‘Full marks for out-of-syllabus questions in HS maths exam’
Times of India | 20 February 2026
Kolkata: The first year of the Higher Secondary examination under the semester system proved challenging for maths examinees as questions carrying 10 marks were found to be out of the syllabus.
After receiving complaints from students, parents, and teachers, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education held a meeting with subject experts and decided that examinees who attempted these questions would be awarded full marks. Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, the president, issued a statement saying, "The Council has always given the highest priority to the interests of students. This time as well, we will maintain close vigilance so that none of the examinees are deprived of their rights."
A section of students and teachers complained that students had very little time to prepare for the fourth semester, making it highly stressful for those appearing in the semester system for the first time.
A student at Hare School said, "The paper was quite difficult, and I spent over 20 minutes solving a question that was out of the syllabus. I did not attempt another question because I never practised it before"
Not only this student, but many others also complained about the same issues they faced. Several parents said since this was the first exam under the semester system, the questions should have been easy to understand. Many of them emphasised that several students left these questions unattempted. AGPTWA secretary, Chandan Garai, said, "We requested the HS Council to prepare guidelines for every subject and provide them to the question setters so that students do not suffer, as the exam pattern is completely different. But our request was not heard."