Bengal’s Plus-II course will be split into four semesters from the academic session starting this year.
The change will be applicable to Class XI from the academic session 2024-25 and to Class XII from the academic session 2025-26.
Those who will enroll in Class XI in 2024 are likely to write the first-semester exams in November 2024 and the next in March 2025.
“The same pattern will be followed in Class XII,” said an official of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education.
The council announced on Wednesday that the state education department has approved the new system.
The council now conducts one examination, based on what is taught in Class XII, at the end of the Plus-II classes.
Until 2023, it also held the Class XI annual exams. This year it handed the responsibility of holding the annual exams to the schools.
“In August 2023, the Bengal cabinet approved the state education policy, which advocated splitting the HS course into semesters. On Wednesday, the education department gave the formal approval (to shift to the new system),” council president Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya said on Wednesday.
“Next week, we will announce details of the syllabus to be covered in each semester and the schedule of the examinations.”
In December, the council constituted sub-committees to overhaul the syllabuses in 47 subjects. Teachers in schools affiliated to the CBSE were inducted in
the sub-committees set up for some of the science subjects.
The latest changes in the CBSE syllabi, particularly in the science subjects, help students prepare better for competitive exams after the Class XII board exams.
“We also engaged subject experts from universities, colleges and schools affiliated to the Bengal board,” said Bhattacharya.
A council official said they would introduce a new question pattern as well.
“The state education policy has recommended that the questions in the semester system be a mix of multiple-choice (MCQs) and descriptive types,” the official said.
The council is working on a plan to set MCQs in the first semester exams for Class XI students, scheduled for November 2024. In the March 2025 exams, the students are likely to be tested on descriptive questions.
“The students will be assessed based on their performance in all the semesters, two each in Classes XI and XII. The advantage of this system is that if a student underperforms in one semester, he or she can make up for that in the subsequent semesters,” the council president said.
“The semester system has already been introduced at the undergraduate level. The introduction of the system at the HS level will ensure a smooth transition from school to college or university.”
