Chandigarh: Students appearing in the Class 8 science examination conducted by the Punjab School Education Board on Friday alleged that three five-mark questions were missing from one set of the Punjabi-medium question paper, leading to confusion across several examination centres in the state.
According to students and invigilators, the science paper carries a total of 80 marks, including short-answer questions of one, two or three marks and three long-answer questions of five marks each.
An invigilator posted in Amritsar and Bathinda said that after reading the full paper, students pointed out that all three five-mark questions were absent from the Punjabi set. “This meant that students could not attempt questions worth 15 marks,” the official said.
Students in Bathinda said they struggled to understand certain questions due to the absence of proper translation, which caused anxiety and wasted valuable time during the examination.
At some centres, invigilators reportedly translated the English or Hindi questions into Punjabi on the spot and dictated them to students to ensure they could attempt the complete paper.
The board has not yet issued an official statement on the discrepancy.
