Will CBSE Offer Grace Marks or Adopt Lenient Checking After Board Exam Difficulty Concerns?

What Sparked the CBSE Board Exam Controversy?

The controversy began after the Class 10 Mathematics exam, where several students claimed that certain sets were significantly tougher than others. Some even alleged that a few questions required preparation at the level of competitive exams like JEE Main and JEE Advanced.

Before the debate could settle, the Class 12 Physics exam reignited concerns. Educators criticized the alleged inconsistency in difficulty levels across different question paper sets, raising questions about fairness and uniformity.

One educator, Prashant Kirad, reportedly announced plans to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against CBSE, highlighting the stress and uncertainty faced by thousands of students.

Will CBSE Announce Grace Marks or Liberal Checking?

As of now, CBSE has not issued any official notification regarding grace marks or lenient evaluation. Therefore, there is no confirmation that such measures will be implemented.

However, based on past practices, here are the situations where CBSE may consider grace marks or moderation:

When Can CBSE Award Grace Marks?

CBSE may consider awarding grace marks under the following circumstances:

Minimum Passing Criteria: Students must secure at least 33% marks to pass. If a student falls short by 1 mark or a marginal difference, the board may grant grace marks at its discretion.

Errors in Question Paper: Printing mistakes, incorrect options, or factual inaccuracies may lead to compensation marks.

Out-of-Syllabus Questions: If questions are beyond the prescribed syllabus or unusually difficult, the board may award grace marks.

Lengthy Question Papers: If a paper is excessively long and difficult to complete within the allotted time, moderation may be applied.

Set-wise Moderation: To ensure fairness across different sets, CBSE may use moderation policies to balance scoring patterns.

Important Clarification

While these are standard conditions under which grace marks may be considered, there is no guarantee that CBSE will adopt liberal checking or announce grace marks for the 2026 board exams unless an official statement is released.

Students are advised to rely only on official updates from CBSE and avoid misinformation circulating on social media.