CBSE Faces Fresh Scrutiny After ‘Corrected’ Answer Sheet Shows Manual Markings

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing renewed criticism over its On-Screen Marking (OSM) evaluation system after a corrected Physics answer sheet shared with a Class XII student appeared to contain manual checking marks, raising fresh questions about the transparency and consistency of the board’s digital assessment process.

The controversy centres around student Vedant Shrivastava, who had earlier alleged that the Physics answer sheet uploaded under his roll number did not belong to him. Following public attention and widespread discussion on social media, CBSE reportedly provided what was described as his “correct” answer sheet. However, the revised copy displayed red ticks, circled scores, and handwritten notations commonly associated with physical evaluation rather than digital assessment.

The appearance of manual markings has now intensified debate over CBSE’s claim that the new OSM system relies on fully digitised evaluation methods. Education observers and students have questioned whether parts of the assessment process were manually reviewed after complaints surfaced, and whether the board maintained uniform evaluation standards throughout the examination cycle.

Vedant’s case has also drawn attention to a broader wave of complaints from students regarding the post-result verification process. Several candidates have reported issues such as mismatched answer sheets, blurred scanned copies and difficulties accessing documents through the portal. Students, including Sanjana and Riya, have publicly raised concerns about whether the uploaded scripts actually corresponded to their written examinations.

The growing number of complaints has shifted the discussion from isolated errors to possible systemic weaknesses in the scanning, tagging and verification process linked to CBSE’s digital evaluation framework.

Introduced to improve transparency and reduce human error, the OSM system allows evaluators to check scanned answer sheets digitally rather than physically handling paper scripts. However, reports from teachers and evaluators suggest that unclear scans, technical glitches and insufficient training may have affected the quality and reliability of the process during its large-scale rollout this year.

Critics argue that the rapid implementation of the system may have outpaced the board’s technical preparedness, especially given the volume of students appearing for Class XII examinations across the country.

Amid mounting scrutiny, the Ministry of Education has now directed expert teams from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to conduct a technical audit of CBSE’s post-examination services infrastructure. The review will reportedly examine server systems, login mechanisms, payment gateways and the broader IT architecture supporting the OSM process.

Officials hope the audit and subsequent recommendations will help restore confidence in CBSE’s evaluation and verification systems ahead of future examination cycles.