The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a directive to all affiliated schools regarding assessment and evaluation practices for the academic session 2024-25. Important changes have been introduced for classes 11 to 12 annual examinations. For the academic session 2024-25, the CBSE has outlined changes specifically in the composition of question papers for classes 11 to 12 board examinations.
For classes 9-10, the composition of the question paper remains unchanged from the previous academic session, with competency-focused questions in the form of MCQs/case-based accounting for 50%, select response type questions (MCQs) for 20%, and constructed response questions for 30%.
In classes 11-12, while the proportion of select response type questions remains the same at 30 percent, there’s a shift in Competency-focused questions in the form of MCQs/case-based questions, source-based integrated questions, or any other type from 40% in academic year 2023-24 to 50%, and Constructed response questions (Short Answer Questions/Long Answer type Questions, as per the existing pattern) from 40% to 30% in the academic session 2024-25.
These changes have been made in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020, which emphasizes Competency-Based Education in schools. The CBSE has been actively implementing measures to align assessments with NEP objectives. This includes the development of exemplar resources for teachers and students and continuous capacity building for educators.
“The main emphasis of the Board was to create an educational ecosystem that would move away from rote memorization and towards learning that is focused on developing the creative, critical, and systems thinking capacities of students to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” the CBSE stated.
