Concessions and procedures are updated in CBSE circulars from time to time. Always check the latest circular on the CBSE website, and ask your school’s coordinator, before relying on the details below. The details here come from CBSE’s circular of 12 April 2019 (applicable from the 2020 exams) and its circular of 20 January 2020, as reproduced by the Delhi Directorate of Education.
Board exams can be stressful for any student. For a student with a disability, the usual exam format may not show what they actually know. CBSE publishes concessions for students with benchmark disabilities so that the exam measures knowledge, not the disability. This guide explains how it works in general.
The legal background
Section 17 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 asks governments to make suitable changes to the curriculum and examination system for students with disabilities. The Act names examples: extra time to finish an exam paper, the facility of a scribe, and exemption from second and third language courses.
Who can get concessions
CBSE’s circular on exemptions and concessions applies to persons with benchmark disabilities taking the Class X and Class XII board exams. In simple terms, that means a certified disability of at least 40 per cent in a specified category (for some disabilities the Act defines the threshold in measurable terms instead). If you do not yet have a certificate, read our guide to the disability certificate and UDID card.
What the concessions include
- A scribe or reader, extra time, or both. The 2019 circular says that candidates with disabilities as defined in the Act may use a scribe or be given compensatory time, or both. The circular sets out how much compensatory time is given for each paper length, so ask your school for the current figures.
- Your choice of scribe. The candidate may choose their own scribe or ask the exam centre to provide one. A scribe provided by the centre is free of cost. A candidate’s own scribe must be qualified one step below the candidate, and the candidate gives the scribe’s details on a prescribed form. A separate room and invigilator are arranged for a candidate with a scribe.
- A reader only. A reader who only reads out the question paper may be allowed instead of a scribe. The request goes through the school principal, with a recommendation from a registered medical practitioner or authorised psychologist, and is decided case by case by the CBSE Regional Office.
- A computer, for some categories only. The circular allows a candidate to type answers on their own computer or laptop, with no internet connection, only for the categories of disability listed for it in the circular’s table, and only if a registered medical practitioner or qualified psychological consultant recommends it and the Regional Office permits it. In the version of the table that I read, examination through computers is not listed for specific learning disabilities. Do not plan around typing until your school confirms it in writing.
- Subject exemptions or choices. In Class X, candidates with disabilities as defined in the Act are exempted from the third language, and may study one compulsory language instead of two. There is also flexibility in choosing subjects, and some categories get alternative questions in place of questions that depend on visuals.
- Other facilities, such as exam centres chosen for easy access, and magnifying glasses or portable video magnifiers for candidates with visual impairment.
Which facilities apply depends on the category of disability. The circular has a table by category. In the version I read (September 2018), the row for specific learning disabilities lists, for example, a reader, adult prompter or scribe with compensatory time, exemption from studying the second language, flexibility in choosing subjects and relaxation of attendance. Tables change, so ask your school which facilities apply to your child, and do not rely on a summary; read the current circular.
Calculators
The 2019 circular says that calculators are not permitted in the board’s exams. In January 2020, CBSE made an exception: for that year’s Class X and XII board exams it permitted a simple basic calculator for students with learning disabilities (dyscalculia) who had been registered under the special-needs category and who had the appropriate certificate. The student asks the school, the principal sends the request to the CBSE Regional Office with a recommendation, and the Regional Office approves it. Whether this facility continues, and on what conditions, is set by the current circular, so ask your school and check CBSE’s website.
What to submit, and when
- A valid disability certificate from an authority CBSE accepts. The 2019 circular lists certificates from government hospitals (signed by the Chief Medical Officer, Civil Surgeon or Medical Superintendent), from recognised national-level institutes, and from organisations or practitioners registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India or the Central or State Government. It also says that a certificate issued by the competent authority at any place is accepted, and its note says the disability certificate should be given by a specialist of the relevant stream or disability. Your school’s coordinator can confirm what applies to your child.
- The request goes through your school. Give the school your request and the certificate as early as you can, preferably while the student is in Class IX or Class XI. Under the 2018 and 2019 circulars, the school sent the request to the CBSE Regional Office with the school head’s recommendation. The procedure can change from year to year, so ask your school how to apply this year, and check the current CBSE circular. CBSE considers only students for whom the relevant category was entered at registration in Class IX or XI.
- The deadlines. CBSE sets them each year, and they can be short, so ask your school for this year’s dates as early as you can.
- A choice about the scribe, if one is needed, made well before the exam.
Practical tips
- Start early. Do not wait for the exam year.
- Practise with the scribe, if possible. The circular gives the candidate the option of meeting the scribe before the exam, so use that chance.
- Practise full-length papers under the same conditions that will apply on the day.
- Keep copies of everything you submit, and note the dates.
- Raise the topic at the IEP review. See questions to ask at an IEP meeting.
Other boards
ICSE and state boards publish their own rules. The Act’s principles are the same, but the forms, deadlines and conditions differ. Ask your school which board’s rules apply. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has also issued national guidelines for conducting written exams for persons with benchmark disabilities (2018) and for people with a disability of less than 40 per cent who have difficulty writing; ask your school how they apply.
Sources
- Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi, Circular on exemptions and concessions for students with benchmark disabilities, and the facility to use a calculator for students with dyscalculia, which encloses CBSE’s circulars of 12 April 2019 and 20 January 2020. CBSE updates these circulars, so check cbse.gov.in for the current version.
- Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Guidelines page: written-exam guidelines.
- Government of India, The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, Sections 2(r) and 17(i).
This guide is general information, not legal, medical or professional advice. If something here does not match your situation, please speak to a qualified professional.