CBSE to introduce digitised marking to reduce tabulation errors

With an aim to reduce errors in tabulating and marking of answer scripts, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will introduce a system of ‘digitised marking’ for Class 10.

A well-placed official from the CBSE regional office at Chennai told Deccan Herald that this digitised system is set to be introduced in the region on a pilot basis and that it will gradually be introduced in other regions as well. “Training of as many as 400 teachers in the digitised system of marking has already started in Tamil Nadu and the same will take place in Bangalore very soon,” said the official.

Accordingly, the answer scripts will be digitally scanned and the scanned copy will be transmitted to correction centres through a server. The digitised answer script will then be checked by an examiner who has been trained in using the system. An external agency will do the work of scanning the answer scripts.

“On-screen and computer-based marking will help avoid a lot of discrepancies that usually take place while totalling marks. Moreover, the problems involved with transporting of answer scripts will also be reduced and secrecy maintained,” said the official. 

According to Shil Balasingh, principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya, DRDO, the number of students applying for re-totalling of marks was usually high and she is hopeful that the new system will ensure that this trend reduces. 

“There might be cases where a particular section remains unmarked. Sub sections in the questions may also not be marked properly. This might lead to errors in totalling the marks. The new system will reduce all of these errors,” said Balasingh.

She was also of the opinion that the new system may lead to other processes like the declaration of results becoming more faster.