KARACHI, Oct 27: The committee of chairmen of all education boards of Sindh has decided to conduct the annual exams for ninth and eleventh graders on a new pattern, finalised with certain changes in mode of papers and redistribution of marks for each section of theory and practical.

Objective-type questions will carry 20 per cent marks, short questions 50 per cent and descriptive questions will carry 30 per cent marks, according to the new test pattern for theory exams.

The education department’s steering committee has already announced that secondary and higher secondary school certificate annual exams will commence from March 20 and April 28, 2009, respectively.

Chairman of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi Professor Anwar Ahmed Zai said the practical test that earlier had 25 marks would carry 15 marks. Similarly, he said, the marks for theory paper that were 75 previously had been increased to 85.

He said that three marks had been allocated to practical journal, two to attendance, and five each to practical and viva.

Mr Zai said that eleventh graders would be required to complete the two sections of their theory paper – descriptive and short answers – within the first two and a half hours after which they would get objective-type question papers.

The students would be required to complete the last section during the last 30 minutes.

The objective was to rule out any possibility of the use of unfair means by candidates particularly by getting their papers solved outside exam centres, he said.

The candidates would be required to attach the answer scripts of all three sections before submitting those to examiners, he added.

When asked what measures the board has taken to apprise candidates about the new paper pattern, he said that BIEK was dispatching model papers to all the affiliated educational institutions, directing their heads to ensure that students were taught accordingly so that they (the students) might get familiar with the new pattern before taking the annual exams in 2009.

In addition, he said, the board decided to attach a slip with the examination forms of eleven graders reminding them that the forthcoming annual exam would be conducted on the revised pattern to rule out any confusion.

About imparting training to examiners and paper-setters in the light of new pattern of examinations, he said the intermediate board had already sought cooperation of a subsidiary of the World Bank, EDLINK, to train paper-setters and examiners. He was optimistic that their training would be completed by Nov 15.