The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced a significant reduction in the fees charged for post-result services such as obtaining scanned copies of answer sheets, verification of marks, and revaluation requests. The decision comes amid rising concerns among students and parents over the implementation of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system after the declaration of the Class 12 board examination results.
Addressing the media during a press conference, School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar said the revised fee structure aims to provide relief to students seeking review and verification of their results. He also announced that students whose marks increase after re-evaluation will receive a full refund of the review fee collected by the board.
Under the revised fee structure, students will now have to pay ₹100 for obtaining scanned copies of evaluated answer sheets and another ₹100 for verification of marks. The revaluation or correction fee has also been reduced substantially to ₹25 per question. Earlier, students reportedly had to pay ₹700 per subject for scanned copies of answer sheets, ₹500 for verification requests, and Rs 100 per question for revaluation.
Officials stated that the refund provision was available until 2019 before being discontinued, and has now been reintroduced. Kumar said the board took the step following complaints from students regarding the high costs involved in post-result procedures.
The announcement came amid criticism surrounding the OSM system, which was reintroduced this year for answer sheet evaluation. Responding to concerns over the drop in pass percentage, Kumar said variations in question papers every year could be one of the reasons behind fluctuating results. He added that out of nearly 98 lakh answer sheets, approximately 13,000 were evaluated manually, and the overall system remains under continuous review.
He further explained that advancements in digital infrastructure and scanning technology enabled the board to reintroduce the system on a larger scale. According to Kumar, around 90 lakh answer sheets were scanned and converted into PDF format this year, with three levels of security incorporated into the process.
Explaining the evaluation mechanism, CBSE officials said the OSM system follows a step-wise marking pattern in which examiners are required to award marks for every step of an answer instead of only evaluating the final response. The board also informed that the re-evaluation process will commence from May 19 onwards.
To support students and parents during the post-result process, CBSE has also activated tele-counselling services. Students, parents, and schools can contact the helpline number 1800-11-8004 for queries related to examinations, results, and evaluation procedures.
Read the official notice here.