CHENNAI: Like college students, around 9% of students studying plus-2 in state board to write plus 1 arrears exam along with their board exams in March next year.
According to the sources in the school education department, the students who have arrears in plus-1 will be accommodated in the same centres they appear for plus-2 examinations.
“Of 8.47 lakh students appeared for plus 1 board exams last year, around 79,000 students could not clear the plus 1 exams in two attempts one in March and another one in June. The students will appear for first arrear exams,” sources said.
The teachers said that the students who were failed to clear had scored very low marks in the plus 1 board exams. “The answer sheets were liberally evaluated last year. Then the school education department also awarded grace marks since the board exams were introduced for the first time. Despite that 10% of students could not clear the exams as they got very low marks,” teachers who involved in the answer sheets evaluation told this paper.
The pass marks for languages and non-practical subjects were 25 out of 90 marks and for practical subjects, it was 15 marks out of 70 marks. The department has awarded 10 marks for internal assessment in all the subjects. For practical exams, it awarded 20 marks.
Though 91% of students cleared the first board exams in March 2018, only 3.3% students alone were able to score above 80% in the exams and less than one per cent scored above 90% marks.
“Except a few cases, we have awarded full marks in practical exams and internal assessment. But the students and teachers generally struggled to cope up without a blueprint to prepare for the exams,” a headmaster from a city school said.
He further said the students will be relieved as their plus 1 marks will not be counted for higher studies. Career consultant Jayaprakash A. Gandhi said, "When a new system is being introduced the question paper should be easy to pass but it should be difficult to get above 95 marks."
"Currently, the students are worried about the plus 2 examinations. These students are going to write the exam that will not be considered for higher studies. So, the government should ensure that the question paper is easy and students clear their arrears,” he urged.
As per the schedule released by the school education department, the plus 2 board examination will commence from March 1, 2019. It will go on till March 19. The plus 1 exam will commence on March 6 and end on March 22. Around 18 lakh students from plus 1 and plus 2 will write the board exams in more than 2,700 centres across the state.
