Should CBSE resort to grace marks for OSM damage control?
Fifteen days after CBSE Class 12 results, students still face OSM issues, portal crashes and disputed marks as admission deadlines near. Growing concerns have led to calls for grace marks to protect college opportunities.
CBSE is staring at a full-blown trust crisis and students are trapped in the middle of it. What was supposed to be the biggest academic milestone for lakhs of Class 12 students has instead turned into weeks of confusion, panic and emotional exhaustion.
Since May 13, when CBSE declared the results, the board has been firefighting one controversy after another: OSM confusion, unexpected low scores, answer sheet mix-ups, portal crashes, delayed scanned copies and growing allegations of evaluation errors.
Today, May 27, marks exactly the 15th day since results were announced, yet students say there is still no concrete solution from CBSE to resolve the chaos.
For students and parents, it feels like everything is falling apart at once. Admissions deadlines are approaching, university cut-offs are closing in, and thousands remain stuck refreshing portals, applying for answer sheet copies and questioning whether their marks truly reflect years of hard work.
The hardest part, students say, is that they are paying the emotional price for mistakes they never made.
Students are mentally exhausted now. First came the OSM confusion. Then unexpected marks. Then crashing portals. Then delayed scanned copies. With every passing day, frustration is turning into desperation. The question echoing across social media is simple but painful: How much more stress should students bear because the system failed them?
With pressure mounting and trust eroding, experts are now discussing what many are calling CBSE’s last remaining option, grace marks. Because when confidence in evaluation itself begins to shake, extraordinary measures inevitably enter the conversation.
WHY GRACE MARKS ARE NOW BEING DISCUSSED
The demand for grace marks is no longer limited to social media campaigns.
Experts and student groups are increasingly discussing whether CBSE should consider awarding 10–15 grace marks to students falling below the crucial 75% eligibility benchmark, including RT and compartment students, to offset the disruption caused by this year’s post-result crisis.
The argument is simple: many students are now losing admissions to dream universities over just a few marks, despite years of preparation and effort. For students hovering around cut-off margins, even a difference of 5–10 marks could determine whether they secure admission or miss opportunities entirely.
Many students believe this year cannot be treated as a normal evaluation cycle because the controversy extends far beyond marks alone, it has become a question of process, trust and fairness.
OSM CONFUSION, PORTAL CRASHES AND A GROWING TRUST DEFICIT
The introduction of CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system was intended to modernise evaluation. Instead, students say it triggered confusion and uncertainty. Complaints poured in over blurry scanned copies, delayed access to answer sheets, portal crashes and concerns over answer sheet handling.
The controversy escalated after reports surfaced of answer sheet mismatches, including a viral case where a student allegedly received another candidate’s answer sheet copy under his roll number, raising serious questions over evaluation reliability and document handling.
At the same time, concerns around digital evaluation vulnerabilities and alleged access loopholes added to the anxiety, although CBSE rejected claims of a security breach and clarified that the affected portal contained only test data and was not the actual evaluation platform.
Still, for students already questioning their scores, reassurance has not been enough.
Education leaders say the focus now should be on restoring trust and addressing student concerns with sensitivity.
"The concerns raised by students and parents regarding the OSM issue deserve to be acknowledged with empathy and transparency. It would be a corrective measure on CBSE's part to address the situation responsibly and communicate with transparency," says Principal Dr Alka Kapur, Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh.
"Examinations conducted at such a large scale can certainly face challenges, but what matters the most right at this stage is how academic institutions respond to protect student interests and maintain trust," she adds.
Further, the school principal said the controversy underscores the importance of prioritising student well-being, mental health and fair evaluation. She said all stakeholders deserve clarity and called for the issue to be addressed with sensitivity, transparency and constructive dialogue.
THE NUMBERS THAT ARE RAISING QUESTIONS
Students are also pointing to the unusually high number of answer sheet copy requests this year. According to figures being widely discussed among student groups, nearly 23% of Class 12 students applied for answer sheet copies, with an average of around three subject copies per student.
Students argue that such numbers reflect something deeper than routine rechecking requests, they indicate widespread dissatisfaction and lack of confidence in the evaluation process.
Many are now appealing directly to CBSE:
“Please allow grace marks as an option for these students and relieve us of this anxiety.”
STUDENTS TAKE THEIR DEMANDS TO X
The emotional toll is becoming increasingly visible online. Students have flooded X with messages describing stress, helplessness and fear over admissions and evaluation concerns.
A CBSE Class 12 student said the OSM system had caused severe distress due to blurry answer sheets, portal crashes and high charges, while raising concerns over students’ mental health and demanding grace marks.
Another appeal read:
“CBSE’s OSM system has created confusion, trust issues and unfair marking concerns among students. This year, CBSE should award grace marks and immediately revert to the old physical checking system where human evaluation felt more reliable and balanced.”
Some students are even demanding broader relief measures, calling for grace marks and passing support for affected candidates, arguing that this year’s disruptions have gone beyond ordinary post-result grievances.
IS GRACE MARKS THE ONLY OPTION LEFT?
Fifteen days after the results, the debate is no longer only about marks. It is about trust, fairness and student wellbeing. Students say they have spent the last two weeks moving from one uncertainty to another while admissions timelines continue moving forward.
Marks can be recalculated. Portals can be repaired. Systems can be upgraded. But the emotional damage caused by prolonged uncertainty is far harder to undo.
If the trust deficit continues to widen and no larger relief mechanism emerges, experts believe CBSE may eventually face growing pressure to consider extraordinary measures, including grace marks, not as an academic shortcut, but as a support mechanism for students caught in an unprecedented post-result crisis.
Because after 15 days of chaos, students are asking one heartbreaking question:
How much more should students suffer for mistakes they never made?
CBSE is staring at a full-blown trust crisis and students are trapped in the middle of it. What was supposed to be the biggest academic milestone for lakhs of Class 12 students has instead turned into weeks of confusion, panic and emotional exhaustion.
Since May 13, when CBSE declared the results, the board has been firefighting one controversy after another: OSM confusion, unexpected low scores, answer sheet mix-ups, portal crashes, delayed scanned copies and growing allegations of evaluation errors.
Today, May 27, marks exactly the 15th day since results were announced, yet students say there is still no concrete solution from CBSE to resolve the chaos.
For students and parents, it feels like everything is falling apart at once. Admissions deadlines are approaching, university cut-offs are closing in, and thousands remain stuck refreshing portals, applying for answer sheet copies and questioning whether their marks truly reflect years of hard work.
The hardest part, students say, is that they are paying the emotional price for mistakes they never made.
Students are mentally exhausted now. First came the OSM confusion. Then unexpected marks. Then crashing portals. Then delayed scanned copies. With every passing day, frustration is turning into desperation. The question echoing across social media is simple but painful: How much more stress should students bear because the system failed them?
With pressure mounting and trust eroding, experts are now discussing what many are calling CBSE’s last remaining option, grace marks. Because when confidence in evaluation itself begins to shake, extraordinary measures inevitably enter the conversation.
WHY GRACE MARKS ARE NOW BEING DISCUSSED
The demand for grace marks is no longer limited to social media campaigns.
Experts and student groups are increasingly discussing whether CBSE should consider awarding 10–15 grace marks to students falling below the crucial 75% eligibility benchmark, including RT and compartment students, to offset the disruption caused by this year’s post-result crisis.
The argument is simple: many students are now losing admissions to dream universities over just a few marks, despite years of preparation and effort. For students hovering around cut-off margins, even a difference of 5–10 marks could determine whether they secure admission or miss opportunities entirely.
Many students believe this year cannot be treated as a normal evaluation cycle because the controversy extends far beyond marks alone, it has become a question of process, trust and fairness.
OSM CONFUSION, PORTAL CRASHES AND A GROWING TRUST DEFICIT
The introduction of CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system was intended to modernise evaluation. Instead, students say it triggered confusion and uncertainty. Complaints poured in over blurry scanned copies, delayed access to answer sheets, portal crashes and concerns over answer sheet handling.
The controversy escalated after reports surfaced of answer sheet mismatches, including a viral case where a student allegedly received another candidate’s answer sheet copy under his roll number, raising serious questions over evaluation reliability and document handling.
At the same time, concerns around digital evaluation vulnerabilities and alleged access loopholes added to the anxiety, although CBSE rejected claims of a security breach and clarified that the affected portal contained only test data and was not the actual evaluation platform.
Still, for students already questioning their scores, reassurance has not been enough.
Education leaders say the focus now should be on restoring trust and addressing student concerns with sensitivity.
"The concerns raised by students and parents regarding the OSM issue deserve to be acknowledged with empathy and transparency. It would be a corrective measure on CBSE's part to address the situation responsibly and communicate with transparency," says Principal Dr Alka Kapur, Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh.
"Examinations conducted at such a large scale can certainly face challenges, but what matters the most right at this stage is how academic institutions respond to protect student interests and maintain trust," she adds.
Further, the school principal said the controversy underscores the importance of prioritising student well-being, mental health and fair evaluation. She said all stakeholders deserve clarity and called for the issue to be addressed with sensitivity, transparency and constructive dialogue.
THE NUMBERS THAT ARE RAISING QUESTIONS
Students are also pointing to the unusually high number of answer sheet copy requests this year. According to figures being widely discussed among student groups, nearly 23% of Class 12 students applied for answer sheet copies, with an average of around three subject copies per student.
Students argue that such numbers reflect something deeper than routine rechecking requests, they indicate widespread dissatisfaction and lack of confidence in the evaluation process.
Many are now appealing directly to CBSE:
“Please allow grace marks as an option for these students and relieve us of this anxiety.”
STUDENTS TAKE THEIR DEMANDS TO X
The emotional toll is becoming increasingly visible online. Students have flooded X with messages describing stress, helplessness and fear over admissions and evaluation concerns.
A CBSE Class 12 student said the OSM system had caused severe distress due to blurry answer sheets, portal crashes and high charges, while raising concerns over students’ mental health and demanding grace marks.
Another appeal read:
“CBSE’s OSM system has created confusion, trust issues and unfair marking concerns among students. This year, CBSE should award grace marks and immediately revert to the old physical checking system where human evaluation felt more reliable and balanced.”
Some students are even demanding broader relief measures, calling for grace marks and passing support for affected candidates, arguing that this year’s disruptions have gone beyond ordinary post-result grievances.
IS GRACE MARKS THE ONLY OPTION LEFT?
Fifteen days after the results, the debate is no longer only about marks. It is about trust, fairness and student wellbeing. Students say they have spent the last two weeks moving from one uncertainty to another while admissions timelines continue moving forward.
Marks can be recalculated. Portals can be repaired. Systems can be upgraded. But the emotional damage caused by prolonged uncertainty is far harder to undo.
If the trust deficit continues to widen and no larger relief mechanism emerges, experts believe CBSE may eventually face growing pressure to consider extraordinary measures, including grace marks, not as an academic shortcut, but as a support mechanism for students caught in an unprecedented post-result crisis.
Because after 15 days of chaos, students are asking one heartbreaking question:
How much more should students suffer for mistakes they never made?
