Madhyamik examinees next year will be graded on a nine-point scale instead of the current seven-point one.

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education on Friday decided to introduce the more “exhaustive” scale so that students can understand their performance better.

The highest scale under the new system will be AA+. Those scoring between 90 and 100 per cent will be awarded the grade and marked outstanding (see chart).

The lowest grade will be D to be awarded to students scoring below 25 per cent. They will be marked disqualified.

The decision was approved by the board’s executive committee last week and ratified by members of the board at its general body meeting on Friday afternoon.

“We will now wait for the state school education department’s nod,” said a senior official of the board after the meeting.

On Friday, the board also decided to allow those who pass Madhyamik to review answer scripts from next year.

Till this year, only those who had failed were allowed to review their answer scripts. The successful examinees could only apply for post-publication scrutiny (PPS). Under PPS, an examiner checks whether the student has been marked for all the answers and whether the marks have been added correctly.

From 2012, successful examinees will be able review their answer scripts in a maximum of two subjects. But those who apply for review will not be permitted to apply for PPS.

The board had earlier decided to test Madhyamik examinees only on the Class X syllabus from 2012. This year, the questions covered the syllabi of both classes IX and X.

Those reappearing in Madhyamik in 2012 after failing in 2010 and/or 2011 will also be tested only on the Class X syllabus, said a board official.