CBSE schools in UAE to conduct first set of pre-board exams

CBSE-affiliated schools in the UAE have begun pre-board exams, with students having to tough it out answering subjective type questions for Term II against MCQs in Term I.

Term 2 board exams will be held on-site for Class 10 and Class 12 students from April 26, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had announced earlier.

Term 1 exams, which were conducted in the months of November-December, consisted of objective type questions (MCQs), while Term 2 will be based on subjective questions, with each set of exams covering 50 per cent of the curriculum.

Ambika Gulati, principal, The Millennium School – Dubai, said: “We are in the process of conducting pre-board examinations. We do see the scheduled date of April 26 as a significant challenge. We will need to support our board examination students as well as the commencement of the new academic session. However, our experiences from last year will hold us in good stead, as the strategies we employed then were very successful in supporting our school community.”

She added: “Students are anxious with respect to the subjective-type questions, as we see a change in the framing of examination questions. We are preparing question banks, support classes, one-on-one sessions and learning resources to support our students and ensure they feel confident. We are also exploring the possibility of conducting another practice examination prior to the board examination.”

Additionally, school counsellors are engaging students in sessions focused on stress and time management. “They are also available to address each student’s individual needs,” Gulati said.

Archana Sagar, principal of Amity Private School Sharjah, said: “We are also in the midst of the pre-boards. At the start of the academic year, learning and assessments were conducted online. First term exams were in a multiple-choice format which resulted in students losing touch with writing for subjective assessments.

"To overcome this, we planned and organised various practice sessions and chapter-wise subjective assessments. Assignments were also given, and constructive feedback has been shared to improve student performance. Parents have worked closely with us to ensure that students are confident and all set to conquer their pre-board examinations.”

Teachers are guiding students based on the sample question papers which CBSE has shared with all schools.

Dr Anjuli Murthy, principal/CEO, Our Own High School, Al Warqa’a, said: “We will be conducting pre-board exams in the last week of February. Subjective questions have always been a part of all school assessments, and we believe our students are prepared to answer these subjective-type questions.”

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“The challenge has been in terms of students appearing for two board examinations this year. This is the first time this has been done by the CBSE. In our school, students have undertaken a unit test based on the assessment pattern for Term 2,” added Murthy.

Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-Principal, Credence High School, said: “The school is conducting pre-board examination and subject enrichment classes to provide the best support to our students.

“Only Term II syllabus will be tested in the subjective board examinations. The syllabus is limited, and the students have adequate time to prepare well. All our students — particularly from these two grades — have been attending face-to-face classes regularly since September 2021. Classroom interactions have ensured that the preparations are on track.”

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