CBSE defends OSM evaluation process, says re-evaluation option remains open

The Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE, has issued a clarification on the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system that it adopted to evaluate Class 12 answer sheets this year. The Board announced the Class 12 results on May 13, and soon after that, social media was flooded with reactions from students claiming that they secured comparatively lower marks, possibly due to the newly introduced On-Screen Marking system.

Students and several education experts demanded that they should be allowed to access their answer sheets free of cost and that CBSE should conduct manual checking. CBSE recorded an overall pass percentage of 85.20% in the Class 12 results 2026, marking a decline of 3.19% from last year’s 88.39%.

CBSE's official tweet on official 'X' handle reads, "It has been observed that following the declaration of the CBSE Class XII results, several posts have appeared on social media regarding the assessment under the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, particularly in relation to marks obtained by students in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics."

CBSE further said that the students who are not satisfied with their results can apply for re-evaluation. Students can go ahead and obtain copies of evaluated answer sheets, and if they notice any discrepancy or error, they can apply for correction through the process laid down by the Board.

"The Board once again reiterates its unwavering commitment to maintaining a fair, just, consistent and equitable assessment system, ensuring that they are in accordance with the transparent and robust evaluation practices adopted by the Board," CBSE concluded.

On Screen Marking

CBSE introduced OSM to enhance transparency, fairness, and consistency in the evaluation process by ensuring stepwise marking. It is a new digital method of evaluating Class 12 board exam answer sheets. Instead of teachers checking physical copies at evaluation centres, answer booklets are scanned, uploaded securely and assessed online through the CBSE Onmark portal. The system allows question-wise marking, automatic totalling and digital moderation, aiming to reduce calculation errors, improve transparency and speed up result processing.

While many teachers and parents see it as a necessary modernisation, concerns remained over technical glitches, scanning quality, screen fatigue and examiner training.

Result highlights

Girls once again outperformed boys, with a pass percentage of 88.86% compared to 82.13% among boys. Region-wise, southern regions dominated the rankings, with Trivandrum securing the top spot at 95.62%, followed by Chennai at 93.84% and Bengaluru at 93.19% in the CBSE Class 12 results 2026.