Students alerted the invigilating teachers at most examination centres about this error after reviewing the complete question paper.
Students taking the Class VIII Science exam held by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) on Friday noted that one version of the question paper, printed in Punjabi, lacked three questions worth five marks each. This caused confusion and anxiety for students at multiple exam centres throughout the state.
Students alerted the invigilating teachers at most examination centres about this error after reviewing the complete question paper.
“The exam paper consists of a total of 80 marks, divided into short questions worth one, two, or three marks each, and three questions worthfive marks each.” In the Punjabi exampaper, the three questions worth five marks each were absent. “This implies that students were unable to attempt a paper worth 15 marks,” commented oneof the invigilators stationed at an exam center in Amritsar.
PSEB, recognizing the issue, instructed all center heads and teachers on exam duty to translate the absent questions from the English or Hindi question paper sets. However, the response arrived too late, between 1 and 1:30 pm, and the test concluded by 2:15 pm.
“Many students had completed the paper before we were made aware of the translation part.” The document, written in English, contained numerous spelling mistakes and printing errors, leading to significant confusion among the students. “It was a mistake,” stated a science teacher assigned to a government school in Jandiala Guru.
Chandni, aneighth-grade student in Amritsar, shared her experience, stating, “The majority of the students at our center had a set of question papers in Punjabi. We all believed that there were only short-answer questions of the objective type. However, with ten minutes remaining in the exam, our teachers instructed us to answer the question. They inscribed them on a blackboard. “Yet the majority of us were unable to cope.”
Acknowledging the printing problem, the PSEB spokesperson mentioned that such printing errors cannot be identified until the question paper is removed from the sealed packet and handed out.
A teacher from a government school in Tarn Taran requested that students who wereunabletoanswer the question shouldreceivegrace marks.
“Fifteen marks is significant, and a vast majority in rural border belt schools tackle the question paper in Punjabi.” “This shouldn’t impact their performance,” he stated.
