'Unsolvable' equation in CBSE math paper, students cry foul

CLASS XII Board says printing error to blame, won't penalise students.

Students, appearing for the CBSE Class XII board examinations at various exam centres across the city, on Wednesday complained that a question in the Mathematics paper could not be solved.

Students and parents raised concerns over question number 26 of set III of the CBSE Mathematics paper. Students were required to solve a differential equation. The question was worth six marks in the 100-mark paper. Parents said students wasted a lot of time trying to solve the incorrect question.

Controller Examination, CBSE, M C Sharma confirmed the error. He said the equation should be y/x, but it was printed as x/y. He said the complaint would be put in front of a CBSE panel on Friday and a decision regarding marking would be taken. "No candidate will be penalised for printing errors in any paper," Sharma said.

This is the first batch of students who took the traditional board exams since the introduction of the continuous and comprehensive evaluation in Class X.

Aditi, a parent and resident of Paschim Vihar, said, "We tried to solve the given equation online as well, but it is unsolvable."

Another parent, Ritu, said that her child had ended up losing time trying to solve the equation in question 26 and did not have time to attempt another question.

While parents and students tried to check the question, they have not yet filed a formal complaint to the Board. CBSE spokesperson Rama Sharma said students do not have anything to worry about "if the complaints are genuine".

She said that before making marking schemes, observation records are sought from schools and all questions and complaints are vetted by experts. "There is a very good redressal system in place, provided the complaints are genuine," she said.

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