Dip in score above 90%

NEW DELHI: In contrast with this year’s class 12 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) results, which saw a huge spike in the number of high-scorers, the class 10 results declared on Wednesday showed a dip in the percentage of students who scored above 90% overall and 95% marks. While the former fell 18%, the latter number dipped 26.98%.

This year, 184,358 and 41,804 students from across the country scored above 90% and 95% respectively, fewer than last year when 225,143 and 57,256 students scored in the same range. CBSE officials attributed this dip to the Covid-19 situation, saying it may have caused stress among students in early March while they were appearing for their papers.

Principals of private schools said while the marking pattern has been similar to previous years, students have reported scoring less than they expected in mathematics. This year, the board had introduced the option of choosing a basic mathematics paper, which would be simpler than the standard paper.

Madhulika Sen, principal, Tagore International School, said, “While teachers said the marking pattern wasn’t much different, one reason could be moderation. We will have to discuss and find out the exact reason. While mathematics and Hindi results weren’t as good as previous years, social sciences scores have seen a spike, where of 133 students, 107 students have scored above 90%. Generally, 40-45% of our students score above 90%. But this year, the number stands at 30%.”