Meghalaya mulls introducing step marking system in school board exams

Meghalaya government is considering the introduction of a step marking system in the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE), Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma said on June 6. The step marking system awards marks for the correct steps taken to solve a problem, even if the final answer is incorrect.

The minister explained that under the current evaluation system, if a student's final answer in a mathematics problem is wrong, they receive zero marks, regardless of the correct steps followed. However, in the CBSE and ICSE patterns, the step marking system is adopted, where students are awarded partial marks for the correct process, even if the final result is incorrect.

Sangma elaborated that in the CBSE and ICSE pattern, if the process is correct but the answer in the last line is wrong, the student will still get 4 marks or 3 marks.

He cited an example of a 5-mark mathematics question, where students are required to use formulas, algebra, and numerical calculations. Under the step marking system, if a student completes all the steps correctly but arrives at the wrong final answer, they would still receive either 4 or 3 marks, instead of a zero.

The proposed change aims to recognise students' efforts and understanding of the problem-solving process, even if they make a minor error in the final calculation.