CBSE on-screen marking was inevitable, but was it rushed?

NEW DELHI: For an examination system handling millions of answer sheets every year, the push towards technology was perhaps inevitable. CBSE's rollout of on-screen marking (OSM) for Class XII board examinations this year was therefore hardly a radical experiment, but part of a larger shift already underway across universities and examination boards seeking to reduce long-standing manual errors, improve transparency and build a more secure, future-ready evaluation system. Yet, amid complaints from some students over allegedly blurred scanned copies and operational glitches during post-result processes, questions are now being raised over whether CBSE could have staggered the rollout differently or adopted a more phased transition.

The logic behind digital evaluation is straightforward: automatic totalling of marks, prevention of skipped answers, reduced clerical mistakes, faster processing and greater secrecy in handling answer scripts. Importantly, evaluators - not computers - assessed the copies, and the marking scheme remained unchanged from the traditional system.



Several institutions that moved to digital evaluation earlier say the technology itself is not the problem. The challenge, they argue, lies in managing scale, training and gradual implementation.

Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Karnataka, one of the earliest adopters, introduced digital evaluation in 2011. Initially dependent on external software, the university later built its own indigenous system.

"I worked as a custodian of exams in my career and have seen the malpractices that could happen in manual exams. Answer scripts could be replaced and pages changed; question papers could be leaked," said former VTU vice-chancellor H Maheshappa. "When I announced the idea of digital evaluation, people laughed. But now people have realised the advantages, and it is widely adopted."

Maheshappa said VTU established scanning centres where answer books were digitised the same day and uploaded by night. "There were two evaluators checking each script. If there was a difference of more than 15 marks between them, it went to a third evaluator. This practice continues," he added.

Bangalore University later adopted a modified version of the VTU system in 2018-19 after training faculty members. Officials said the digital process eliminated totalling mistakes, enabled contactless evaluation during the pandemic and allowed easier retrieval of answer sheets during disputes.

Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), which adopted the system in 2015 for over 1,500 affiliated colleges, said evaluators were empowered to reject unclear scanned copies.

Tamil Nadu's Anna University piloted digital valuation in 2019 before expanding it gradually after the pandemic. Alagappa University and Thiruvalluvar University have also adopted digital valuation systems. Anna University officials said every scanned page was checked for clarity before evaluation, and the rollout was deliberately phased.

Before the Cambridge board transitioned to on-screen marking, Mysuru-based technology firm Exelsoft spent nearly a year training AI systems using historical answer books, examiner annotations and awarded scores.

"We didn't simply switch on an AI model and begin marking," said Exelsoft chairman and managing director, Dhananjaya Sudhanva. "Different subjects required different models."

Sudhanva said every deployment begins with carefully controlled pilots involving 30,000 to 60,000 answer books before scaling up. Today, the company handles assessment operations covering 30 to 40 million tests every month for multiple examination boards, including AQA in England.

Even boards now planning digital transitions appear cautious after observing CBSE's experience. The Maharashtra State Board plans to begin with a limited pilot involving around 1,000 students in Pune for a supplementary geography examination.

"Whenever a new technology is introduced, there will be teething troubles," said Maharashtra board chairperson Trigun Kulkarni. "We have seen the problems faced by CBSE when implementing the system for a large number of students. So, we will introduce this system in a phased manner instead of in one go."

Savitribai Phule Pune University is also proceeding cautiously. "Only after we solve all the problems we face in these experiments and are satisfied will we even think of introducing it for our eight lakh-plus students," said pro vice-chancellor Parag Kalkar.

Mumbai University's troubled rollout of OSM in 2017 remains another cautionary example. Tech glitches, delays in uploading answer sheets and inadequate training disrupted result processing. Yet stakeholders say the system eventually streamlined assessments after initial difficulties.

CBSE maintains that its transition was not rushed. The board says OSM was first conceptualised in 2014 but deferred because technology was not mature enough. Before implementation this year, it conducted mock evaluations, webinars, training sessions and practice exercises involving teachers across school systems.

The broader consensus emerging from universities and boards, however, is that digital evaluation is increasingly becoming unavoidable for large-scale examinations. But institutions repeatedly underline that technological reform succeeds best through careful piloting, phased expansion and continuous course correction rather than a single sweeping leap.

(Inputs from Hemali Chhapia, Sruthy Susan Ullas, Yogita Rao, Ardhra Nair & A Ragu Raman)