New grade system for CBSE exam

KOLKATA: Marks will no longer be awarded together with grades to children passing the Class X CBSE examination. The board has decided to do away with marking system. Now, it will only judge students on a nine-points gradation system. If things fall in place, evaluation based only on gradation will begin from 2010 session.
There are two reasons that have triggered this decision says chairman of CBSE board, Vineet Joshi."When the students are judged by marks, research shows that in any evaluation system there are minor errors ranging between 5% to 15%. If that be so, then how can we claim that a score of 45 is absolutely error free?" points out Joshi. Thus, judging a child on 101 points is no longer justified.
The second reason for doing away with the traditional marking system is to put a complete hold on unnecessary competition fuelled by parents among children which, at times, even leads to suicidal tendencies.
To begin with, CBSE has decided to go for the proposed nine points grading. The nine grades will be A1, A2, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3 and E. Students achieving marks between 95 to 100 will be graded as A1, 90 to 95 as A2. Grade for marks between 80 to 89 is B1, 70 to 79 is B2, 60 to 69 is B3, 50 to 59 is C1, 40 to 49 is C2, 33 to 39 is C3. Marks below 33 will be graded as E (needs improvement).
Malini Bhagat, principal of Mahadevi Birla Girls Higher Secondary School welcomed the change. "We were aware that CBSE was planning to usher in more changes in their Class X examination. Doing away with the marking system altogether will be extremely beneficial
for the students. They can get over their fear of examination as marks automatically keep students under undue pressure," she said.
Principal of another city based-CBSE school, however, feels that it is just for the sake of a belief of doing a good thing in the educational system that CBSE is planning to do away with marks.
"Good students will still compete with each other to achieve A1 grade. Schools, too, will only allow students to take up science for their Class XI if they achieve high grades," she says.