Frequently Asked Questions on OTBA 2017

CBSE has issued OTBA material for 2017 exams for class 9 and class 11 students. Here are some general queries about the OTBA exam.

Query 1: Will the OTBA marks will also be part of Summative Assessment I? If these are parts of SAI then what will be the maximum marks for each subject 90 or 100? If not, then how these marks will be reflected in the Report Card?

Reply: The OTBA has been introduced in Summative Assessment II only. Hence till further directions are issued, both SA I and SA II will be of 90 Marks only. The Report Card will reflect grade points/ grades based on Students performance in Formative Assessments 1,2,3,4 and Summative Assessments I and II.

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Query 2: Are students allowed to carry the Open text material with them to the examination Centre? Whether questions will be based on the same text material supplied to the schools?

Reply: The question paper in each main subject will have a separate section of 10 marks for open-text-based assessment (OTBA). The OTBA section will comprise of 2-3 questions based on that text the concerned open text theme will be supplied along with question paper. Hence, there is no need of carrying the Open Text material to the Examination Centre. The questions will be based on one of the two themes of open text material supplied to students in advance.

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Query 3: The Board has announced that there will be OTBA in all the main subjects in class IX, but questions in Sanskrit and other languages are not there. So, whether OTBA will be only in Hindi or the Board will supply the same for Sanskrit also?

Reply: The OTBA has been introduced at present in the five main subjects of Secondary level, ie, Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science. For rest of the subjects/languages, the teachers are expected to follow prescribed syllabus and question paper design.

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Query 4: The Board has been placing more importance on assessment of higher order thinking skills. Is not recalling and remembering important for students?

Reply: The importance of recalling and remembering cannot be denied in the teaching learning process. Based on the knowledge of facts, figures, events, etc., that the learner is able to further process it, derive meaningful information and apply to new situations for further enrichment and extension of his/her learning. Hence it is very important that knowledge of facts and events is integral to the teaching learning process and used as a base to acquire more in-depth information and skills.

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Query 5: With the introduction of OTBA the stress on students has increased as they will be required to study more for examination.

Reply: The OTBA aims to reduce the learning stress on students in many ways. With the supply of text material to students in advance, sufficient time is given to students to process it and link the learnt concepts to given situation. Since the text material is also part of the Question paper, the student is relieved from the burden of remembering the content given there in.

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Query 6: OTBA is introduced only in two languages, Hindi and English of Class IX. Can the school, not offering these two languages, assess students on Open Text material developed by them in other languages offered?

Reply: OTBA is an alternative mode of assessment which can be tried by teachers in any subject of their choice in formative assessment/s. However, as far as Summative Assessment is concerned, the question paper will be set as per the prescribed design and syllabus.

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Query 7: Will the questions in examination be based on the open text material supplied to students?

Reply: The questions under OTBA Section will not be directly based on the text material supplied. Rather it will test the students’ ability to apply the learnt concepts (in the unit specified as per syllabus) to the situation given in the open text material. The students will be tested on their ability to comprehend, analyze and interpret the given situation and offer suggestions and opinions on the given issues based on their knowledge of concepts.

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Query 8: How will OTBA help the slow learners?

Reply: The role of teachers is to motivate all sections of learners and provide opportunities to students to apply theoretical concepts to a real-life scenario by encouraging active and group learning in the Class. It is expected that through cooperative learning and teachers’ encouragement and guidance, all students will strive ahead to achieve expected levels of learning.

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Query 9: How should teachers take up open text material in class room situation?

Reply: The teachers are expected to read, discuss and analyze the open text material with respect to:

• Concepts involved
• Application of concepts to situation
• Description and further explanation of the Case/problem
• Higher Order thinking skills involved.
• Different perspectives. They should then assign them to students in groups for further analysis and discussions.

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Query 10: Are the sample questions on OTBA uploaded by the Board for classes IX & XI final or the Board will again supply questions for annual examination?

Reply: The Questions given along with the Open Text Material in different subjects are only as Samples. The teachers are expected to use them as base and develop more such open-ended questions for use by students. The Examination Questions will be different from the ones given as Samples.