (HS) examinations. This clarification, detailed in an official notification dated October 3, 2025, follows previous communications from the Council regarding the format and structure of the upcoming examinations.
In its initial notification, the Council clarified that the number of questions to be attempted from each topic or unit in the question paper would adhere to a specific formula: 2x, where ‘x’ denotes the number of questions to be attempted from a particular unit or topic. Furthermore, alternatives will be available for each question type, with these alternatives originating from the same topic or unit.
For instance, in the sample question pattern provided, topics such as “Learning & Learning Mechanism,” “Mental Health & Wellbeing,” “Educational Technology,” and “Statistics in Education” were included, with each topic presenting specific numbers of questions for short-answer (Type 1 and Type 2) and descriptive-type questions, along with the relevant alternatives.
The Council further stressed that this 2x formula would be applicable to the majority of subjects, with only a few exceptional cases diverging from this pattern. To eliminate any ambiguity regarding the structure of the examinations, the Council also intends to publish subject-wise question patterns in conjunction with this clarification.
The Council encourages students to remain updated on any developments and prepares them for a structured and consistent examination process.
In mid-April, the WBCHSE announced the implementation of the semester system for classes 11 and 12 in state-run and state-aided schools. Under this new system, the higher secondary or 10+2 course now consists of four parts — semester 1, 2, 3, and 4.
As per the announcement, class 11 has been segmented into semesters 1 and 2, whereas class 12 has been segmented into semesters 3 and 4. The examinations for the third semester took place from September 8 to 22, while the fourth semester examination is scheduled to occur from February 12 to 27 of the following year.
