SSC students in a dilemma over revised question paper pattern

Hyderabad:  This year's question paper pattern for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) public examination has been changed. Even as week is left for the SSC exam, students seem to be worried about completing the question paper on time; also whether they will score good marks, as this time there are minimal choices. Teachers point out that the decision to revise the question paper pattern was taken by the Education department two months back. It has become a practice for the department to change things at the 11th hour ahead of the exam. The changed patterns have not been practiced in schools much; just twice. The students are in a dilemma whether they will score good marks or not, especially in mathematics. The number of papers has been reduced from 11 to 6, but the pattern of the new question paper has been changed for mathematics, science and social studies, in section A and B; short questions have no choices; in section C long answers have choices; of the six questions students have to answer four; this has left them students in a state of confusion.

"The decision of changing the question pattern should be taken at the beginning of the academic year, but they took it, that too just three months before the exam. Students hardly got time to practice. Earlier there were ample choices in question papers; each subject paper was divided into two parts. Now, it is a single paper. Earlier, if a student scored less marks in part one, they had the chance to score good marks in part two. But now with a single paper, this is not possible. That too this time it is 100 percent syllabus. During the pre-final exams we found students had difficulty in solving question papers and left many questions," said Shivaraj, mathematics teacher of a private school in Banjara Hills.

Said Saifullah Khan, social teacher of government school, Yakutpura, "This is the first board exam for these students; exams are for testing the students' knowledge, but with the change in question pattern, it seems that the department is punishing them; the number of essay questions in the model paper has been increased by 33 per cent, but the time has not been increased. Many students complained to me they are not able to complete the question paper on time. We hardly could make them practice; many might find it hard even to score pass marks."

Said M Nakul, a private school student in Secunderabad, "We hardly got enough time to practice the new question model papers; they have less choices; this time it is a single paper that too for 100 marks. I don't know if I will be able to complete my paper on time or not, especially math paper."  Said Anil Reddy, another class 10 student, "most of us depend on option questions because we can score marks from these questions; but now when there is less choice, this time many of us will be scoring less marks. It will be better if the department rethinks on it and at least increases the time."