Evaluation rules for ISC practical papers revised

The science practical answer scripts of Class XII students, who are scheduled to take the Indian School Certificate (ISC) examinations, will be evaluated by visiting examiners on the day of the examination "at the school itself", the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) said on Thursday.

The revised practical paper evaluation rules for ISC examinations will come into effect from this year.

"From the examination year 2018 onwards, the ISC (class XII) practical answer scripts for the subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology will be evaluated by appointed visiting examiner/s on the day of the practical examination at the school itself," CISCE chief executive and secretary Gerry Arathoon said.

The science practical answer scripts of ISC candidates were evaluated at centralised evaluation centres set up by the council till last year.

The CISCE released the time-table for this year's ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) examinations on Wednesday. Over 1.84 lakh students are registered for taking ICSE examinations this year while 81,852 students will appear for ISC examinations.

From this year, Class X students of CISCE schools will have to secure minimum 33% marks, instead of 35%, in each of their subjects to pass ICSE examinations. Class XII students need to secure a minimum 35% score, instead of the current 40%.

The council had earlier in November said that the revised pass mark rules will become effective from 2019.

The CISCE, which has over 2,100 schools affiliated to it in India and abroad, reduced the minimum pass percentage cap for both ICSE and ISC examinations "to bring about a close uniformity with other boards in the country".