Several weak students who sat for the Class XII Board English examination held across Tamil Nadu were in shock at the examination centres on Tuesday, March 5, as several unexpected questions were asked from outside the book.
Postgraduate teachers who handle English subject charged that questions were not framed by keeping in mind the below-average students in government schools.
An English Subject teacher, M Devanathan, in Coimbatore told The New Indian Express, "Usually, Directorate of Government Examination (DGE) will prepare questions keeping in mind the dull students with the aim that they should attain passing marks in the exam."
He said that this year English questions were unusual and he said that several questions were asked from outside the book, particularly in Parts I and IV.
"As a result, students who are below-average and average in education struggled to answer those questions. Dull students skipped many questions. There is no chance to get passing marks in the English exam this year," he worried.
Method to prepare them
Another teacher, M Padmapriya in Erode, told The New Indian Express, "We have a method to prepare dull students to get passing marks in the examination by giving coaching in book-back questions. They were prepared to answer exam-based book-back questions. But, out of the 20 one-mark questions in Part I, just four questions were asked from the book-back ones. These students were in for a shock in the exam hall as the expected questions were not featured."
She also noted that many students are anxious about the marks in this paper and even brilliant students can miss out on a centum in the exam.
Students share woes
A government school student, L Vishnu in Coimbatore told The New Indian Express, "I was totally upset after reading the one-mark questions in the hall. I answered just eight questions in Part I as there were unrelated questions."
"I also skipped a few unrelated questions in other parts. A majority of students did not write exams well due to unrelated questions," he worried.
Transgender student D Aijitha in Coimbatore told The New Indian Express, "Like one-mark questions, we had to write answers to a few questions which are considered as common questions which are not in the book. It will be tough for average and below-average students."
R Saravanan, an English tutor from Win English Guide and TRB Academy at Namakkal, who analysed the question paper, told TNIE that out of the 90 marks, questions for 43 marks were asked from the book-back, nine marks from the book and 38 marks from outside.
He said that questions outside the book were asked to test the student's skills in the English subject but their level was equal to TRB questions.
"Questions should have been framed in the ratio of 60 (book back): 40 (book inside and common) in the exam. As questions for just 43 marks were asked from the book-back, students with low proficiency, especially in arts stream, could not perform well in this exam. They will get low marks or fail marks in this exam," he said.
He said that question number 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20 in Part I and 44, 45, 46, 47 in Part IV and so on were asked from outside the book.
The Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE) should prepare questions keeping in mind weak students and slow learners next time, suggested Saravanan.
When asked about it, a top officer at DGE in Chennai told The New Indian Express that questions were framed only from the book back and book inside and there were no questions from out of the book.
