More clarity needed on Class 11 question paper pattern

The idea behind making Class 11 students board exam was to make state board students well prepared for competitive exams like NEET.  “We have already started with the Class 11 portions when the school reopened in June.  Even the teachers are not clear about how to go about with the new examination patterns. Ideally, the orientation should have started in May itself. Now, we have already finished with one set of portions and we must wait for proper orientation,” says Vijaylakshmi R, correspondent, Vidya Ratna Group of schools. 

However, the School Education minister had already announced that an elaborate orientation would be organised for all the schools to help them understand the examination pattern. Some schools have already started special weekend classes for the class 11 students to help them prepare. “Like Class 12, we have started the unit and revision tests for the Class 11 students. This apart, we had an orientation wherein we invited the parents to explain them about the marks distribution and other details regarding the new question paper, says R J Bhuvanesh, CEO, Kaligi Ammal Ranganathan Chettiar Educational Trust. 

The assessment pattern for the Class 11 board exams also includes the performance in the classroom and attendance. “Earlier we saw that many schools completely ignored the Class 11 syllabus and made students prepare for Class 12 board exams. The internal assessment ensures that the portion is not missed,” says educationist S Somasundaram, adding that the objective type questions will only help students prepare for competitive exams like NEET. 

Also, some students say that they might not have time for co-curricular activities. “Class 11 is the time where we get to attend inter and intra school activities. We tend to skip a few classes before important matches and this might have to change now,” says S Senthil, a Class 11 student and a member of the school volleyball team.