The government has published the exam paper patterns for the SSLC and Plus Two examinations.
Though the focus area (textbook portions that need to be paid more attention to) for the SSLC and Plus Two examinations had been fixed at 60%, the questions from the focus area have been capped at 70%, with the rest pertaining to non-focus areas.
For instance, in a question paper with a maximum score of 80, questions for 56 marks will be from the focus area and the rest from non-focus areas. In a question paper of 60 marks, the focus area questions will be for 42 marks, the rest being from non-focus areas.
Last year, the focus area had been fixed at 40%. However, 80% of the questions were from the focus area, while the remaining 20% of the questions were from the rest of the portions, including the focus area. The number of questions was double that for which answers had to be penned. As a result, 100% of the questions could be answered from the focus area.
These factors are believed to have driven up the number of students who had A+ grade in all subjects last time, leading to complications in securing admission to Plus One and undergraduate courses.
This time, a question paper with a maximum of 80 marks has questions only for 120 marks, with 30% being from outside the focus area. So, students aiming to secure full A+ will need to be thorough not only with focus area, but non-focus area portions too.
The question papers patterns were finalised at a workshop organised by the State Council of Educational Research and Training recently.
