CBSE Term 1 Board exams in UAE: Schools, students go into preparation mode

Preparation, intervention and pressure tests are being conducted by CBSE-affiliated schools in the UAE ahead of the commencement of the Indian Board’s term 1 major papers.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Term 1 Board exams for Grade 10 major papers will be held from November 30 to December 11, and for Grade 12 students, the major papers will start from December 1 and end on December 22.

Dr Anjuli Murthy, Principal/CEO, GEMS Our Own High School – Al Warqa’a says, “The schools are already in examination mode, as they’ve held some exams. Teachers are continuing to guide students by providing support and clarifying doubts and preparing them for answering questions based on the new format of multiple choice questions. CBSE has also been updating all schools regarding safety protocols and the code of conduct for this examination, all of which has been shared with students and parents by the school on a regular basis.”

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Evaluation of the OMR sheets will be conducted on the same day and the correct number of answers for each student will be uploaded to the online portal and shared with CBSE on the same day.

Murthy adds, “All this is done under the supervision of an external observer appointed by the City Coordinator and Centre Superintendent.”

Abhilasha Singh, Principal, Shining Star International, Abu Dhabi, says, “We have conducted mock practices in school to prepare our students for the Board exams. The school counsellor also regularly meets the students to ensure sound mental health and wellbeing of the students. With the change in question paper pattern, students have been given guidance and practice on ways to attempt the paper.”

In view of the pertaining Covid-19 situation, students will have to wear masks, follow social distancing and other Covid protocols as mentioned on the admit card and by the authorities.

“We conduct a risk assessment for every exam to be prepared for all eventualities. Apart from this regular Covid-19 related restrictions will apply. However, there is support being seeked from the CBSE Board on the eventuality of a child getting Covid-19 and unable to write the paper physically from school. We are extremely grateful to the Board for supporting schools with mock testing by using the exam portal," adds Singh.

As the schools gear up internally to conduct the exams for all major subjects, CBSE schools heads in the country reiterate that the Board has been supportive in providing clarity to institutions on how to conduct the exams with zero errors.

They explain information and instructions are being cascaded to all schools through emails, WhatsApp groups and notifications.

Fatima Martin, Principal, GEMS New Millennium School – Al Khail, opined, “We urge all students to leverage the systematic programme of assessments and give it their best. CBSE has been very forthcoming in communicating the examination protocol to all their schools. Given that most schools are self-centres to conduct exams, the guidelines have been comprehensive and received well in time, for planning and implementation. This has also been instrumental in creating structured study timelines for our students.”

Students will receive their mark sheet once all their exams are conducted. They will receive a consolidated end of year certificate and mark sheet after the conduct of Term II examination. The marks from both these exams will be considered to award the final grade to the student.

Mala Mehra, Principal, Central School avers, “As Term 1 follows a new method of correction, FAQs (frequently asked questions) are being addressed and clarifications given. As for the pandemic, all schools are following the local authorities Covid-19 protocols to ensure there are no bottlenecks during the examinations and we are all able to finish them comfortably.”

• UAE