UAE Schools Adapt CBSE Grading Amid US-Israel-Iran War 'Heavy Workload' Expected

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CBSE-affiliated schools across the UAE are busy compiling and uploading marks for their Grade 12 students, with the majority of them being unable to complete their board examinations due to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.

The disruption to exam schedules across West Asia forced the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to cancel or postpone several papers, leaving thousands of students in limbo during a crucial academic period.

Now, with a revised framework in place, schools are working through internal records and past assessments to ensure students receive fair results, even as uncertainty continues to shape the academic calendar.

The Indian board on Friday issued a detailed circular outlining an alternative assessment scheme for Class 12 students across the UAE and other countries in the region, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

'Heavy workload' expected

School leaders said the process, while necessary, is demanding. Pramod Mahajan explained that CBSE has leaned heavily on internal assessments already conducted during the academic year.

“CBSE has outlined the assessment process for Grade 12 students under the current circumstances… Schools are now required to submit the best scores from these exams. Typically, for Grade 12, schools conduct three internal exams: the quarterly, half-yearly, and pre-board exams. Schools are now required to submit the best scores from these exams. A portal will be opened on 6 April by CBSE for uploading these marks,” he said.

Notably, for theory components, the evaluation will draw on students' past performance across internal exams. In subjects carrying 80 or 70 marks, the best scores from quarterly, half-yearly, or pre-board exams will be considered. For subjects with 60, 50, or 30 marks, schools will rely on marks from the final pre-board exam, or earlier pre-board scores if needed.

Meanwhile, practical and internal assessment marks already awarded by schools will be retained as they are. The weightage between theory and practical components will continue to vary by subject, following established ratios such as 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50.

'Most practical approach'

Mahajan also explained that schools may be asked to provide supporting documents, adding, “The board will then review the submissions and may ask for supporting documents… It is admittedly a lot of work for teachers, but given the situation, this seems to be the most practical approach.”

He pointed out that some board exams had already been completed before the conflict escalated, and those scores will still count.

“For Science students, two exams — Physics and Chemistry — were conducted before the war began. For Commerce, only one exam was completed. For subjects where exams could not be held, schools will provide alternative assessments, and again, the best performance will be considered.”

However, he raised a concern about fairness, noting that pre-board exams are typically more rigorous.

“One challenge is that Grade 12 exams internal exams are deliberately designed to be tough, with strict marking, to ensure students engage seriously with the material. As a result, if marks are taken from these pre-board exams, the outcomes may not reflect students' full potential.”

Balancing fairness and future uncertainty

Educators emphasised that the reliance on internal assessments and practical exams is a logical step, but one that comes with its own set of challenges.

Abhilasha Singh, principal, Shining Star International School highlighted that much of the evaluation will now depend on work already completed by students.

“Since the subjective exams were not conducted, CBSE has asked schools to submit students' performance across all internal assessments… These marks will now form a key part of the evaluation,” she said.

Singh added that practical components remain unchanged, offering some stability in the process. “Practical exams, however, were completed as final board practicals… those marks have already been validated and will be retained as they are.”

She also underlined a key concern shared by many educators — that students often perform better in final board exams.

“Historically, students tend to perform better in the final board exams… We hope the board takes this into account while analysing and standardising the marks.”

Meanwhile, Bhanu Sharma, principal of Woodlem Park School in Ajman, said that much of the groundwork in her school has already been completed.

“Practical and internal assessment marks have already been completed, with no changes permitted, adding that students who changed examination centres will be assessed based on the exams they appeared for, while schools must upload fair and accurate marks and securely store all records, and be prepared for CBSE verification. We are in the process of theory marks calculation now. The end date for schools to upload everything is 13 April 2026.”

Highlighting how CBSE has adapted its evaluation strategy in response to different crises, Mahajan noted that the current approach marks a shift from past practices.

“Overall, CBSE's approach is reasonable given the circumstances. It differs from the Covid period, when the board had to account for a global disruption. Back then, results were calculated using an average of marks from Classes 9, 10, and 11, as a different formula was needed to fairly assess students.”

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