CBSE to refund re-evaluation fees if Class 12 marks increase

CBSE has introduced a refund policy for students applying for re-evaluation under the newly implemented On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12 board examinations, following concerns over lower-than-expected scores after the declaration of results.

The board announced that students whose marks increase after re-evaluation will receive a complete refund of the review fee.

In a post on X, CBSE stated that "students whose marks increase after re-evaluation will receive a full refund, reinforcing transparency, fairness and accountability in the evaluation process."

The issue was also addressed by Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, during a press conference on May 17.

"We have decided that if, during the scrutiny process, a student's marks increase or are revised upwards, we will refund the entire amount paid by them for the re-evaluation," Kumar said.

He also outlined the revised fee structure for post-result services. "We will charge a fee of ₹100 from any student who wishes to view their answer sheets; a separate fee of ₹100 applies if they wish to have their papers validated; and a fee of ₹25 applies for the re-checking of the answer to any specific question," he said.

The board said the revised process is intended to make the review mechanism more transparent and structured by allowing students access to scanned copies of evaluated answer sheets before submitting verification or re-assessment requests.

CBSE clarified that the verification, rechecking, and re-evaluation framework has been designed to maintain fairness and accuracy through expert review based on official subject-wise marking schemes.

According to the schedule released by the board, online applications for obtaining scanned copies of answer sheets will open on May 19 and continue until May 22. Applications for verification and re-evaluation will be accepted from May 26 to May 29, 2026.

Meanwhile, CBSE has also shared details of how the On-Screen Marking system operates after questions were raised by students and parents regarding digital evaluation.

The board said the process begins with answer books being coded by external experts to maintain student anonymity.

The answer sheets are then scanned and subjected to quality checks before being digitally sent to evaluation centers outside the region where the examination was conducted.

CBSE said that evaluators assess answer sheets online instead of checking physical copies, while additional checks are carried out by Assistant Head Examiners and Head Examiners to ensure consistency in marking.

Officials said teachers can reject unclear scanned copies during evaluation, after which corrective measures are taken before the process resumes.

The board also detailed the preparation carried out before introducing OSM for the 2026 board examinations.

Dry runs were conducted in January, followed by demonstration sessions, teacher feedback exercises, nationwide webinars, and practice sessions using previous years’ answer books. Full-scale evaluation under OSM began on March 7, 2026.

CBSE has maintained that the digital evaluation system helps reduce totaling and tabulation errors, improves consistency in marking, and accelerates result processing.

However, following the announcement of Class 12 results, several students and parents took to social media alleging stricter evaluation and lower marks under the digital system.

Alongside the new refund provision, CBSE has sharply reduced charges for post-result services.

The fee for obtaining scanned copies of answer sheets has been reduced from ₹700 to ₹100, while verification charges have been cut from ₹500 to ₹100. Rechecking fees have been fixed at ₹25 per question.

Students seeking re-evaluation can apply through the official websites cbse.gov.in and cbseit.in.