Now in class 10th, Mathematics and Science exams will be held at two levels, know what will be the impact on your child:

News India Live, Digital Desk: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made a big and important change for Class 10 students while implementing the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Now from the coming session, like Mathematics, the science examination will also be conducted at two levels. The objective of this new rule is to reduce the examination burden on students and give them an opportunity to choose the depth of the subject as per their interest and future plans. Let us understand this new change in simple language.

What are these two levels – Standard and Advanced?

Till now this system was only for Mathematics subject, but now it has been implemented for Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) also. Now students will get two options in these two subjects for 10th board exam:

1. Standard Level: This level will be for those students who do not want to take Mathematics or Science as their main subject in future i.e. in class 11th and 12th. For example, students who want to pursue a career in subjects like Commerce, Arts or Humanities can opt for the Standard Level. The difficulty level of this paper will be slightly easier than the Advanced level and the emphasis will be on basic understanding of the subject.
2. Advance Level: This level is for those students who want to take Science stream (PCM or PCB) in 11th and 12th and want to pursue career in engineering, medical or other science related fields in future. The level of this exam will be a little difficult and will focus more on deep understanding of the subject, reasoning ability and application-based questions.

Why was this decision taken?

The main objective of CBSE behind this change is to reduce the stress on students which is caused by studying in depth those subjects which they do not want to study in future.

• stress reduction: Many students worked very hard in mathematics and science just because they had to score good marks in board exams, even if they were not interested in these subjects. Now they can heave a sigh of relief by choosing the standard level.
• Better Focus: Students who are really interested in Science and Mathematics can further enhance their preparation by choosing Advanced Level and prepare themselves for competitive exams.
• Ease of choosing the right career: This arrangement will help students to decide in advance what field they are interested in, making it easier for them to choose the right stream in 11th.

What do students and parents need to keep in mind?

Schools will have to explain these two options thoroughly to the students and their parents at the time of registration for class 9th. The student has to decide which level he wants to choose, keeping in mind his future goals. However, the board is also considering whether if a student changes his mind after passing the Standard Level, he can be given another chance to take the Advanced Level exam, as is the case in Mathematics.

This is definitely a progressive step taken by CBSE which will encourage students to understand and learn as per their interest by removing them from the tendency of rote learning.