Errors in West Bengal HS Biology exam spark concerns, WBCHSE results due by Oct 31

The West Bengal Higher Secondary (HS) first-semester Biology examination, held on Monday, September 22, drew attention after students identified two incorrect questions in the paper.

The errors caused concern among students and guardians, prompting the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) to assure that all candidates attempting the erroneous questions would receive full marks to avoid penalisation.

Challenges with new semester-based format

For the first time, the HS examinations adopted a semester-based format, starting before Durga Puja in 2025. The shift included the use of OMR sheets, a new experience for class 12 students. Additionally, students faced challenges during the Mathematics exam on Friday, reporting that lengthy questions and limited OMR space for calculations made it difficult to complete the paper within the allotted 1 hour and 15 minutes, despite the questions being straightforward.

Strict measures for exam conduct

WBCHSE President Chiranjeev Bhattacharya emphasised strict measures to ensure smooth exam conduct, warning that “any form of harassment or misconduct during exams would not be tolerated.” These precautions were implemented to maintain the integrity of the new examination format.

Result announcement and semester schedule

The WBCHSE has confirmed that the first-semester exam results will be published by October 31, 2025. "Over 38 lakh OMR sheets are being scanned. The publication of results might be delayed as there will be festival holidays in the next one month. But we are confident of publishing it by October 31,” said Council President Chiranjib Bhattacharya.

The second semester is scheduled for February 2026, with final rankings and grades determined based on performance across both semesters.

Participation and grading system

Approximately 6.6 lakh candidates, with 56.03% being girls, participated in the semester-based exams using OMR sheets.

The grading system awards a Distinction for scores of 90–100, an A+ grade for 70–89, an A grade (first division) for 60–69, a B grade (second division) for 50–59, and a C grade (third division) for 34–49. Scores of 35 and below fall under the D or improvement category.