Answer sheet (answer book)

It is the only thing the examiner marks. CBSE's Examination Bye-Laws (1995, updated to December 2004) treat answers written on any other paper as unfair means, the board's term for cheating. Tearing a page out of the answer book counts as unfair means too.

How is it filled in?

• Write your roll number only where the answer book and the invigilator tell you to.
• Do not write your name, sign it, or add any mark that shows who you are.
• Number each answer clearly, so the examiner can match it to the question.
• In 2026, CBSE asked students to split the Science answer book into three sections and Social Science into four. Answers written in the wrong section were not marked.

ICSE has its own rule. CISCE's 2027 Maths specimen paper says all working, including rough work, "must be done on the same sheet as the rest of the answer".

How is it coded and marked?

Under the same Bye-Laws, secrecy officers at the board swap the real roll number for a made-up code. That is anonymous marking. The examiner then marks each answer against the marking scheme. The marks are carried to the front page, which CBSE calls the title page. There they are totalled in figures and in words.

Can you see it after the result?

Yes, for Class 10. Under CBSE's 2025 notification on the two exams, this opens only after the second board exam's results. Our page on photocopy, verification and re-evaluation sets out each step. For the full path from the exam hall, read how your answer sheet is actually checked.

About the author

Mohit Sardana

Chief Architect

An engineer (B.Tech, Computer Science) with over 20 years of preparing students for entrance exams, including as Dean at FIITJEE and Vice-President at Aakash. He is the chief architect of the TRUpreBoards evaluation engine.

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