Glossary
Board evaluation, in plain words
Plain-language definitions of the terms used in Class 10 board evaluation, each with the board's own source.
30 terms
Terms starting with A
- Anonymous markingAnonymous marking means the examiner marks your answer book without knowing whose it is, because your roll number is replaced by a code.
- Answer sheet (answer book)The answer sheet, which CBSE calls the answer book, is the booklet a student writes every answer in during a board exam.
- Assertion-reason questionAn assertion-reason question gives two statements, a claim and a reason, and asks which are true and whether the reason explains the claim.
Terms starting with B
- Best of five subjectsBest of five is a percentage worked out from five of a student's subject marks, chosen by the college or school admitting them, not by CBSE.
- Best of twoBest of two is CBSE's rule that when a student sits a subject in both Class 10 board exams, the better score counts.
- BlueprintA blueprint is the plan behind a question paper: which units it covers, the marks for each, and the kinds of questions asked.
Terms starting with C
- Case-based questionsA case-based question gives you a short real-life story, table or picture, then asks a few questions about it.
- Compartment examA compartment exam is a second chance, in the same year, to pass a subject your child did not pass in the main board exam.
- Competency-based questionsA competency-based question asks you to use what you have learned in a new, real-life situation, not just repeat a fact.
Terms starting with E
- Error carried forwardError carried forward means one early slip costs marks only once, so later steps that correctly use the wrong value can still earn marks.
- Examiner and head examinerAn examiner is a subject teacher the board appoints to mark answer books against the marking scheme, with a head examiner checking their work.
Terms starting with I
- Improvement examAn improvement exam lets a student who has already sat the board exam write a subject's paper again, to try for better marks.
- Internal assessmentInternal assessment is the part of a subject's marks your child's school gives, through tests and projects across the year.
- Internal choiceInternal choice means one question offers two options, joined by the word OR, and the student answers only one of them.
Terms starting with M
- Marking schemeA marking scheme is the board's list of what earns marks in each answer, and how many marks each part is worth.
- Maths Basic and Maths StandardMaths Basic and Maths Standard are two levels of the CBSE Class 10 Maths board paper, with the same syllabus but different kinds of question.
- Mock testA mock test is a full practice paper sat under exam conditions, timed and then marked, to rehearse the real board exam.
Terms starting with P
- Passing marksPassing marks are the lowest marks needed to pass a subject, which is 33% in both CBSE and ICSE Class 10.
- Photocopy of answer sheetA photocopy of the answer sheet is a scanned copy of your child's marked board paper, showing the marks given for each answer.
- Pre-board examA pre-board exam is a full practice board exam that your child's school sets and marks in the months before the Class 10 board exam.
- Previous year papersPrevious year papers are the real board exam papers from past years, which students use to practise before their own exam.
Terms starting with R
Terms starting with S
- Sample paperA sample paper is a model question paper the board publishes before the exam, with a marking scheme that shows how each answer earns marks.
- Second board examThe second board exam is CBSE's extra Class 10 exam in May, after the main exam in February and March, for improving marks or clearing a subject.
- SI units (marks for units)SI units are the standard units of measurement used in science, such as the metre, the kilogram, the second and the joule.
- Significant figuresSignificant figures are the digits in a number that show how precisely it was measured or worked out.
- Specimen paperA specimen paper is the model question paper CISCE, the board that runs ICSE, publishes for a subject, showing the format the board exam will follow.
- Step markingStep marking means the examiner gives marks for each correct step of an answer, not only for the final answer.