In a major step towards improving transparency and accountability in the examination process, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that students will be able to access scanned copies of their evaluated Class 12 answer sheets through DigiLocker starting next year. The move is expected to help students better understand the marking process and reduce disputes related to examination results.
Direct Access to Answer Scripts
Currently, students who wish to obtain copies of their answer sheets or apply for verification and re-evaluation must go through a lengthy multi-stage process. With the new system, students will be able to directly view scanned copies of their evaluated answer scripts on DigiLocker, significantly reducing waiting time and improving accessibility.
CBSE believes the initiative will strengthen trust in the evaluation process by allowing students to verify their responses and awarded marks more efficiently.
Decision Follows Concerns Over Digital Evaluation System
The announcement comes amid scrutiny of CBSE’s newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which was implemented for Class 12 board examinations this year. The digital evaluation system faced criticism after reports emerged of answer-sheet mismatches and technical glitches during the assessment process.
Following the declaration of results, some students reportedly discovered that answer sheets displayed under their names belonged to other candidates.
Answer Sheet Mismatches and Scanning Issues
According to official sources, around 20 cases of answer-sheet mismatches were identified after the rollout of the OSM system. As part of the digital evaluation process, over 98 lakh answer booklets, comprising nearly 40 crore pages, were scanned.
Officials revealed that approximately 68,000 answer sheets encountered scanning-quality issues and required rescanning. Even after the second attempt, more than 13,000 answer sheets failed to meet quality standards and were ultimately evaluated manually.
CBSE Defends Digital Evaluation Rollout
Despite the challenges, CBSE has defended the implementation of the OSM system, stating that digital evaluation was introduced to make the assessment process faster, more efficient, and more accurate.
The board also justified awarding the OSM contract to Telangana-based Coempt Edu Teck. According to CBSE, the company was selected through a Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) process, met all technical requirements, was the lowest financial bidder, and possessed the highest Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 5 certification at the time of selection.
Looking Ahead
With the introduction of answer-sheet access through DigiLocker, CBSE hopes to increase transparency and provide students with a more streamlined post-result review process. The initiative marks another step in the board’s ongoing transition towards digital examination management and evaluation.