Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) on Monday announced that students who attempted two faulty questions in the Biological Science paper of the Semester III (Part-I) Higher Secondary 2026 examinations will be awarded full marks. Council president Chiranjib Bhattacharya clarified that the two “matching column” questions contained no correct options. “Each will fetch one mark, and all students who attempted them will get full benefit,” he said.
The examinations, which began on September 8, concluded on Monday with the Biological Science, Political Science, and Costing & Taxation papers. Attendance was notably high at 98.42%, with only 1.52% (10,437) students absent, marking the lowest absentee rate since 2014, except 2021 when exams were not conducted. Out of 6,60,342 candidates, 2,90,407 were boys and 3,69,935 were girls.
This year, for the first time, students answered multiple-choice questions using OMR sheets under the semester-based continuous evaluation system.
Officials said the reduced exam stress contributed to the historically low absenteeism. Disciplinary incidents also declined, with only two students caught using mobile phones—one in Howrah during the Physics exam on September 12, and another in Nadia during Monday’s Political Science paper, both resulting in cancellation of the respective exams.
One Kolkata student was reported for misbehaving with an examiner. In comparison, 2024 saw 141 disciplinary cases, including 41 mobile-related, while 2025 had 296 cases, including eight mobile. “Our objective was to enforce discipline, and we have been largely successful,” Bhattacharya noted.
The Council also received complaints regarding inadequate time and lengthy papers in Physics and Mathematics. A review meeting with regional and central officials on September 25 will assess the feedback. Minor revisions for next year will be proposed after government approval.
Evaluation of nearly 39 lakh OMR sheets is underway, with results expected by October 31. Scores, percentiles, and subject-wise marks will be available online.