The majority of the examinees, who were going to appear for Board exams in July, belong to the category of students who had completed three or more papers.

The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) decision to cancel the remaining Board examinations for Class X and XII students, scheduled in July, in view of the Covid-19 situation and approved its scheme to instead award students marks on the basis of the exams they have already taken.

According to the scheme, results of students who have completed examination in all subjects will be declared based on their performance. Out of 12.66 lakh Class XII students in CBSE-affiliated schools, about one-third had finished their exams before the Covid-19 disruption.
For students who have appeared for more than three subjects, average of the marks obtained in three best-performing subjects will be awarded for subjects whose examinations have not been held yet.

The scheme also says that students who have appeared in only three subjects, average of marks in two best-performing subjects will be awarded for papers whose exams have not been conducted. The majority of the examinees, who were going to appear for Board exams in July, belong to the category of students who had completed three or more papers.

The Board told the court there are “very few students of Class XII, mainly from Delhi, who have appeared in the examinations in only one or two subjects”, and “their results will be declared based on performance in the appeared subjects and performance in internal/practical project assessment”. There are about 2,300 such students.

In a draft notification drawn up on Thursday – a copy was presented to the court Friday – CBSE stated “these students will also be allowed to appear in the optional examinations conducted by” it “to improve their performance, if they desire to do so”. Their “result…will also be declared along with other students,” it stated. Sources said students will have at least ten days notice for the optional exams.
The bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna, which perused the draft presented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, approved it and permitted CBSE to issue the notification.
The court was hearing a plea seeking cancellation of CBSE and CISCE exams scheduled in July.