Punjab to hold Class 8 exams in four subjects on e-sheets

Punjab will hold Class 8 examinations in four major subjects on e-sheets, with the answer scripts checked through online screen marking, Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has announced.

The minister set out the assessment arrangements for Grades 5 and 8 across the province. He said the Class 8 papers will follow the same four-subject format used in the previous assessment, carried on e-sheets rather than paper answer books.

Online screen marking will be used to check the Class 8 scripts. According to the minister, the change is meant to ensure transparency and fairness in the checking process.

Grade 5 will not have conventional examinations. Students will go through a holistic assessment instead, which the minister said is designed to evaluate their overall performance rather than the result of a single paper. He said the exercise would be conducted fairly and transparently.

Class 5 and Class 8 are the final years of primary and middle schooling in Punjab's government schools.

The announcement left several points open. The minister's statement, as reported by TechJuice, did not give the dates of the Class 8 papers, name the four subjects, or say how many students will sit the examinations. It also did not set out when the Grade 5 assessment will be held or what it will consist of.

TechJuice reported that the four-subject format repeats the one used in the previous assessment. ProPakistani reported that the minister had shared details of the assessment arrangements for students in both grades.