CBSE scraps marks moderation policy

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has scrapped the moderation policy under which grace marks are given to students in exams for difficult questions. The decision was taken at the Board's high-level meeting.

The move comes after the CBSE had in December last year requested the HRD Ministry to help develop a consensus among all state boards on completely removing the policy which is considered as the reason behind inflated scores in board exam



results.

Under the policy, examinees are awarded up to 15 per cent extra marks in certain papers if the questions are deemed to be difficult. However, the practice of awarding grace marks will continue to ensure that a student clears an exam if he or she needs a few marks to do so.

If the states also decide to adopt the policy, then the soaring cut-offs for admission to colleges are likely to go down.