He said that the new system of evaluation has been worked out to reduce variations in the marking system for different students and to ensure greater objectivity on the board's part. ``The board examinations are meant to be a test of a student's ability to retain and should not become a mere formality. And this means a greater responsibility on the board to ensure authenticity,'' said Khandelwal.

Khandelwal said that significant changes are being introduced in the marking system to interconnect the examinees. Under it, each paper-setter will be required to furnish a marking scheme pertaining to the paper set by him.

It would be a practical report on what he expects out of the paper that he has set. Following this, experts from all over the country, including teachers in related subjects and principals, will look into the question papers. And following the examination, all answer sheets will be pooled in one centre where a detailed briefing session discussing the paper will be held to ensure ``minimum variation in the markings''. ``A seven per cent variable is accepted throughout the world depending on the subject. To check the variability factor and decrease the personalised effect of the examiner, there will be at least three evaluators examining the answersheets,'' he said.

The CBSE has revised the format of the answer book by providing vertical columns to remove totalling and transferring errors.

Khandelwal added that a rule is also being formulated whereby not more than 20 answer scripts will be evaluated by a teacher in a day to avoid negligence on the part of examiners.