With an idea to control cut-offs for admission to colleges, all the boards, including CBSE, have decided that they will stop “upward spiking” of marks, doing away with the marks-moderation policy. As per the marks moderation policy up to 15% extra marks are awarded to students in certain papers in which the questions are deemed to be difficult.

With CBSE giving upto 99% marks to students in Class 12, the cut-offs for admission to colleges including Delhi University colleges was sky-rocketing for the last few years. Most of the DU colleges declare cut-offs between 95 to 98%each year, in some cases the cut-offs have reached as much as 100% as well.

While the colleges said they are unable to reduce cut-offs because students are scoring high marks, the ministry decided to review the system of marking. The CBSE had earlier said that a unilateral scrapping of marks-moderation policy would put CBSE students at a disadvantage during UG college admissions, hence it was very important that all state boards also agree to it.

A review of the marks-moderation policy was taken in a meeting of all the boards including CBSE, ICSE and state boards on Monday, in which it was decided that boards will scrap stop upward spiking of marks.

“All the states present in the meeting agreed that no upward spiking of marks will happen from coming year onwards. Earlier the boards did not have a forum where they could discuss issues like these, but with this meeting, they all discussed the marking policy and agreed that spiking should not be done,” said a senior official in HRD Ministry.

In another important decision, it was also agreed upon that “Grace marks” will be given to students after mentioning it on their mark-sheets. “The boards also reached on a consensus that grace marks will continue but with a clear explanation by all the boards on what is the criteria on which they are giving grace marks. Also, this will have to be mentioned clearly on the marksheets,” the officer added.

According to officials in the ministry, this decision of mentioning grace marks on marksheets has been taken to give a fair chance to all the students. Suppose if a student received 35 percent marks on his own and another one got them by grace, it will not be fair on part of a college to give admission to one with grace and ignore the other one. Hence we want it mentioned in the markesheet,” a source privy to the developments in the meeting said.