Performance falls by 2.25%, exam pattern change may be one factor

Back to boards and done away with the CCE pattern, this batch of Class X students was the first lot to not have the option of school-based exams. They had to wean off a different type of assessment that was followed since 2009 and appear for an annual examination based on the entire year’s portions.

This could very well have been one factor in lowering the overall pass percentage, say schools who pointed out that as with any new system, it would take time for students to adapt to changes.
The Chennai region has seen a dip of 2.25% from last year - a more significant dip when compared to very marginal dip 0.07% recorded in the previous year. However, the region has produced much better results it terms of number of candidates securing marks in the higher range when compared to others regions.
In terms of the number of students who secured marks in the bracket of ‘90% and above’ as well as ‘95% and above’, Chennai region produced the most number of candidates in both categories with 26,670 and 5,737 respectively. However, only 5 students from the southern states made it into the top 25 list of which one is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, another from Hyderabad, Telangana while the remaining three are from Kerala.
For several students in city schools who were dreading the changes in the examination pattern, the results were much better than expected, they said. Anand of BVM said, “I was surprised by my results as I was able to manage high scores.”
Some schools in the city and surrounding districts observed a pattern of several students receiving scores above 400. Shree Niketan School, for example, had more than 78% of their students securing above 400 marks.
A few other schools which witnessed similar patterns in the city said it seemed to be in contrast with the TN state board that is trying to cut down on awarding very high scores.
“It was surprising to see so many 499 marks out of 500 even in the rank list. While Tamil Nadu board’s evaluation at one point used to award 499s to thousands of students, this year it has taken a much more realistic approach with exams. But, CBSE now seems to be going in the other direction,” said Vishnucharan P, correspondent of the school. However, with no clear data on the district or state specific performance, it remains to be seen whether this generous awarding of marks was applicable to other districts or states as well, schools remarked.