HS fourth semester exams to offer more question choices for better scores

Several schools affiliated with the ISC board are preparing to introduce entrepreneurship as a subject for students from commerce, humanities, and science beginning with the 2026 academic year, while others are still evaluating the option.

The state Higher Secondary Council has decided to increase the number of questions in the upcoming fourth-semester HS examinations, a move aimed at giving students more flexibility and improving overall performance. The council secretary explained that offering additional choices would make it easier for candidates to attempt questions they are more comfortable with.

Under the revised format, certain sections that were earlier planned to include three questions will now contain four. While the requirement to answer two questions remains unchanged, students will now be able to choose those two from a larger set. The fourth-semester papers will consist solely of short, descriptive questions.

Council officials believe the expanded options will particularly help students who were unable to complete the entire syllabus. With more questions to choose from, candidates can focus on topics they have studied, which is expected to result in better scores.

The fourth-semester examinations are scheduled to begin on February 12 and will conclude on February 27. The council president has already informed school heads about the revised question pattern during a recent meeting.

Teachers have pointed out that the syllabus could not be completed on time because of multiple disruptions, including extended holidays, delays in textbook distribution, and a shortage of instructional days. Classes that were supposed to begin in October reportedly started only in November after a long festive break, and model answers were released barely two weeks before the exams. In light of these challenges, the council decided to make scoring easier for students, though some educators feel this may compromise academic standards.

Another factor behind the change was the unexpectedly low number of students securing the top grade in the third semester. Of the over six lakh students who cleared the third-semester exam in early November, less than half a percent achieved the highest “O” grade. This was significantly lower than previous years under the older system, when more than one percent of successful candidates reached that benchmark.

The semester system, introduced in 2024, divides the Plus-II course into four parts. Schools conduct examinations for the first two semesters, while the council oversees the third and fourth. The third-semester assessment consisted entirely of multiple-choice questions.

Council officials expressed concern that if the number of top scorers does not rise, students from the state board may face difficulties during undergraduate admissions, especially when competing with candidates from CBSE and ISC boards, where high scores are more common. The council president emphasized the need for Bengal board students to secure top grades in sufficient numbers to remain competitive nationally.

It was also noted that the fourth-semester exams were originally planned for March but were advanced by nearly a month. Although election dates have not yet been announced, the revised schedule further reduced the number of classes that could be conducted, adding to the academic strain on students.