March 15: Teachers and examinees today alleged that the ISC math paper was "tough", especially for commerce and humanities students.

Students at various centres said today's paper was not only "tough" but its pattern was different from that of previous years.

The Class XII math syllabus is split into three sections - A, B and C. Section A carries 80 marks and is compulsory. Sections B and C carry 20 marks each and students have to attempt either.

"Section A is usually a mix of difficult and not-so-difficult questions. Examinees, especially from the commerce and humanities streams, felt the balance was lacking this time. The questions on calculus and probability were quite tough," the principal of a reputable school in south Calcutta said.

There was no complaint about Section B, which contains topics like trigonometry and vector. "The questions in this section are usually difficult as they are meant for very bright students who aim to do higher studies in core science subjects," the principal of another school said.

Section C is again meant for all categories of students. But examinees of some schools complained they found the questions in this section tough.

Gerry Arathoon, the secretary and chief executive of the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations, which conducts the ISC exams, said no complaint about the math paper had been received.