CBSE admits answer sheet mix-up, to revise Class 12 marks in two cases

The Central Board of Secondary Education (Central Board of Secondary Education) has admitted errors in the evaluation of two Class 12 answer sheets and said marks will be revised, after a viral social media complaint exposed an apparent mix-up in a student’s Physics paper during the re-evaluation process.

The controversy began when Class 12 student Vedant Srivastava alleged that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE under its new Online Script Monitoring (OSM) system was not his, triggering concerns over serious evaluation lapses that could affect student scores and college admissions.

On May 23, Vedant posted on X, saying he was left “shattered” after receiving photocopies of his evaluated answer sheets and discovering that the Physics script shared by CBSE appeared to belong to another student.

Following the online backlash, CBSE acknowledged the mismatch in the Physics paper and also accepted a separate complaint involving a Chemistry answer sheet, prompting renewed scrutiny of the board’s digital evaluation and verification process.

The Board’s Joint Secretary (Coordination) later wrote to Vedant, attaching what was described as his correct Physics answer book and confirming that his marks would be revised accordingly.

Corrected answer sheet raises fresh concerns

Even after receiving the corrected answer sheet, Vedant said the matter was far from resolved.

In a late-night post, he thanked CBSE for responding but claimed the revised copy still reflected questionable marking and said he would apply for re-evaluation.

“Attaching the correct answer sheet screenshots here for your reference, we will still apply for reevaluation of this answer sheet after checking this sheet more closely, since they have slashed my marks even when the answer is correct,” he wrote.

His latest claim has deepened the controversy, shifting focus from an answer sheet mismatch to possible flaws in the evaluation itself.

The case has also triggered wider questions around CBSE’s heavily promoted On-Screen Marking system. Several social media users pointed out that the answer sheet screenshots shared online appeared to contain handwritten remarks and manual marking symbols, rather than purely digital annotations expected under a fully digital assessment model.

That has fuelled speculation over whether all answer scripts were actually evaluated entirely through OSM, or whether manual or hybrid methods were also used.

CBSE has not officially commented on that aspect.

Chemistry complaint adds to pressure

A second complaint involving a Chemistry answer sheet surfaced shortly after.

Another student posted online that CBSE had acknowledged concerns raised over the evaluation and confirmed the complaint was valid.

“CBSE replied to our email and confirmed that our concern regarding the Chemistry answer sheet was valid. Thank you to everyone who helped bring attention to this. Your support meant a lot. Waiting for the next steps from CBSE now,” the student wrote.

Sources had earlier said CBSE treated Vedant’s case as a “top priority” after it gained traction online and reached out to him directly. But the student also said he faced online abuse after his posts went viral, with some users branding him “Pakistani” on social media.

The controversy has now put fresh focus on CBSE’s post-result processes, including answer sheet access, verification requests and re-evaluation mechanisms, as students and parents demand greater transparency in the board’s assessment system.