New grading system for Matric, Inter aims to foster healthy competition among students

WEB DESK: The Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) has introduced a new grading system for Secondary School Certificate (Matric) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (Intermediate) exams, marking a significant shift in the educational landscape of Pakistan.

This initiative holds dual importance. Firstly, it aims to address the intense competition among students by curbing mark inflation.

The goal is to alleviate the competitive culture and shield students from societal pressure to achieve maximum marks.

Secondly, it seeks to establish essential uniformity in the country’s examination system regarding grading standards. The new system will be implemented by all public and private examination boards in Pakistan.

According to the IBCC’s website, the new system will be phased in over three years, starting in 2023 and being fully adopted by 2025.

Notable changes include setting passing marks at 40 per cent, up from the previous 33 per cent, and a shift from a 7-point alphabetical grading system to a 10-point scale.

While the difficulty level to pass exams has increased, the system emphasises descriptors for specific grades (e.g., remarkable, outstanding, exceptional) rather than direct comparisons to the older grading scale.

The IBCC envisions that the new grade points will be instrumental in calculating the grade point average (GPA) and cumulative grade point average (CGPA).

Read more: SBP announces jobs for young candidates

Starting in 2025, colleges and universities are expected to refer to CGPA only for admissions, as raw marks will not be displayed on the marks sheet.

Despite the IBCC’s claim that the new system started in 2023, recent Matric Exam results from Lahore and the eight exam boards in Punjab reveal a delay in implementation.

The Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISEs) in Punjab still follow a 6-point grading system, with passing marks at 33 per cent.