ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) has introduced grading formula in place of marking system in the matric and intermediate exams.

At the moment, the new system would be implemented for exams to be held under the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) as well as Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan boards.

The new grading system will be implemented in phases in the next three years.

Education Secretary Mohyiuddin Wani told Dawn that the new grading system in Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) examinations had been introduced, with an aim to promote fairness, transparency and accuracy in students’ academic evaluation.

He said the grading system would help control grading inflation, minimise competition for maximum marks and ensure accurate reflection of students learning and achievement.

The secretary said passing marks had also been increased to 40pc from 33pc.

According to a press release issued by the IBCC, the new grading system will help control marks’ inflation and minimise culture of competition for obtaining maximum marks among students, their parents and institutions.

It said the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE), Balochistan Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) and Sindh government had notified the implementation of grading scheme from annual board exams in 2025.

IBCC Executive Director Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah said the use of 10-point grading system would replace the old mechanism of reporting results with raw marks and grades.

Explaining the grading, he said students scoring 96 to 100 marks would be awarded A++, those who obtain 91 to 95 marks will get A+ while those scoring from 86 to 90 marks will be awarded an A grade. Similarly, B++ will be awarded to those students who obtain marks from 81 to 85, B+ from 76 to 80 marks, B from 71 to 75 marks, C grade to students scoring marks from 61 to 70, D for 51 to 60 and E would be awarded to students who get marks from 40 to 50.Those obtaining U will be considered fail.

Dr Mallah said the new grading system would be introduced in three phases, starting from 2025 for the class 9th and 11th results only.

“This year’s board result will reflect both grading and marks,” he said, adding that next year marks and grading would be introduced for class 10 and 12 and finally in 2027, grade-based results would be enforced.

It is relevant to note here that the IBCC is an umbrella board of 29 education boards of the country.

According to the IBCC, so far the Sindh government, which has nine boards, the federal government, which has only FBISE, Balochistan government, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, with one board each, have decided to adopt the new grading system.

The Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, with eight boards each, have yet to decide whether they would adopt the new system or not.

“We have requested both the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, and we are hopeful that they will also adopt the new grading system for uniformity in all boards,” the IBCC executive director, Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah, said.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2024