Karachi secondary and higher secondary boards to use e-marking for 2025 exams

The secondary and higher secondary education boards in Karachi have announced the implementation of e-marking for the annual examinations in 2025, representing a notable transition towards digital assessment methods.

Preparations are currently in progress for both matriculation and intermediate level examinations.

This decision was made following a training workshop on e-marking conducted by the Federal Board in Islamabad last week, which was attended by Karachi Matric Board Examination Controller Zaheeruddin Bhutto and Intermediate Board Examination Controller Zarina Chaudhry.

As part of a pilot program, e-marking will first be applied to the examinations for class 9 and first-year students. The Karachi Matric Board will utilize e-marking for the Biology and Computer Science papers within the Science group, while the Intermediate Board will implement it for Mathematics papers in the General Science group.

Sharaf Ali Shah, Chairman of the Karachi Matric Board, confirmed the initiative, stating that the implementation of e-marking is a directive from the Sindh government, and they are taking necessary measures to ensure its effective execution.

He further mentioned that specially designed answer booklets are being produced to support the e-marking process, and mock examinations will be organized to help students acclimate to the new format.

Shah raised concerns regarding the insufficient resources allocated by the Sindh government, pointing out that approximately 400,000 students sit for matriculation exams in Karachi each year, resulting in millions of answer scripts. He noted that with only one scanner and one printer available, the e-marking initiative will be limited in scope.

Bhutto elaborated that e-marking will necessitate that students strictly adhere to designated areas for both concise and elaborate responses. He clarified that any answers exceeding the specified lines will not be included in the evaluation.

During the e-marking process, scanned copies of answer scripts will be organized by question, allowing different examiners to assess individual responses using specialized software.

Zarina echoed similar intentions, emphasizing their focus on Mathematics papers, and noted that instead of traditional answer booklets, examinees will be provided with the new format.