Board Exams: HRD Ministry instructs Boards, States to refrain from spiking of marks

From next year, spiking of marks in class 10, 12 class board exams will no more be allowed according to the human resource development (HRD) ministry's new advisory. State Boards along with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been asked to abide by the same.

Exception

As per HT report, however, school boards will continue with a moderation policy to grant marks for papers with "difficult" or "ambiguous" questions in exam papers and offer a level playing field to all students in the evaluation process.

CBSE levels up the mean achievements in the set-wise performance of the candidates, attributable to the difference in the difficulty level of different sets of question papers in the multiple-set scheme. Sources say CBSE had decided to do away with the spiking of marks and consensus was being built among states to do the same.

It often happens that in order to increase marks of students, some state boards use the moderation system spiking the overall pass percentage

An HRD ministry advisory on the matter has been issued to all states by school education secretary Anil Swarup. The practice of awarding grace marks will continue for students who need just a few marks to pass their exams, but this information has to be disclosed on the school and state board's websites.

These recommendations have been made by the inter-board working group headed by the CBSE's former chairman RK Chaturvedi. "Bunching of marks and their spiking should be completely avoided. The practice of awarding grace marks should continue to pass their borderline cases (students who are failing by a few marks)," the advisory has said.

More News
VVISM Launches Industry-Integrated BS Computer Science Program in Collaboration with TalentSprint
Vishwa Vishwani Institute of Systems and Management (VVISM) has announced the launch of its forward-looking BS Computer Science program in collaboration with TalentSprint, marking a significant step toward industry-aligned technology education. This ...
IBS Selection Process 2026
IBS Selection Process 2026 scheduled for Feb 14-22nd   It`s your time now!  Last year a great number of candidates  attended the selection process at IBS Hyderabad Campus  To know their experiences click here  https://...
CU Engineers Grab Rs 12.85 LPA Placements at Maruti Suzuki
CU Engineers Grab Rs 12.85 LPA Placements at Maruti Suzuki Engineering students from the Automobile and Mechanical disciplines to begin their professional careers with the largest automobile manufacturer in India India’s top ranked private un...
National Student Fest SANSKRITI 2K26 inaugurated at IPE, Shamirpet Campus - Reg.
The Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), a premier B-School in Hyderabad successfully inaugurated its two-day National Management Fest, SANSKRITI 2K26, on 29 and 30 January 2026 at its Shamirpet Campus, witnessing vibrant participation from manageme...
National Student Fest SANSKRITI 2K26 inaugurated at IPE, Shamirpet Campus - Reg
The Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), a premier B-School in Hyderabad successfully inaugurated its two-day National Management Fest, SANSKRITI 2K26, on 29 and 30 January 2026 at its Shamirpet Campus, witnessing vibrant participation from manageme...
SVKM’s NMIMS opens undergraduate registrations for 2026–27 admissions across Commerce, Engineering, Law, Design, and Mathematics
SVKM’s NMIMS opens undergraduate registrations for 2026–27 admissions across Commerce, Engineering, Law, Design, and Mathematics Registrations are now open through NPAT, NCET, NLAT, NDAT, and MST for SVKM’s NMIMS, India’s top...
IBSAT 2025 results are declared today at 5 PM
The IBSAT 2025 Test with scholarships was successfully concluded on 27 & 28 December 2025.  The test results will be declared today at 5:00 PM, the top 500 IBSAT rankers will also receive their scholarship letters along with the result. The...
Chandigarh University, Uttar Pradesh, to Host India’s First Agentic AI Founders’ Hackathon
Announcement Article For Hackathon Chandigarh University, Uttar Pradesh, to Host India’s First Agentic AI Founders’ Hackathon - “0 to 1 - Hack with Uttar Pradesh” Chandigarh University, Uttar Pradesh (CU-UP), Technology Busi...
NALSAR University of Law Announces Opening of MBA Admissions for the Academic Year 2025–2026
  NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad — a premier government institution and ranked 3rd in India (NIRF, 2025)— announced the opening of admissions for its MBA Programme (Batch of 2025–2027). The inauguratio...
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, inaugurated India’s First AI-Augmented Multidisciplinary University, Chandigarh University, Uttar Pradesh
  On 26th July 2025, Chandigarh University, Uttar Pradesh campus, was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath. Chandigarh University's Unnao campus will revolutionize higher education through AI integra...