This year's SSC and HSC examinations are likely to begin on June 19 and August 22 respectively, on more subjects than last year's exams.

Due to the pandemic, the exams will start three and a half months later than usual, and will be held on a truncated syllabus and for fewer marks than usual. The duration of the exams will also be curtailed.

Last year, SSC and HSC candidates sat for tests on only three optional subjects with a shortened syllabus and fewer marks, due to the pandemic.

This year, candidates of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams will have to sit for Bangla, English, Mathematics and a fourth subject, besides the three optional subjects, Dhaka education board acting chairman Prof Tapan Kumar Sarkar said.

They will not need to sit for exams on religion, ICT, Bangladesh and Global Studies and science.

Applicants of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) will need to sit for Bangla, English, the three optional subjects and a fourth subject.

HSC candidates will not need to sit for exams on ICT subjects.

Board officials said candidates' grades in previous public exams will determine results of subjects for which no exam will take place.

Prof Gazi Hasan Kamal, chairman of Mymensingh education board, also said they have included more subjects than last year as students got more time for lessons.

Kamal said there will be preparation tests for SSC and HSC candidates at their educational institutions.

Prof Md Moshiuzzaman, member of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, said they have already prepared a short syllabus for all subjects and notified all concerned.

FEWER MARKS AND TIME

Two separate notifications issued by boards yesterday also said students will need to sit for an exam of 55 marks -- 40 for written answers and 15 for multiple choice questions – for the subjects that do not have any practical examinations.

For subjects with practical examinations, students will have to sit for exams of 45 marks -- 30 written and 15 MCQ.

But SSC examines will need to sit for 50-mark exams each for English I and II papers, while HSC candidates will need to take 50 marks exams for English I, II and Bangla II papers.

The exam duration will be two hours.

In the pre-Covid times, a student had to sit for three-hour exams marked out of 100.

According to the notifications, boards fixed probable dates for SSC candidates to start filling forms online on April 13 and for HSC candidates on June 8.

Educational institutions will be able to take preparatory exams for SSC candidates from May 19 and for HSC candidates from July 14.