FPSC may replace old marking system of CSS
* Proposes new aggregate marking for English exam to help candidates * Proposal forwarded to premier for approval

By Abdul Manan
Daily Times

LAHORE: The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) said on Monday that they are likely to replace the old system of passing marks in essays and compositions by introducing a combined marking system for English papers in the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination.

According to sources, the FPSC had submitted proposals in this regard to Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro, during his time as caretaker premier in the last caretaker setup.

According to statistics, the initial criteria to qualify for the CSS written exams was 25% of the total marks and was later increased to 33 % by General Zia ul Haq. The qualifying criterion was then made 50% during General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s era.

Consists: The CSS examination has six compulsory papers of 600 marks and other optional papers of 600 marks.

A minimum of 40% is necessary in the compulsory subjects to pass the written examination. An overall of 50% is required in all papers to qualify.

Compulsory subjects in CSS examination are English (Essay and Composition), General Knowledge (GK), which includes Pakistan Affairs, Current Affairs and Everyday Sciences, which carry 100 marks each, and Islamic Studies, which carries 100 marks.

According to the FPSC, candidates have to secure 120 marks in the GK papers. If candidates obtain 30 marks in Pakistan Affairs, 20 marks in Current Affairs and 70 marks in Everyday Science, the candidate will be able to pass GK. While the individual pass marks in GK papers is 40%. The FPSC introduced an aggregate marking system to facilitate candidates.

The English papers carry 200 marks; 100 marks for Essays and 100 marks for Composition. According to the FPSC, candidates have to secure 40 marks in each of the English papers to pass. If any candidate gets 55 marks in Essay and 35 marks in Composition, then the candidate is not eligible to qualify the CSS written examination.

According to sources, the FPSC is likely to re-send its proposals to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to sanction the collective marking system. If approval is granted, this will be advertised, FPSC sources said. This would allow candidates to obtain aggregate marks of 80 in both English papers.


Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-9-2008_pg7_36

wow! this is great news, i hope this is accepted by PM. every1 should pray for it...btw is this proposal just for english or for GK paper aswell..?

"According to the FPSC, candidates have to secure 120 marks in the GK papers. If candidates obtain 30 marks in Pakistan Affairs, 20 marks in Current Affairs and 70 marks in Everyday Science, the candidate will be able to pass GK . While the individual pass marks in GK papers is 40%. The FPSC introduced an aggregate marking system to facilitate candidates."

From the highlighted text, we can see that candidates who get below 40% in individual papers but their total exceeds 120 marks are able to pass GK papers.

This is quite helpful for candidates and hence the same strategy is being proposed to be applied to the English papers

__________________
"Fa Bi Ayyi AAla E Rabbikuma Tukazzibaan"

Aur tum apnay RUB ki kon kon si neamaton ko jhutlao gay!

Learn to Thank ALLAH! You'll feel the difference!

first of all this reporter, Abdul Manan, is an idiot. he looks for hearsay and rumors and then makes it a report. in all probability he has heard all this from some candidates and has made it into a report. he once issued a report in which he named me. he made it seem like he had talked to me. it was to do with the suitability issue. I talked to him over the phone. he is an idiot.

CSS qualifying marks have always been 50%, as far as i can remember. back when my brother was taking the exam in around 1993, it was 50%. Musharraf was not even in sight then. so as i said, the idiot has made up a story.

the other news is, too, old. but nothing of that sort has happened yet. and it is unlikely that it would happen. see, english is kept as a filter. to fail the maximum number of people they need such a criteria. otherwise if , say, 1500 people pass, they will take a year to interview them. they dont want to get themselves a headache by doing that. it would disrupt the whole system. as an example i might want to draw your attention to the tehsildar exams that were held in NWFP last year. it is pertinent to note that the forms were taken in around march 2006. then the screening was held in around october 2006. then those who qualified that went through the real exam in around may/june 2007. around 4000 odd people passed. the interviews have just been completed and it would take i dont know how long before the final results are published.
would you like CSS to drag on like that? honestly what do you think?
in any case i think that it wont happen.

__________________
Mahmood Khattak
Pakistan Customs Service
36th CTP

Yes i agree with Mr. Mahmood
In the report, a question may rise in one's mind that
when the summary sent to Caretaker Premier, what was his decision?
& than reporter said
if i am not wrong all these type of Fpsc summaries/decisions for final approvals are send to President not to Prime Minister.

But finally, i think it may be a rumour, because from past many months, this is been said by many students that Fpsc is deciding to combine English marks, even many of them confirmed before the result of 2008 that Fpsc has combined marks of essay & compostion, but in result 2008 the marks are not combined here.

Yaar ye daily times wale aisi hi koi bhi report chaap dete hain kiya? koi verify nahi karta.......