In a major move toward digital assessment, the Karachi secondary and upper secondary school boards decided to use e-marking for the 2025 annual exams. Exam preparation is in progress for both the intermediate and matriculation levels.

The decision came after the Federal Board's e-marking training program in Islamabad last week. The event was attended by Intermediate Board Examination Controller Zarina Chaudhry and Karachi Matric Board Examination Controller Zaheeruddin Bhutto.

E-marking in SSC Scripts

E-marking for class 9 and first-year exams will be implemented as a trial project. For the Science group's biology and computer science papers, the Karachi Matric Board will use e-marking; for the General Science group's mathematics papers, the Intermediate Board will use it.

Since e-marking is a Sindh government requirement, we are taking steps to ensure its smooth implementation, said Sharaf Ali Shah, Chairman of the Karachi Matric Board, who confirmed the initiative.

He also mentioned that trial tests will be held to acquaint pupils with the new format and that specially created answer booklets are being made to enable e-marking.

Meagre Resources and Lack of Support

Shah voiced his displeasure with the Sindh government's limited resources, pointing out that millions of answer sheets are produced annually when about 400,000 students take the matriculation examinations in Karachi. E-marking will continue to be a small-scale operation with only one scanner and one printer.

According to Bhutto, e-marking will force students to closely follow the slots allotted for both brief and in-depth responses. He explained that responses that go beyond the allotted lines won't be taken into account for the evaluation.

Adoption of Technology

Scanned copies of the answer scripts will be separated per question during the procedure, and several examiners will use specialized software to assess each answer separately.

Zarina mentioned their emphasis on mathematics articles and shared similar plans. According to her, examiners will receive digital versions or segmented questions via software in place of actual response booklets.

Depending on logistical needs, the board may designate certain responses or whole copies to various assessors.

SSC and HSSC Exams Datesheet

On March 15, the 2025 matriculation examinations will start, and on April 15, the intermediate exams will follow. Enhancing the effectiveness and openness of Karachi's education boards is the goal of the shift to e-marking.