New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has acknowledged around 20 cases of answer sheet swapping that occurred during the implementation of its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The board said the mix-ups were caused by scanning errors and assured students that the issue was treated with the highest priority.
CBSE also announced that from 2027 onwards, students will be able to access their answer sheets through DigiLocker alongside their mark sheets, a move aimed at increasing transparency in the evaluation process.
Students flagged answer sheet discrepancies
The issue came to light after several students reported receiving scanned answer sheets that did not belong to them. One of the first complaints was raised by a Class 12 student, Vedant, who alleged that the Physics answer script uploaded under his name was not his own.
Soon after, other students, including Sanjana, reported similar discrepancies. As concerns gained traction on social media, CBSE contacted the affected students and provided them with their correct answer scripts.
Board sources stated that the answer sheet swapping issue was immediately prioritised once complaints were received.
Around 20 cases linked to scanning mix-ups
According to board officials, approximately 20 cases of answer sheet swapping were identified during the rollout of the OSM system.
Sources indicated that the issue stemmed from scanning-related errors rather than mistakes in the evaluation process itself. Students were able to identify the discrepancies after accessing their scanned copies.
Officials emphasised that the number of affected cases was extremely small compared to the overall volume of answer sheets processed during the examination cycle.
Massive digitisation exercise undertaken
CBSE revealed that nearly 98 lakh answer scripts, comprising around 40 crore pages, were scanned and uploaded to the OSM portal.
During the digitisation process, approximately 68,000 answer sheets were found to have quality issues and were subsequently rescanned. Despite repeated efforts, slightly more than 13,000 answer scripts could not achieve the required level of legibility and were therefore assessed manually.
The board maintained that the vast majority of answer scripts were successfully digitised and evaluated through the new system.
Answer sheets to be available on DigiLocker
In a significant move towards greater transparency, CBSE announced that answer scripts will be made available through DigiLocker from next year, alongside students’ mark sheets and certificates.
Officials said the initiative would allow students to access their answer sheets more easily and improve confidence in the evaluation process.
According to board sources, technology-driven evaluation systems offer a level of transparency that was previously difficult to achieve through traditional methods.
Experts reviewing OSM system
Following the reported issues, experts from Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and the Digital Infrastructure Corporation of India are reviewing the OSM platform.
The review includes examining the system architecture, software code and payment gateway integration to ensure smoother functioning in future examination cycles.
Officials said the objective is to strengthen the platform and eliminate potential glitches before wider implementation.
CBSE defends technology-driven evaluation
Despite the challenges encountered during the initial rollout, CBSE officials defended the OSM system, stating that large-scale technological transformations often face implementation hurdles.
They argued that digital evaluation improves efficiency, transparency and accessibility while enabling students to view their answer scripts online.
The board expressed confidence that continued improvements and expert oversight would make the system more reliable in the coming years.
Bidding process details emerge
According to reports, technology firms COEMPT and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) reached the final stage of the bidding process for the project.
COEMPT reportedly emerged as the lowest bidder, quoting approximately Rs 24.75 per answer booklet compared to around Rs 65 per booklet quoted by TCS.
Conclusion
CBSE’s admission of around 20 answer sheet mix-up cases has drawn attention to the challenges of implementing large-scale digital evaluation systems. However, the board has reiterated its commitment to transparency and accuracy, with plans to make answer scripts available through DigiLocker from 2027 and ongoing efforts to strengthen the On-Screen Marking platform.