Times News Network - Mathang Seshagiri

Bangalore, Feb 23: Over 5 lakh students taking the annual II PUC exams can heave a sigh of relief. There will be no minimum pass marks for the internal exam conducted at colleges.

Even if a student gets zero marks in the internal assessment, he/she will not be declared failed. But there's a rider: students have to get a minimum of 30 marks per subject and the aggregate of six subjects should be 35 per cent.

The department of pre-university education has introduced internal assessment for all subjects in II PUC from this year. Of the total 100 marks, 10 marks will be for internal assessment. The annual exam will be only for 90 marks.

The practical marks for science subjects has also been reduced from 20 to 10. "We have not fixed any minimum marks for internal assessment. But out of 90 marks in the II PUC exam, candidates have to secure a minimum of 27 marks.

Overall passing marks per subject (part I and II taken together) will be 30," Gonal Bhimappa, director of PU education, told The Times of India.

These changes mean that students can virtually bunk practical tests and still manage to pass by securing minimum marks in the written exam.

Ditto with other streams like Commerce and Arts,where students can skip assignments and internal projects and pass by scoring well in the final exam.

A committee headed by space scientist U R Rao had revamped the syllabus and scheme of exams for the two-year PUC in 2004. After the internal assessment was extended to arts, science and commerce for the I PU last year, this year's annual II PUC exams will be held under a new scheme of evaluation.

While internal assessment will be based on projects and assignments, written exam will evaluate candidates on understanding, application and skill.