ICSE Topper Scores 499/500 But His Mother’s Honest Reaction of Regret Has Divided the Internet

In most homes, scoring 499 out of 500 in the ICSE board exams would mean celebrations, sweets, and tears of joy. For Dibyendu Pramanik from Siliguri, it did bring pride, but also a quiet sense of disappointment over the one mark he could not get.

The Class 10 student secured 99.8% and an All India Rank 2. But soon after the results were announced, a video of his mother began circulating online.

“I am sad... It would have been better if he had scored one more mark. If he had studied a bit harder, then maybe we would not have been sad missing out on that one mark,” she said.

The reaction instantly struck a chord online. Some people felt the mother simply spoke from emotion after seeing her son come so close to a perfect score. Others said the moment reflected the intense pressure many Indian students grow up with — where even extraordinary success can feel incomplete.

Dibyendu, however, appeared calm and grounded. “I feel bad about losing that one mark, but it’s okay. I did okay,” he said, adding that he now wants to prepare for IIT entrance exams and become an engineer.

Across social media, the conversation quickly shifted from marks to expectations. One comment that went viral read: “He got 499/500 and she chose to focus on the one missing point.”

The story has now become more than just an exam result. For many students and parents, it feels painfully familiar.