ICSE, ISC board exams deferred, board to review situation on 1 June

Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations said that Class 12 exams will be held at a later date while students of Class 10 have been offered a choice.

Students outside a school in Kozhikode after giving a board examination on 27 May 2020 (representational image) | PTI

New Delhi: The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has decided to defer exams for classes 10 and 12 (ICSE and ISC), which were scheduled for 4 May, in light of the aggressive second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an official statement Friday, the board said that it will review the situation again on 1 June and a new schedule will be announced based on the review.

The statement added that exams for Class 12 will be conducted at a later date while two options have been given to students of Class 10. They can either write an offline exam along with Class 12 students or choose not to give the exam altogether.

If a student chooses not to write the exam, he or she will be evaluated on the basis of a marking scheme, which the board will decide. It has not specified the marking scheme at the moment.

“In view of the ICSE candidates opting for the second option, the CISCE will develop a fair and an unbiased criterion while preparing the results of such candidates,” read the statement, issued by Gerry Arathoon, chief executive and secretary of CISCE.

Surge in cases forces several boards to cancel exams 

CISCE’s decision comes days after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) also cancelled Class 10 board exams and postponed Class 12 exams.

The rising number of Covid-19 cases across the country has led to many other boards, including the International Baccalaureate (IB), to change their exam schedule. The IB announced that they are cancelling this year’s exams for classes 10 and 12 Thursday.

“The IB has informed schools of our decision not to hold examinations in India due to the rising cases of COVID-19 and following ongoing conversations with our schools, associations and education boards,” said an IB spokesperson, in a statement.

He added that students will be assessed on the basis of their “coursework marks and predicted grades” for the May 2021 session.

Many states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have also postponed exams.

(Edited by Rachel John)