The Central Board of Secondary Education clarified concerns regarding the use of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system in Class 12 board examinations after students and parents raised doubts over evaluation and pass percentages.

What is the On-Screen Marking System?

• On-Screen Marking (OSM) is a digital evaluation system in which scanned answer sheets are assessed electronically by examiners.
• The system operates under the Ministry of Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Key Features of OSM

• Answer sheets are:
  • Digitally scanned.
  • Uploaded to a secure evaluation platform.
  • Checked electronically by authorised examiners.
• The system aims to ensure:
  • Transparency in evaluation.
  • Uniform marking standards.
  • Faster result processing.
  • Reduced manual errors.

Important Highlights

• The Central Board of Secondary Education stated that:
  • OSM was first introduced in 2014.
  • It is widely used internationally by boards such as:
    • International Baccalaureate.
    • Cambridge Assessment.
• Nearly 98 lakh answer sheets were evaluated through OSM this year.
• More than 13,000 answer sheets with scanning or legibility issues were manually checked.

Advantages of the System

• Examiners can evaluate answer sheets from different locations, improving flexibility.
• Digital monitoring strengthens Security, accountability, and fairness in assessment.
• Students can:
  • Access copies of evaluated answer sheets.
  • Apply for verification and re-evaluation.

Challenges and Concerns

Some concerns raised include:

• Difficulty in reading lightly written answers after scanning.
• Fear of technical errors affecting marks.
• Need for stronger digital infrastructure and examiner training.

The Ministry clarified that additional security and manual verification mechanisms were used to maintain fairness.

Exam Hook: UPSC Prelims Question

The Central Board of Secondary Education functions under which ministry of the Government of India?
(a) Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(b) Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
(c) Ministry of Education
(d) Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Answer: (c)

One-Line Wrap

The On-Screen Marking system reflects India’s growing shift towards technology-based educational governance aimed at ensuring transparent, efficient, and standardised evaluation processes.

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