New Exam Format Introduced by CBSE for Classes 6 to 9

To make the exam and assessment system more accommodating for the restoration of board exam from 2018, CBSE has decided to remove the continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) scheme for classes 6 to 10.

Schools affiliated to CBSE have been following this scheme since 2009. The system will be replaced by the Uniform System of Assessment from the session 2017-18. The purpose of this new assessment scheme is to standardizing teaching and evaluation across various CBSE schools.

Until now, schools affiliated to CBSE have been following different assessment systems, lacking synchronization in terms of education format. With a standardized system in place, students will find it easier to migrate to different schools. The move will also ensure that the 18,688 CBSE schools in India follow a uniform flow of education.

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R K Chaturvedi, Chairperson of CBSE, said that the change of assessment scheme will help the students prepare for Class 10 board exams and higher studies. Writing exams for the entire syllabus will be useful for students in a longer run, added Chaturvedi.

What is the Uniform System of Assessment of CBSE?

• Structure: From class 6 onwards, students will be subjected to the uniform assessment where all CBSE schools will follow the same template for exams, report cards, etc. and will bear the CBSE logo.
• Report Cards: Students from classes 6 to 9 will now get identical report cards. It will comprise rows specifying the terms, notebook, subject enrichment as well as half-yearly/ yearly marks for every subject along with corresponding grades. The report cards will also show co-scholastic assessment where grades will be given on a 3-point scale.
• Result Format: The format of the report card will change for Class 9 students. They will be given scores on a single yearly term consisting of periodic tests, subject enrichment, notebook and annual examination. For class 9 students, co-scholastic grading will be done on a 5-point grading scale.
• Weightage: There will be two terms under the Uniform Assessment. The pen-paper test will carry a weightage of 90%. This will comprise 80 marks of the half yearly or yearly exam and marks for period assessment, i.e. 20 marks – 10 for each term.
• Score: The term will be evaluated out of 100 marks. Out of these, the periodic assessments will be for 10 marks that will be evaluated on the basis of subject enrichment and notebook submission (5 marks for each).
• Syllabus: For students of class 6 onwards, half-yearly (term 1) exams will be based on the syllabus covered by the end of the term. However, the format of yearly exams will be different and will cover more syllabus than the first term. This will be 10% for class 6, 20% for class 7 and 30% for class 8.

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The CCE scheme had 2 summative assessments at the end of the terms and 4 formative assessments (two for each term). Under this scheme, pen-paper tests had a weightage of 60% and formative assessments were given 40% weightage. Also, continuous evaluation was done by teachers based on different activities.