MCQs Added to Semester 2 Exams of ICSE and ISC

Vinod Kakumanu
Jan. 7, 2022, 1:22 p.m.

As stated by Gerry Arathoon, the chief executive and secretary of the CISCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations), an MCQ (multiple- choice questions) component has been added to the semester 2 exams of ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII), along with short and long answer questions.

According to the specimen papers published by the CISCE, the total marks for the ICSE papers is 40 or 50 and is 35 or 40 for the ISC papers, depending on the subject. The time allotted for writing all papers is one-and-a-half hours.

Arathoon further stated that there is a change in the marks pattern of individual questions as well, since the semester 2 question papers are not of 70/80 marks and not of 2/3 hours’ duration like before. Both, the time allotted for writing as well as the marks, have been reduced.

The semester 1 exams consisted of only MCQs for both ICSE and ISC, which ended on December 16 and December 20 respectively.

A Principal said, “Since the semester 1 exam was completely MCQ, it was a new pattern for students, but in semester 2 there will also be short and long answers that we have been doing for so many years.’ He further explained that MCQ doesn’t mean the questions are going to be simple and straight, and the students will have to work out the answers in some subjects.

The practical’s for ISC have been brought forward by a month and have to be completed by January 31, 2022.