Grade 8 Public Examination restored

About 1m students to appear next month across Punjab

LAHORE:

The Punjab Education Curriculum, Training and Assessment Authority (PECTAA) has reinstated the Grade 8 Public Examination after a pause of six years. About a million students will appear in the centralised public assessment across the province this year.

The examination is scheduled to commence on March 9, with results expected a month later.

The decision to restore the examination is being framed by policymakers as a corrective measure to address learning gaps that emerged during the years when middle level students were assessed internally. Education officials argue that the absence of a standardised checkpoint weakened academic oversight and allowed inconsistencies to grow between districts, schools and systems. The revived Grade 8 examination, they say, is intended to act as an early academic filter before students enter secondary education.

The assessment model has been redesigned by PECTAA's newly constituted leadership team. The authority claims the new framework is fully aligned with Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), shifting the examination focus away from rote recall toward conceptual clarity and analytical skills.

A feature of the restored examination is the digitisation of the marking process. For the first time at this level, both objective and subjective responses will be checked through a centralised online e-marking system, supported by AI-assisted validation tools. Each answer script will carry a secure QR code, ensuring anonymity of candidates during evaluation.

According to officials, subject trained examiners, moderators and multilayered quality assurance will oversee the marking.

Another departure from past practice is the introduction of digitally generated, equated question papers. No two candidates will receive an identical paper as test forms will be drawn from digital item banks. This reform is expected to reduce the risk of paper leaks, impersonation and cheating issues that have undermined public confidence in examinations. The logistical scale of the exercise is vast.

This year, the examination will be conducted at 5,714 centres, overseen by nearly 26,000 invigilators, supported by district-level operational structures.