CBSE offers information on Open Text-Based Assessment (OTBA)

The Class X board examinations for 2015 conducted by the CBSE board started on March and will conclude on March 26. The school-based examination for Class 10 will start from March 10, 2015. The board exams for Class 12 began on March 2 and will conclude till April 20, 2015.

The detailed information with regards to the Open Text-Based Assessment (OTBA) of CBSE is mentioned below:

• The board conducts OTBA for Classes IX and XI, to instill analytical as well as theoretical skills among students.
• OTBA for Class IX (Summative Assessment II) is conducted in all the main subjects - Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science
  For Class XI, it is held in Economics, Biology and Geography (annual examination)

The affiliated schools are provided open text material before the commencement of Class IX Summative Assessment II (SA-II) and Class XI annual examinations.

Textual material is in the form of articles/a case study/a story/problem/situation based on concepts taught in the unit assigned in the curriculum for the OTBA question to the students, during second term (Class IX) and during the session (Class XI).

A total weightage of 10 marks has been assigned in all the main subjects (Class IX) and Economics, Biology, Geography in Class XI; it may also include Value-Based Questions.

Value-Based Questions in all major subjects for Classes X and XII upto 3-5 marks will be included. The questions will be based on content and analyzed on the basis of the values they reflect.

Value Based Sample Question Papers (SQP):

• Sample questions based on values in the subjects English (Elective), English (Core), English (Functional), Hindi (Elective), Hindi (Core), Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Accountancy, History, Geography, Business Studies, Entrepreneurship and Economics for the board examination for Class XII 2015 are available at the CBSE website.
• Sample questions including those based on values in the subjects Hindi (A), Hindi (B), English (Communicative), English (Language and Literature), Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences for SA-II March 2015 Class X are available at the CBSE website

The Problem Solving Assessment was conducted on Thursday, November 20, 2014 for Classes IX and XI by the board, with the objective of assessing students' abilities to analyze given life situations, to comprehend/interpret written text and other essential Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).