The much-anticipated first-semester examination for Class 11 under the revamped syllabus is set to begin today, September 13, and will continue until September 30, 2024. This year marks a significant change as students will now face two exams per year, with the first semester being conducted on OMR sheets using Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
While schools will set the question papers, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education has provided schools with OMR sheet templates, ensuring uniformity across the board. Schools will print and distribute the sheets to students, with the evaluation still following traditional methods since schools will be responsible for checking the answer sheets. This decentralised approach aims to offer schools the flexibility to manage their examination processes effectively.
Exams will be held daily from 3 PM to 4.15 PM, except for Visual Arts, Music, and Vocational subjects, where the exam duration is 45 minutes, starting at 3 PM. Practical subjects carry a full score of 35, while other subjects are marked out of 40.
This year, around 7.65 lakh students will sit for the Class 11 exams, a significant rise from last year’s 5.6 lakh candidates. Along with 60 subjects tested last year, five new subjects have been added, including Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Applications of AI, Science of Well-being, and Cyber Security. Additionally, three new vocational subjects have been introduced, making it a total of 67 subjects at the higher secondary level. Despite these additions, the syllabus has seen some cuts, with Gujarati being dropped from the curriculum.
Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to appear for supplementary exams in February 2025, ensuring they can make up for any missed or failed exams during the initial schedules.