SHIVANI SINGH
As another Class 12 batch graduated from CBSE-affiliated schools on Sunday, one cannot blame students if they wished they could score more than 100 out of 100. Because there seems to be no rational means to stay ahead in this absurd race of all-too-perfect scores.
Raksha Gopal, the all-India topper, scored 99.6% in all five subjects and missed a cent percent aggregate by just two marks. She got 99% in history and psychology but 100 on 100 in the other three subjects, including English.
The results come just five days after the Board’s attempts to stop moderation of marks, in order to bring some sanity in exam scores, was shot down by the Delhi High Court.
Since high marks in school-leaving exam inevitably lead to higher cutoffs to get into Delhi University, too many top-scoring students will continue to compete for a few good options for undergraduate courses. For the most popular courses in best colleges, the qualifying score has consistently stayed above 95% and the seats fill up fast.
In 2011, Shri Ram College of Commerce was the first to ask for 100% in a certain four-subject combination for admission to B.Com (Hons), triggering mass outrage and inspiring a series of Rajinikant oneliners. But the jokes fell flat when at least two students made the cut.
This mad race to get cent percent marks has reached a stage where nobody is really sure how good is good enough. To reverse this trend, the CBSE, along with other state boards, had in April this year decided to drop the policy of moderation, a practice where students were given extra marks in subjects regarded as unusually difficult, or when there were variations in question paper sets. The board had also found that such marks were given in excess, leading to a spike in the overall scores and sending cutoffs for college admissions through the roof.
Last week, the high court directed the CBSE to exercise moderation. Even if the board challenges this decision in Supreme Court — it has not yet — the anomaly of inflated marks cannot be set right unless the CBSE reviews its own evaluation process.
Three years ago, my colleague