*Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh
**Professor, Department of Education, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh
Online published on 6 December, 2013.
Question papers play one of the most important roles in any education system. In the prevailing education scenario in India, a question paper is the major tool used for appraisal of the pupils’ achievement in a particular field. With the help of question papers, one tries to find out whether the set objectives of the curricula are realized and thereby, to evaluate the entire teaching-learning process. The teachers as well as the students plan their respective works and activities keeping an eye on the questions set in the question papers. If the question papers include questions demanding thorough and deep study, they will also orient their teaching learning techniques and habits to meet those demands.
Class-X Board examination is the first public examination that a student face in his/her regular course of study. In Assam, Class-X examinations are mainly conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). There is a public apprehension that it is easier to score high marks/grades in CBSE Examination than High School Leaving Certificate Examination conducted by SEBA. It is also discussed that the examinations conducted by CBSE are more reliable and valid. This necessitates a comparative study of the examination systems of SEBA and CBSE. This paper attempts to make a comparative study of one of the important aspects of examinations – the question papers of SEBA and CBSE Class-X examinations.
The objective of the study was to analyze the Class-X question papers of SEBA and CBSE examinations of 2010 and 2011 and compare them in respect of following aspects: a) coverage of instructional objectives, b) coverage of contents, c) types of items and their suitability in the light of instructional objectives to be assessed, d) options given in the question papers and e) language used in the questions.
The following question papers of HSLC Examination (2010 and 2011) conducted by SEBA were taken for analysis: English, General Science, General Mathematics and Social Science. On the other hand, the question papers on English-Communicative, Science, Mathematics and Social Science of CBSE Class-X examinations (2010 and 2011) were included in the sample of the present study.
The study revealed that there is considerable difference in each aspect under the study in the Class-X question papers of the examinations conducted by SEBA and CBSE.
