An unexpected delay in the announcement of CBSE Class X results left students anxious for around three hours on Thursday.

The results were published online at 6.45pm. The CBSE had announced on its website that the Class X results would be declared at 4pm on Thursday and students would be able to access the results online or by sending an SMS or calling the board’s office in Delhi.

“We logged in at 3pm but, to our surprise, a message flashed on the screen at 4pm that the results were likely to be announced at 7pm,” said a Class X student at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Teachers and principals of several schools had returned home by the time the results were posted online. “Students can access their results on their personal computers and we will publish the results on Friday morning,” said the principal of a south Calcutta school.

The CBSE made the Class X board examination optional from last year, allowing students to choose between a board exam or one conducted by the school.

Most CBSE Class X students in the city had opted for an internal examination. The question papers for the exam were sent by the board but the answers were evaluated by the school and sent to the board, which announced the results and issued certificates.

Delhi Public School, Ruby Park, was one of the few city schools where more than half the students took the board examination. “More than 30 per cent of our students secured the highest grade,” said Anushree Ghose, the principal of the school.

For the board examination, the question paper was sent by the board and students took the examination at an external centre. The papers were then sent to the board for evaluation.

According to PTI, girls outshone boys in the Class X CBSE results, which recorded a pass percentage of 98.19, two per cent higher than last year’s.