Schools attribute it to multiple factors including On-Screen Marking, the growing number of competency-based questions, and the pressure faced by students for admission
A growing number of UAE-based CBSE Class 12 students are applying for mark re-evaluation this year, with students and educators pointing to concerns around the evaluation process, changing assessment methods and increased academic pressure.
The trend follows the recent declaration of CBSE board results, with families across the UAE, other Gulf countries, overseas schools and India expressing concern over unexpectedly low marks in several subjects.
The issue appears to have affected students from multiple streams, particularly those seeking admission into professional and highly competitive courses.
Notably, examinations in Gulf countries were disrupted due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict. While the board adopted an alternative assessment method for some papers, many UAE students across streams still managed to sit for two to three examinations physically.
Now, some schools say applications for re-evaluation have increased compared to previous years.
Explaining the process, principals say students first request scanned copies of their answer sheets before deciding whether to proceed with re-evaluation.
Pramod Mahajan, principal of Sharjah Indian School, said, “If students feel there is an issue with the marking of papers taken through in-person (conventional) exams, they can apply for re-evaluation,” he said, adding that “marks may increase or decrease after corrections or re-totalling, with the revised score treated as final”.
Mahajan noted that the number of applications this year has been quite high from CBSE-affiliated schools across the globe, forcing the board to repeatedly extend deadlines.
“So many students applied that the portal was not able to handle so much traffic,” he said, adding that IIT professionals had reportedly been brought in to manage the technical load on the portal.
Compared to previous years, he said, many more students in the Gulf region are seeking revaluation, particularly for subjects where examinations were held physically. Marks for remaining papers were awarded through the alternative assessment scheme after regional tensions disrupted the exam schedule.
“The revaluation process is currently open only for Grade 12 students as Grade 10 got a chance to sit for exams a second time to improve their scores, if students were dissatisfied.”
Mahajan said several factors may have contributed to this year’s concerns.
“This includes On-Screen Marking (OSM), the growing number of competency-based questions, and the pressure faced by students aiming for admission into premier engineering institutes.”
He also highlighted the growing disconnect between entrance exam performance and board scores. “There are students who got very high percentile in IIT and JEE but they couldn’t manage 75 per cent in Grade 12,” he said.
Since securing at least 75 per cent in Class 12 remains mandatory for IIT-JEE qualification, many students are worried about their final board marks.
“Every year such cases are there, but this year that percentage has increased,” he added, noting that overall scoring appears to have dipped this year.
While some schools have seen a sharp rise in requests, others say the numbers have remained relatively limited in their institution. Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-Principal of Credence High School, said most requests from students this year have centred around science subjects.
“We have seen a very limited number of students opting for re-evaluation this year in Grade 12 and that is largely because most of the grade 12 papers were not held in the conventional manner this cycle,” she said.
“Among those who have applied, the requests are concentrated primarily in Physics and Chemistry, which is consistent with the trend we are seeing across schools.”
Singh said schools are counselling students and parents carefully before they decide whether to apply for verification or re-evaluation.
“We look at the student’s performance trajectory, their internal assessment data, and the gap between expectation and outcome before advising,” she said.
“We neither encourage nor dissuade outright, we guide.”
She added that schools support students in cases where there is a major mismatch between expected and actual scores, while also helping families focus on future academic plans. Speaking about the new evaluation system, Singh said schools appreciate CBSE’s intent but believe the transition may have been difficult for many stakeholders.
“Our genuine feeling is that a pilot rollout would have allowed schools, students, and the system to calibrate better before full implementation,” she said.
“We hope the Board continues to take feedback from schools seriously and uses this year’s experience, to strengthen the process going forward.”
© Khaleej Times
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