CBSE OSM row: After student’s 'not my answer sheet' post, board admits blunder and sends 'correct copy'

Amid widespread concerns over the newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has publicly admitted that some students were initially sent and evaluated against incorrect answer sheets.

The development comes after a Class 12 student, Vedant Shrivastava, alleged on social media that the Physics answer sheet uploaded under his roll number did not belong to him.

“The Physics answer sheet sent by CBSE is not my answer sheet at all,” the student had posted online, claiming that the handwriting and answers shown in the scanned copy were not his.

Following the viral complaint, the CBSE responded publicly on X, acknowledging the error.

“Upon review, the matter has been examined, and the correct copy of your answer book has been sent to your registered email address. Necessary action for updating your result, as applicable, is also being undertaken accordingly,” the board wrote in its reply.

The development comes days after multiple students began raising concerns over blurry scans, missing pages, unchecked answers, and discrepancies in the digitally evaluated answer sheets uploaded by the CBSE following the declaration of Class 12 board results.

CBSE corrects its blunder

After the CBSE addressed the issue and shared the original answer sheet with him, the student again took to social media, posting images of his actual evaluated Physics answer sheet.

Interestingly, the newly shared copy appeared to have been evaluated manually rather than digitally through the OSM system. This has led to speculation online that the paper may have been manually evaluated, only after the student’s complaint gained traction on social media.

In another post, the student highlighted the online abuse he faced after raising concerns publicly.

“Thanks to the people who supported us in these tough times and we faced so much mental harassment because of this. People called us anti-national and Pakistani just because we raised a genuine concern and in the end truth has prevailed,” he wrote.

He further urged the CBSE to investigate similar complaints raised by other students as well.

The incident has intensified concerns online, with many netizens pointing out that the issue was addressed only after the complaint went viral publicly, raising questions about how many similar cases may have gone unnoticed.

More cases come forward

However, Vedant’s case is not an isolated complaint. Several other students had also come forward, sharing similar concerns, soon after Vedant’s post went viral.

Now, the CBSE has reportedly addressed their concerns as well, admitting to the mix-up and ensuring that necessary steps will be taken to correct the same.

One student claimed that corrections in his Chemistry answer sheet led to a major jump in overall marks.

“My overall percentage increased from 84% to 91% after the correction of my Chemistry paper. And this was after corrections in Chemistry alone, increasing my overall percentage from 84% to 91%, roughly a 35 mark jump,” the student wrote online.

The student further highlighted how such discrepancies could significantly affect admissions and opportunities for Class 12 students.

“Many students with low marks may be blaming themselves, while the real issue could actually be an evaluation mistake or checking error,” he wrote.

The posts have further fuelled concerns over transparency and accountability in the current evaluation system, especially because even small changes in board examination marks can impact college admissions, cut-offs, scholarships, eligibility criteria, and entrance-related requirements.

Concerns now go beyond just 'technical glitches'

What initially began as complaints about unexpectedly low scores has now evolved into a much larger controversy surrounding the implementation of the OSM system itself.

Students and parents online are now alleging multiple types of issues, including blurry scanned answer sheets, missing pages, parts of answer sheets belonging to other students, correct answers allegedly marked zero, unevaluated pages, and mismatched uploads.

Many students have argued that the issue can no longer be dismissed as a handful of isolated technical glitches.

The controversy has become particularly sensitive because 2026 marks the first year the CBSE fully implemented the OSM system for Class 12 board examinations, under which physical answer sheets were scanned into PDFs and evaluated digitally.

IIT experts brought in, but students still unconvinced

Amid mounting criticism, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had earlier announced that teams of experts from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and IIT Kanpur would assist the CBSE in strengthening the technical infrastructure supporting the re-evaluation process.

However, many students are not satisfied with the resolution. Many are demanding grace marks ranging between 15 and 35, while others are now calling for complete manual re-evaluation of answer sheets and independent review mechanisms.

What began as a few students raising concerns over unexpectedly low board exam scores has now snowballed into a larger controversy, with growing questions being raised over the transparency, accountability, and reliability of the CBSE’s evaluation system, India’s largest examination board that assessed answer sheets for over 17.68 lakh Class 12 students this year alone.