CBSE 2021 exam to be held in written mode but what about Practicals? Here's everything you need to know

In its statement, the board has clearly ruled out the possibility of online exams and said that they would be conducted in written mode only. According to sources, the board is not in a favour of online exams since not everyone has equal access to technology and the internet.

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CBSE board exam 2020: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced on Wednesday (December 2) that the high-stake class 10 and 12 board examinations would be conducted in written mode and not on online mode or any other measure. Speaking on the closed schools, the board also stated that some alternative might be considered in case conducting practical examinations would not be possible.

In its statement, the board has clearly ruled out the possibility of online exams and said that they would be conducted in written mode only. "The exams, as and when they are be conducted, will be in written mode and not in an online mode. The exams will be conducted following all COVID protocols," the board said in a statement. 

According to sources, the board is not in a favour of online exams since not everyone has equal access to technology and the internet.

This effectively means that the board is in favour of offline, pen and paper written exams, which will be conducted following all COVID-19 health guidelines. Speaking to PTI, a senior official confirmed that consultation on the possible exam dates for CBSE Board Exam 2021 were underway. There are news and rumours of a possible delay in the class 10, 12 board examinations. To that, neither confirmation nor denial was offered.

So far, the board has taken no decision on the conduct of board exams for both class 10 and 12.

Sources indicate that an announcement on exams could be made by Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal on 10 December, during which the minister will talk about 'upcoming competitive and board exams.'

With Dr Pokhriyal asking all to drop their concerns using #EducationMinisterGoesLive, all eyes are now on Thursday, 10 December, when the minister could make some important announcements.

Will class 12 Practical exams be held?

According to sources, Practical examinations will be held for class 12 students who have been able to attend practical classes. However, several students have complained that they could not attend even a single practical class as their school did not open due to the pandemic. Keeping this in mind, the board has announced that it is exploring alternate modes for marking practicals.

"In case students are not able to do practicals in classes before the exams, alternatives to practical exams will have to be explored," teh board said in a statement. 

Practicals are only held for class 12 students, the marks for which vary from 20 to 30. These are often held within the school, but are marked by an external examiner or observer.

Meanwhile, a final date for the Practical examinations is yet to be issued by the board.