COTTON COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY

PANBAZAR, GUWAHATI 781 001, ASSAM, INDIA

Telephone: +91-(0)361-2733512; Email: vc.ccsu@gmail.com

Examination rules and regulations

(for courses of at least two semesters)

There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and
finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment
you die, is a process of learning. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Broad objectives and other matters

1. Examinations continue to be a measure of the effectiveness of the teaching and
learning experience of each student. At CCSU, the objectives are to conduct these
examinations without putting undue stress on either the student or the teacher
and also do these in a transparent and objective manner.
2. The present Examination rules and regulations of CCSU are for courses of at least
two semesters. Short-term Certificate and Diploma courses are covered separately.
3. Assessment of the performance of a student will be based on both continuous
assessments during the semester, and an end-semester examination.
4. Sessional Examinations, Tutorials and Practicals form the basis for continuous
assessments. These assessments must be objective and transparent to the students.
In the initial stages, this could be done either only via sessional examinations, or
sessional examinations in combination with other forms of internal assessments.
5. Answer sheets for continuous evaluation will be shown to the students. This will
be done on a particular working day assigned for this purpose. The marks/grades
will be recorded and submitted to the University after showing the answer sheets
to the students and correcting any discrepancy.
6. The grades will be estimated and given at the end of the semester for each course.
For covenience, internal evaluations and all examinations may be evaluated in
marks, and converted to grades at the end of the semester.
7. For 16 weeks of teaching during a semester, 20 per cent of the marks will be based
on continuous assessments during the first 8 weeks, 20 per cent for the second
8 weeks, and the remaining 60 per cent in the end-semester examination. The
end-semester examination which will cover the whole syllabus may also have a
practical component. The decreased emphasis on the end-semester examination
should encourage continuous learning and be less stressful for both the teachers
and the students.

8. The dates/periods of all examinations will be as per the Academic Calendar. The
precise dates for the sessional examinations for the core papers of both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses will be decided by the respective Heads of the
Departments in consultation with the internal faculty members ensuring that there
are no clashes of dates. For the elective papers the precise dates will be decided by
the Head of the Institution at the undergraduate level, and by the internals in coordination with the Heads of the Departments and the Controller of Examinations
at the postgraduate level. The dates and times of sessional examinations have to
be informed to the concerned students well ahead of the dates and times of the
examinations. The dates of all end-semester examinations will be announced by
the Controller of Examinations.
9. Students must pass in both internal and end-semester examinations, obtaining a
grade of at least C in both.
10. A student may apply for a xerox copy of his/her answer sheet of the end-semester
examination from the University for a fee within 15 days from the date of declaration of the results. He/She should apply to the Controller of Examinations.
A student has the option of appealing to the Controller of Examinations for reassessment of his/her answer script on payment of a fee. This application must
also be made by the student within 15 days of the declaration of the results. The
grade sheet should be submitted along with the application for reassessment. The
re-assessed grades will be final even if it is lower than the earlier one.
11. Evaluation of a research-orientied project including field work, which has 4 credits
in a semester will be based on evaluation of the content and quality of work (40
per cent), a written project report (30 per cent) and an open seminar on the piece
of work (30 per cent). Evaluation of these projects will be done by a committee of
three persons appointed by the Dean of the faculty; one of these members will be
the guide/teacher, and one from within the discipline of study, and the third from
outside the discipline of study.
12. A provisional grade card will be given at the end of each semester, while a final
grade card will be given at the end of the course of study. It will contain the
performance in each semester. Grading is described in more detail later.
13. If the student does not clear the end-semester examination, but has cleared the
attendance requirements and the during-the-semester examinations, s/he may appear for the end-semester examination again as arrear paper without attending
the classes and the sessional examinations. If a student does not clear the duringthe-semester evaluations, and/or does not have the required attendance s/he will
be required to repeat the course. If a student is not satisfied with her/his endsemester results in a particular paper, s/he may opt for betterment. The rules
and regulations for these are given in the Annexures to Clause 13 (Annexure
Exam-13 and Annexure Exam-13A).
14. Each paper should normally be taught by a maximum of three teachers. All
teachers should take responsibility for the evaluation processes relevant for the
course, including setting the paper.

15. The University will only consider and recognize evaluation done by a University
authorized examiner.
16. The answer scripts of candidates along with all additional sheets will be preserved
for a maximum period of three months after publication of the results. The rules
and regulations for re-evaluation of answer scripts are given in the Annexure to
Clause 16 (Annexure Exam-16).

Setting the question papers

17. This is a critical component of the evaluation process, and strict confidentiality
must be maintained at all costs.
18. The question paper will be set by the teacher teaching the course. It should cover
at least 90 per cent of the portions taught during the periods mentioned in item 5
for the sessional examinations, and at least 90 per cent of the prescribed syllabus
for the end-semester examinations.
19. The question paper should cover reasonably uniformly the different components
of the syllabus. The format of question papers should be to test the thinking
and/or creative capabilities of the students and enable them to face competitive
examinations like NET, SET etc., which is given in the Annexure to Clause 19
(Annexure Exam-19).
20. The Controller of Examinations may also choose to get a paper set by an external
expert in the field.
21. The level of the questions should be appropriate for the class, and there should
be reasonable gradation of ease/difficulty of the questions asked at that particular
level.
22. The duration of the sessional examinations of both undergraduate and postgraduate levels should be of one hour, and any disruption to the teaching schedule should
be avoided. The sessional examinations could be held during either the first or last
period of the morning taking extra 15 minutes when necessary so that classes are
not disrupted. Similarly sessional examinations could be held in the afternoons
without any class disruption. The end-semester examinations will be of 3 hours
duration for papers having more than 2 credits and 2 hours for papers having less
than or equal to 2 credits. The number of questions a student is asked to answer
should be appropriate for the duration of the examinations. The different sections
of during-the-semester examinations should be as given in Form No. Ex-13A.
23. All question papers should contain a number of questions covering all the different
units taught as part of the course. The questions should cover a range of difficulties
and should not all be at a similar level. The questions could be different types,
including objective types and ones of varying length and difficulty. More than one
question paper may be set for the course.

24. The question paper(s) must be submitted to the Controller of Examinations by

the paper setters at least 20 days before the date of the end-semester examination.
A soft copy (doc file, and also a pdf file) should be e-mailed to the Controller
of Examinations and a hard copy given to him/her in a sealed envelope. The
question paper(s) for the sessional examinations must also be sent to the Controller
of Examinations as above. However, the time limit of 20 days may be relaxed to
a week for the sessional examinations.
25. The Controller of Examinations may in consultation with the teacher decide to
either use more than one question paper, or pick one at random.
26. It is the responsibility of the paper setter to ensure that there are no errors whatsoever in the question paper, including minor typographical errors.
27. The question paper(s) will be examined confidentially by a compact team of moderators, consisting of a maximum of five members for each subject, to ensure that
the above are complied with. This compact team will consist of at least one
external member from outside the University, the Head/Co-ordinator of the Department, and another representative from the Department. The person setting
the question paper will be excluded from the moderators even if he/she is the
Head/Co-ordinator of the Department.
28. The team of moderators for each subject will be set up by the Vice-Chancellor. The
quorum for meetings of the team of moderators is three members, with at least one
member being from outside the University. The Controller of Examinations will
convene the meetings of the moderators, and oversee the process as a non-member
Secretary.
29. The team of moderators may modify the question paper if it thinks necessary, and
may reset the paper if it is found to be inappropriate. In the latter case, this should
be brought to the attention of the Dean of the concerned University faculty, the
Academic Registrar and the Vice Chancellor, for appropriate follow-up action. If
the paper is reset, the moderating team will be responsible to ensure that there
are no errors whatsoever in the question paper.
30. Copies of the question paper will be made in-house, and the Controller of Examinations will be responsible to ensure that strict confidentiality is maintained.
31. All copies and the original of the final question paper(s) will be put in sealed
envelopes by the Controller of Examinations, and kept in his/her office. The total
number of question papers for each question paper must be be written on top of
the envelope. The packet(s) containing the question paper(s) will be given to the
concerned Head of the Department/Head of the Institution/Chief Invigilator on
the morning of the examination at least 30 min before the commencement of the
examination.
32. The Controller of Examinations will designate one of the invigilators as a Chief
Invigilator with the primary responsibility of ensuring that the examinations are
conducted smoothly and as per the rules and regulations. This is particularly
relevant when examinations are conducted in a large hall with many invigilators.

33. The seal in the envelope containing the question papers should be broken and the
envelope opened not more than 15 minutes before the start of the examination,
in the presence of the candidates and the invigilators. At least two invigilators
should sign on the envelope and record the time of opening of the envelope. Extra
question papers should be securely kept in the Chief Invigilators custody, and
finally returned to the Controller of Examinations.

Conducting the examinations

Preliminaries
34. Conducting the examinations will be overseen by a committee set up by the ViceChancellor with the Controller of Examinations as the chairperson.
35. The examination hall will not be opened earlier than 20 min from the time of the
start of the examination.
36. The examination hall will be assigned a Chief Invigilator from amongst the teachers.
37. The teacher(s)/invigilator(s) and either any official(s) from the Examination Cell
of the University, or a person(s) authorized by the Examination Cell are the only
ones who are allowed to enter the examination hall, besides the candidates.
38. Candidates appearing for the examination will have to carry the Admit card/Identity
card for the examination, and teacher(s)/invigilator(s) must ensure their identity,
so that there is no impersonation.
39. A candidate will not be allowed to appear for the examination, if he/she is late by
more than 15 minutes. This may be increased to 30 min at the discretion of the
Chief Invigilator if there has been some genuine difficulty.
40. In theory-linked practical component of a paper with less than 2 credits, 40 per cent
weightage of the practical component should be via continuous internal evaluation
and 60 per cent weightage should be tested through an end-semester examination
to be conducted by the internal faculty in co-ordination with the Head of the
Department.
41. For practical papers of more than or equal to 2 credits, internal assessments with 40
per cent weightage should be carried out by the internal faculty through continuous
evaluation in regular practical classes, while the test for the remaining 60 per
cent weightage have to be carried out through an end-semester examination to
be conducted by the internal faculty and an external/internal team of experts
formed by the Head of the Department in coordination with the Controller of
Examinations, CCSU. There will be no separate sessional examinations for such
types of papers. The end-semester practical examinations may be conducted before
the end-semester theory examinations.

42. Teachers/Evaluators are required to submit the marks and grades, along with the
answer scripts to the Controller of Examinations within one week of a sessional
examination and ten days of an end-semester examination. Candidates whose
internal assessment marks (Form No. Ex-13A) are not received in due time, their
results will be withheld (W1) up to 30 days from the date of declaration of results.
If within this period the internal assessment marks are not received, the results
for the concerned subject of the student will be declared as Failed (F), and such
candidates will have to repeat the paper.
Practical Examinations
43. When necessary to call an external examiner, he/she will be appointed by the
Controller of Examinations with the approval of the Vice Chancellor. If the external examiner is unable to come and has not given adequate notice, the Vice
Chancellor may appoint a substitute external examiner so that the examinations
are not affected.
44. The examination will be conducted jointly by the external and internal examiners.
The internal examiner will normally be the teacher of the course, but the Controller
of Examinations may also appoint an alternative teacher from the Department for
this purpose.
45. The examiners should follow all guidelines and instructions from the University.
They should examine the solutions of programs/problems/experiments, the answer
scripts and overall conduct of the experiments by the students, and ask any relevant
questions in the viva-voce.
46. Both the external and internal examiners must sign the answer scripts of the
candidates.
47. A member of the moderating committee, assigned by the Controller of Examinations, may also be present for some or all of the time to ensure that the examination
process is going smoothly.
48. There should be only one candidate assigned to each experiment/computer/problem.
If assigned by a lottery, and the number of experiments/problems exceeds the
number of candidates, a candidate may be given a second choice only after each
candidate has had his/her first choice.
49. Marks and grades must be given holistically, and may be given even if the entire
work/experiment is not completed within the allocated time.
50. For practicals in computer-related courses, the language used should be as defined
in the syllabus; the necessary programs should be preloaded and earlier programs
erased from the computers; a description of the program and any questions and
answers must be written on the answer scripts.

51. The marks and grades should be entered on the answer scripts at the end of the
examination, and sent along with the marks and grade foils in a sealed envelope
to the Controller of Examinations. The sealed envelope must be signed by the
external as well as internal examiner.
52. There will be no re-evaluation of practical examinations. However, candidates who
either fail in the practical examination or wish to appear again may do so.
53. Norms for expulsion of candidates resorting to unfair means will also be applicable
to candidates appearing in the practical examinations.
Seating arrangements
54. The Chief Invigilator will prepare the seating arrangements, and send an outline
of it to the Controller of Examinations after the examination is over.
55. The seating arrangement should be such that no candidate appearing for the same
paper should be adjacent to one another.
56. If a candidate is unwell/suffering from a contageous and infectious disease, arrangements will be made for the candidate to appear for the examination, but all
precautionary measures will be taken in consultation with an approved medical
doctor.
Answer scripts
57. The blank answer scripts, additional loose sheets, graph papers required for the
examinations will be supplied by the Controller of Examinations to the Chief
Invigilator.
58. The blank answer scripts, distributed serially everyday initially, as well as any additional sheets must be initialled by one of the invigilators, and the date mentioned
clearly.
59. Extra blank answer scripts and additional sheets must be returned to the Controller
of Examinations, after the examination is over, with an account of the number of
sheets used and returned.
60. At the end of the allotted time for the examination, the answer scripts will be
collected from the candidates by the invigilators.
61. These will be handed over to the teacher/examiner if he/she is one of the invigilators. Otherwise, these will be in the custody of the Chief Invigilator who will
hand these over to the teacher of the course/examiner within 24 hours of the examination. A copy of the question paper will be enclosed with the answer scripts.
62. If a candidate finishes the examination before the allotted time, he/she will be
required to hand over the answer scripts and additional sheets to one of the invigilators. He/she will not be allowed to re-enter the examination hall.

63. As mentioned earlier, after evaluation, the marks/grade foils and the answer scripts
should be returned to the Controller of Examinations. The answer scripts and the
marks/grade foils should be arranged serially according to the enrolment numbers
of the students.
Invigilation
64. The invigilators will be amongst the teachers of the College and the University.
65. Invigilators must ensure that the examinations are conducted smoothly; enrolment
numbers are written clearly by the students; written answer scripts and sheets are
collected from each student; and all blank scripts and sheets are collected and
accounted for.
66. Invigilators must ensure that no unfair means are resorted to by any student.
67. If a student is found resorting to unfair means, he/she may be expelled from
the examination by the Chief Invigilator. He/she may consult the Controller of
Examinations before taking punitive action.
68. If any answer script is found missing, this must be immediately informed to the
Controller of Examinations for necessary follow-up action. The Head/Co-ordinator
of the concerned Department and the Head of the Institution should also be informed.
69. There will be random spot checks by officials deputed by the Controller of Examinations to ensure that the examination process is progressing smoothly.
70. There will be a report submitted by the Chief Invigilator on the examination in a
standard format to the Controller of Examinations which will bear the names and
signatures of all the invigilators.
71. Invigilators should ensure that no answer scripts or loose sheets are left behind
by a candidate in his/her desk, but are handed over to the invigilators before the
candidate leaves the hall.
Rules to be observed by students
72. Candidates must occupy their seats about 15 min before the start of the examination. A candidate will be allowed into the hall after their Admit card/Identity
card is shown and their identity established.
73. Candidates will be required to sign in the roll sheets when asked by the invigilator(s).
74. Silence and decorum must be maintained at all costs. Students wanting extra
sheets or wishing to go to the bathroom, must attract the attention of the invigilators quietly by raising ones hand.

75. Candidates are allowed to carry only their pens/pencils, erasers, scales, geometry
sets and simple non-scientific calculators. Answers must be written clearly and
legibly preferably using waterproof ink. Figures and graphs may of-course be
drawn using pencils.
76. Mobile phones, or any other communication devices are strictly forbidden. You
are advised to leave these at your home/hostel. However, personal belongings
can be left in the front of the examination hall, with the candidate taking full
responsibility for doing so.
77. The candidate must clearly write his/her University Enrolment Number, name
of the examination, subject and paper very clearly in the main answer script as
well as in additional sheets used by the candidate(s). The answer scripts will not
be valid without this information. Also, all valid answer scripts must have the
signature of one of the invigilators on duty for the particular examination.
78. No other personal information, such as the candidates name, should be written
on the answer scripts, sheets or graph papers.
79. No candidate will be allowed to leave the examination hall within the first half
an hour of commencement of the examination. Candidates wishing to go to the
bathrooms may do so only after taking permission from the Chief Invigilator and
under proper safeguards. If a candidate leaves the examination hall before one
hour of completion of an end-semester examination, and 30 min before completion
of a sessional examination, he/she will not be permitted to carry the question
paper with him/her.
80. Students must not take recourse to any unfair means. He/she should not try to
take help from any other person either inside or outside the examination hall, and
also should not try to help another candidate in the examination hall.
81. An invigilator has the power to search a student for use of any unfair material.
For a lady student, this must be done by a lady invigilator.
Expulsion of students for using unfair means
82. A candidate may be expelled from the examination for resorting to any unfair
means. The Chief Invigilator may consult the Controller of Examinations before
taking such a step.
83. He/she may also use his/her discretion to give a warning to the erring candidate
before expelling him/her. In this case, this must be recorded in the answer script
as well as in the examination report by the Chief Invigilator to the Controller of
Examinations.
84. A candidate using any form of violence, verbal or physical, towards another candidate or an invigilator, or in any way disturbing the peaceful conduct of the examinations may be expelled from the examinations. In this case the Chief Invigilator
may also inform the local police in addition to the Controller of Examinations.

85. Any case of intimidation and/or assault of an invigilator(s) or any other person
connected with the examination system both inside and outside the examination
hall, either during or before/after the examination, by a candidate or his/her
friend/agent on his/her behalf will attract the strictest disciplinary measures. The
candidate is liable to be expelled from the University after a due process of enquiry.
86. If a candidate is expelled from an examination, a statement from the expelled
candidate should also be obtained and enclosed along with the report on why
he/she was expelled. If the candidate refuses to write a report, this should be
recorded and reported to the University.
87. The final decision on the expulsion of a student from the Univesity will be taken by
the Executive Council of the University, pending which he/she will not be allowed
to attend any classes or appear in any examination.
Final report
At the close of the examination, the Chief Invigilator shall send the following to
the Controller of Examinations.
88. Attendance sheet with the signatures of the candidates appearing in the examination, and clearly indicating those who did not appear for the examination.
89. Unused answer scripts, answer sheets and graph papers.
90. A final report in a standard format supplied by the Controller of Examinations,
summarising the examination such as the number of candidates, number of absentees, expulsions (if any), an explicit statement mentioning that the examination
has been conducted as per the rules and regulations of the University, and must
contain the names and signatures of all the invigilators.

Letter Grades
91. Each student is awarded a final letter grade and a grade point at the end of the
semester for each paper. The letter grades and the corresponding grade points are
given in Table 1. The procedure of evaluation and grading is given in the Annexure
to Clause 91 (Annexure Exam-91).
92. The distribution of grade points for a class should be such that only exceptional
students are in the excellent category. No one needs to be put in the Ex or A
category if there is no deserving candidate.
93. The letter grade I is assigned to a student if for example the end-semester examination remains to be completed due to an unusal situation faced by the student.
This grade must be converted to one of the regular grades by appearing for the
examination at the earliest possible opportunity. The Controller of Examinations
may also arrange for a separate examination for such students in the following

Table 1: Letter grades and grade points

Letter grade Grade points
Ex
A
A
B+
B
B
C
F
W
I
ABS
W1
G
P
NP

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
0
0
0
/0

Failed in the course

Insufficient attendance
Incomplete
Absent
Results withheld
Good (for NSS, NCC etc.)
Passed (for NSS, NCC etc.)
Not Passed (for NSS, NCC etc.)

semester. This grade may also be given for a research-related project paper at say
the postgraduate level which is not completed within the stipulated time.
The letter grades ABS and W1 have the following meanings.
ABS (absent): ABS for students who did not appear in the particular papers
during the semester. In such cases, students not appearing for betterment even
after filling up of form, ABS will be written in grade column and credit for it
will not be counted in estimating the SGPA. Earlier credits earned will remain.
However, in case of students who do not appear for regular examination and also
for arrear/repeat even after filling up of form, ABS will be written in the grade
column and the credit for it will be counted in estimating the SGPA.
W1 (Withheld): W1 will be for students falling under non-clearance of dues for
example in the library, departments, hostels etc., and as mentioned in Clause 42
where marks may not have been received.
94. For each semester, the Semester Grade Point Average (SGP A) is estimated as
follows, where Ci is the Credit for the ith course and Gi is the Grade obtained for
that course. The summation is over the total number of courses.
Pp

C i Gi
i=1 Ci

i=1
SGP A = P
p

(1)

95. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGP A) is estimated in a similar way as
for the (SGP A), except that the summation is over all the courses done after
qualification for the degree.
Pn

C i Gi
i=1 Ci

i=1
CGP A = P
n

(2)

Table 2: Attendance
Attendance Remarks Code
90100 % Very Good VG
8089 %
Good
G
7579 %
Marginal
M
<75 %
Poor
P
96. The SGPA and CGPA will be given separately for the core (major subject) as well
as for all the subjects taken together.
97. To convert from CGPA to percentage, where necessary, the following may be
adopted
percentage = (CGP A 10) 5
(3)
98. A CGPA of 6.5 and above will be considered as first class.

Attendance
99. For each course, an attendance of 75 per cent is compulsory, except in the case of
illness. In the latter case, a medical certificate from one of the University approved
doctors must be obtained. However, even in the case of illness, attendance of at
least 50 per cent is required to earn any credits for the course. The grades for
attendance (Table 2) for each course will also be recorded in the grade sheet.
For research scholars where there may be just a few students in a Department
with different course requirements and in exceptional situations, a student may be
allowed to fulfill the attendance requirements by the number of contact hours of
guided study with a specific faculty member. This must be done with the prior
approval of the University authorities.
100. Extracurricular activities such as NCC, NSS, will also be recorded in the grade
sheet with a Good, Passed and Not Passed grade.

Miscellaneous items
101. For an undergraduate student, and a student of Master of Computer Applications
(MCA), a total of 20 credits per semester would imply 120 credits in a minimum
of 6 semesters. The maximum number of semsters in which a student must clear
the prescribed academic programme is ten.
102. For genuine difficulties such as for example illness and/or requiring special assistance, the Vice Chancellor may increase the maximum number of semesters in
which a student must clear either an undergraduate program or the MCA program
to twelve on a case by case basis.
103. For a student of the regular postgraduate programs (excluding Postgraduate Diplomas), 20 credits per semester would add up to a total of 80 credits in a minimum
of four semesters. The maximum number of semesters in which the student must
finish the course is eight.

104. The minimum number of credits which a student must have to qualify for either
an undergraduate program in a major subject or an MCA degree is 120. The
corresponding number for a regular Masters (postgraduate) degree (excluding
Postgraduate Diplomas) is 80.
105. For Postgraduate Diploma courses of two semesters, a candidate must have a
minimum of 40 credits to qualify for the Diploma. A candidate must complete the
course in a maximum of four semesters.
106. Bright and motivated students may be allowed to take about ten per cent more
than the required minimum number of credits.
107. The number of credits from compulsory papers should be about 10 to 15 per cent.
108. A student will be allowed to register for courses adding up to a minimum of 15
credits and a maximum of 25 credits.
109. A student is strongly advised to clear at least 12 credits per semester, and not
create an unmanageable backlog. Cases of students failing to clear at least 50 per
cent of the credits for an academic year at the end of that academic year, will
be reviewed by a Committee consisting of the Head/Co-ordinator of the Department, Dean of the Faculty, Controller of Examinations, Academic Registrar and
the Director of Students Welfare. Attempts will be made by the University to
counsel such students, provide extra help if possible and work out a viable academic program for the course. Such students will be continuously monitored by
the Heads/Co-ordinators of the Departments.
110. A student who fails a course will have to repeat it. Students will also have the
option of improving their grade in a particular course by taking the course again.
For students taking the course again, the better grade will be taken for estimating
the CGPA.
111. Students will have the option of dropping a particular course which he/she has
registered for within two weeks of the beginning of the course.

Version 2.0; 2015 September 09

ANNEXURE-EXAM-13
COTTON COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY
RULES OF ARREAR, BETTERMENT AND REPEAT PAPERS
DEFINITIONS:
Course: The program of study for which the student has registered i.e. B. A. / M. A. in a
particular subject; B. Sc. / M. Sc. in a particular subject etc.
Paper: Any one of the core, elective or compulsory papers in a course, having a certain number
of credits attached to it.
Normal duration of the course: 3 years (six semesters), 2 years (4 semesters) or 1 year (2
semesters) as stipulated for a particular course.
Maximum stipulated period of the course: Normal duration plus 2 years (or 4 semesters) more.
For diploma courses of 2 semesters, an extra 1 year (or 2 semesters) is allowed.
Regular coursework or regular semester: The compulsory and elective papers, for which study
and examination are normally offered to all the students registered for a course in a particular
semester.
1. Normally a student registers to study and take examinations for 20 credits in each semester.
However, a student should normally register for a minimum of 15 credits but not less in a
semester during the normal duration of the course. In such a case the student will have to
REPEAT the papers s/he had not registered for and will have to follow the routine
attendance and examination rules.
2. A student may also drop a course/paper for which s/he is registered within 2 (two) weeks of
the beginning of the course (Refer Rule 111).
3. ARREAR: A paper will be treated as ARREAR if the student fails in the end semester
examination but has cleared the attendance requirements and the during-the-semester
examinations (sessional examinations). The student will have to take and clear only the end
semester examinations.
4. BETTERMENT: If a student is not satisfied with her/his end-semester results in a particular
paper, s/he may opt for BETTERMENT. For this, it is necessary that the student has cleared
attendance requirements and during-the-semester (sessional) examinations and taken and
cleared the end-semester examination. Maximum 2 (two) end-semester theory papers or
components are permissible for BETTERMENT. BETTERMENT is not permissible for during-

the-semester examinations or practical/laboratory components, projects, workshops,

assignments and internal assessments. After the BETTERMENT examination, the student
will be awarded the grade/marks of the better of her/his two results, i.e. the originally
awarded grade/marks or the grade/marks secured in the BETTERMENT examination. If a
student registers for BETTERMENT but is unable to appear for the examination due to
illness or other unavoidable circumstances (documentary evidence is required to support
the reason), the original grade/marks will be retained. However, the paper will remain in
the list of permissible papers for BETTERMENT should the student wish to re-register at
another time. Registration for BETTERMENT is only permitted if the particular course/paper
being registered for is offered by the University at that time. No registration for
BETTERMENT is possible after the degree has been conferred and/or the student has
received the provisional/original certificate. All betterment examinations must be
completed within 2 (two) semesters (one year) of the end of the normal duration of the
course.
5. REPEAT: A student must REPEAT a paper under the following circumstances: (a) S/he did
not register for the paper in the semester it was originally offered (see point 1 above); (b)
s/he did not clear attendance requirements for the paper; (c) s/he cleared attendance
requirements but failed in or did not appear for the during-the-semester (sessional)
examinations; (d) s/he has not been allowed to appear for the end-semester examination.
REPEATING a paper means clearing attendance requirements and passing in during-thesemester (sessional) and end-semester examinations for that paper and for that matter a
student has to take guidance teaching from the existing internal teachers.
6. A student can register for REPEAT or ARREAR papers or a combination of both types of
papers for a maximum of 20 credits. A student can take any number of arrear papers if
he/she has not registered any regular course work in a semester. Registration to REPEAT a
paper will be subjected to the constraints of the college/university. All
ARREAR/REPEAT/BETTERMENT examinations will be held along with the regular
examinations. All ARREAR/REPEAT examinations must be cleared within the maximum
stipulated period of a course.

ANNEXURE EXAM-13A
COTTON COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY
RULES & REGULATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF MARKS/GRADES
1. A candidate shall be eligible for only one opportunity to appear betterment (improving
marks/grades) examination in a maximum of two end-semester theory papers in a
particular end-semester examination. For example, a student may appear for

betterment say in 1st & 2nd papers of first end-semester examination along with third
end-semester regular examination. However, s/he won't be allowed to appear again in
the same 1st & 2nd papers of first end-semester examination along with fifth endsemester regular examination; but s/he will be allowed to appear in any other two
papers along with fifth end-semester regular examination. But if a candidate did not
appear in immediate subsequent next first semester examination for betterment when
he/she was in regular 3rd semester examinee he/she should not be allowed to appear
next 1st semester examination for betterment when he/she was in regular 5th semester
examinee. A candidate shall be entitled to a maximum of three consecutive chances to
appear betterment for different theory papers of a particular semester of PG & UG and
one for PGDCA.
2. The improvement is permissible only in theory papers. No improvement is permissible in
Practical/Laboratory courses, Projects, Workshops and Assignments, Internal
Assessments, etc.
3. After appearing in the examination for improvement, better of the two examinations,
i.e. marks/grade already awarded and the marks/grade secured in the
betterment/improvement examination will be considered
4. No separate grade sheet will be issued to the betterment candidates. Result of
betterment paper(s) and other relevant documents shall be sent to the HOD/HOI of the
College/University through whom the form was forwarded. Grade-sheets shall not be
issued to student(s) directly from the University Office.
5. Students will be permitted for improvement of marks/grades provided the examination
for the particular course, in which they wish to improve, is being conducted by the
University at that time.
6. Application for betterment examination may be made in the prescribed form
accompanied by the prescribed fee, which may be decided by the University from time
to time.
7. If a candidate applies for betterment but is not able to appear in the examination then
the previous marks shall remain but it will be counted as chance of appearing for a
betterment examination.
8. There shall be no provision for repeat/ betterment in the sessional examinations.

ANNEXURE EXAM-16
COTTON COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY
RULES & REGULATIONS FOR RE-EVALUATION OF ANSWER SCRIPTS

1. A student has the option of applying to the Controller of Examinations for reevaluation/obtaining photocopy of his/her answer script for end-semester theory
component of papers on payment of a prescribed fee. This application must also be
made by the student within 15 days of the declaration of the results. The original grade
sheet should be submitted along with the application for re-evaluation. IN CASE A
CANDIDATE DOES NOT SUBMIT HIS/HER ORIGIONAL MARKS SHEET ALONG WITH THE
APPLICATION FORM FOR REVALUATION, HIS/HER APPLICATION SHALL STAND REJECTED.
2. The University will appoint an examiner for re-evaluation and will only consider and
recognize evaluation done by a University appointed examiner.
3. There will be no re-evaluation of project/dissertation, internal assessment, fieldwork,
team work, home assignment, workshop, seminar, viva-voce, oral and practical
examinations. However, candidates who either fail in the practical examination or wish
to appear again may do so next year.
4. Application for re-evaluation may be made in the prescribed form accompanied by a
non-refundable fee, which may be modified from time to time by the University.
5. After screening the application for re-evaluation, the Controller of Examinations may
send the answer script(s) of the candidate to examiners appointed by the Controller of
Examinations with due approval of the Vice-Chancellor. The marks and grades given
after re-evaluation will be compared with the original marks obtained by the student. A
student with a passed mark and grade who is found to have failed after re-evaluation
will normally be declared to have passed with the earlier grade unless there has been a
major error in the first evaluation. In the case of a major error in the first evaluation the
paper may be sent to a third examiner before a final decision is taken with the approval
of the Vice Chancellor. In case the re-evaluated marks of a paper is found to be lower
than the earlier one then the earlier higher marks of the paper will prevail.
6. The University authorities shall endeavor to declare the results of re-evaluation as early
as possible.
7. Results of re-evaluation paper(s) and other relevant documents shall be sent to the
HOD/HOI of the College/University for distribution to the applicant through whom the
form was forwarded. Grade-sheets shall not be issued to student(s) directly from the
University Office.

8. A candidate shall be eligible for re-evaluation in a maximum of two end-semester

papers in a particular semester of an examination.
9. A student, who obtained a photocopy of an answer script finds that any portion of the
answers was not evaluated or notices any totaling error, may point out the same and
submit their representation along with a copy of the answer-script supplied to them
within 15 days. No other query regarding evaluation of answer-script shall be
entertained.
10. The students, who intend to apply for photocopy of the answer-script(s) may
simultaneously at the same time apply for re-evaluation, if they so desire. The last date
of submission of application form for re-evaluation will not be extended to facilitate
them to point out discrepancy in the evaluation.
11. Incomplete application forms shall be rejected without assigning any reason whatsoever
and the fees paid along with the application form shall neither be refunded nor any
representation will be entertained.

ANNEXURE EXAM-19
COTTON COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY
STRUCTURE OF QUESTION PAPERS (UG/PG/DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE)
AND BROAD GUIDELINES
The question papers should be designed covering all the units of the syllabus with the following
types of questions which have a range of difficulty and complexity. Questions of higher marks
should attempt to test the thinking and/or creative abilities of the students. This note is
applicable for end-semester examinations only.
For a paper having 60 marks
(Less than or equal to 2 credits)
(Duration of examinations: 2 hrs.)
(i) Objective type
(ii) Very short type
(iii) Short type
(iv) Advanced type
(v) More advanced type

15 = 05 marks
25 = 10 marks
53 = 15 marks
92 = 18 marks
(out of three)
121 = 12 marks
(out of two)

For a paper having 100 marks

(Greater than 2 credits)
(Duration of examinations: 3 hrs.)
110 = 10 marks
27 = 14 marks
55 = 25 marks
93 = 27 marks
(out of five)
122 = 24 marks
(out of four)

Please provide answer keys in separate sheet for the objective type questions and avoid 'None
of above' and All of the above as options. And for the serial nos. (iv) & (v) each question may
have several parts and also have choices: e.g. A (i), (ii), ., or B (i),.or C (i),..
Broad guidelines for types of questions:
(i) Objective type: These questions should be similar in style to NET/SET Examinations (multiple
choice) to enable
our students to get trained for these examinations. These questions should have four possible
answers listed, say (a), (b), (c) and (d) of which only one should be the correct one.
(ii) Very short type: These should test very basic knowledge of the subject like basic concepts
and definitions. Answers should be possible either in 3 4 sentences or within about half a
dozen mathematical steps.
(iii) Short type: These should test somewhat higher than basic knowledge. Answers could be
either (half) to a page or so in length or approximately a dozen mathematical steps, or an
equivalent combination of the two.
(iv) Advanced type: These should test the conceptual understanding of the student, ability to
describe and analyze, and/or make derivations and solve problems. The answers could be
about 3 pages or so in length; and derivations and problems could take about 15 20 steps. The
questions could be an equivalent combination of the two. The questions may also consist of
multiple parts.
(v) More advanced type: These questions should test deeper conceptual understanding, the
breadth of knowledge of the Subject by the students, the ability to examine and evaluate
critically and/or make derivations and solve more complex problems. The expected length
and/or the number of steps would be longer than for the Advanced types. These questions may
also consist of multiple parts.
General comments:
The level of complexity in the questions reflecting the breadth and depth of
understanding of the knowledge domain will increase as students progress from their 1st
Semester programme onwards.
Paper-setters are required to write concisely and neatly.
Paper-setters are required to set the papers as per these guidelines and provide keys to
answers as well as instructions to examiners. Ideally model answers for all questions
should be provided.
Paper-setters are required to ensure that the length of the paper is appropriate for the
duration of the examinations.

ANNEXURE EXAM-91
COTTON COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY
EVALUATION AND GRADING PROCEDURE
1. CCSU examinations give 20 per cent weightage for evaluation during the first two months, 20
per cent weightage for evaluation during the next two months, and 60 per cent weightage to
the end semester examinations.
2. For example, if the evaluation during the first two months (e.g. for sessional only, or
sessional and seminar, or sessional, seminar and, in future, practical including field work) was
out of 40 marks, then the marks a student would have got out of 20 would be evaluated by
multiplying the marks obtained by 0.5, i.e. 20/40. Similarly, if the total marks was out of 60, the
marks obtained by a student will be multiplied by 0.33, i.e. 20/60, to estimate the marks out of
20. Marks obtained are to be rounded up so that there are no fractions of marks. Lets call this
mark obtained out of 20 as A.
3. A similar estimate will be done for the second two months of evaluation. Lets call the marks
obtained out of 20 in the second two months of evaluation as B.
4. Adding A and B will give the total marks for continuous assessment, which would be now out
of 40 marks, giving the appropriate weightage of 40 per cent. Now we are left with 60 per cent
weightage for the end-semester examination.
5. Now the end-semester marks need to be estimated out of 60. For an end-semester
examination set for a total of 100 marks, the marks obtained by a student should be multiplied
by 0.6, i.e. 60/100, to give the required weightage. Lets denote the marks obtained by a
student in the end-semester evaluation as C. For courses with a practical component, see the
guidelines for practical examination.
6. Then A+B+C will give the total marks, say M, obtained by a student out of 100 with the
appropriate weightage.
7. Answer scripts should be evaluated by two of the teachers teaching a paper, except in the
case of Functional English where given the large number of students, 7 to 8 teachers may
evaluate the answer scripts.
8. Evaluators of answer scripts should bear in mind the duration of the examinations, especially
for essay-type questions, while assigning marks to the answers.

9. After the evaluation process is complete, including tabulation of marks, moderators will
sample randomly at least 10 per cent of the evaluated answer scripts, and make
corrections/changes, if necessary.
10. Now the process of grading can start. The teachers and evaluators of a paper will decide on
the final grades along with the moderator(s).
11. Firstly, examine the distribution of M, the total marks obtained by the students in a given
paper.
12. The highest grade, Ex or Excellent grade should be given only for exceptional students. It
should not be awarded just because a student gets marks in the nineties. The student obtaining
the Ex grade should be judged as exceptional by the teachers. For example, such a student may
get a very high mark relative to the other students in a difficult paper.
13. Usually in a class, most students would be in the B or B+ category, the number of students
tapering off for both higher and lower grades. There will be few in the very good (A) and failed
(F) categories.
14. The actual marks corresponding to B or B+ will depend on the discipline; for example 65 per
cent in English may be considered very good (A), while it may be average (B) for Physics. Also it
may vary if a paper has been particularly difficult or too easy.
15. If a question paper is deemed to be difficult, it may happen that the highest marks in a
subject, where high-scores are normally common, may be only in the seventies, say, 77, 75 and
74, with the next highest marks being say, 69, 68 and 65. In this case, the marks in the range 74
77 may still all be graded as A, and the next lower bunch as A.
16. One can try to identify clusters or gaps in the distribution of marks obtained by the
students, and assign grades to the clusters. The grades need NOT change at40, 50, 60, . . .. The
changes may occur at any number.
17. However, gaps and clusters may not always be obvious, in which case examiners and
moderators must judiciously decide the divisions for the different grades.
18. Usually except for Ex, all grades should be used. In a small class, there may be a large
fraction of either very good or mediocre students, in which case grades can be skipped.
19. The examiners and moderators must ensure that the appropriate grades are given and
these grades must be defensible and reasonably uniform across courses.
20. Letter grades and grade points:

Letter
grade

Ex A A- B+ B B- C

ABS

W1

Grade
points

10 9

Comments

6 5 4

Failed Insufficient Incomplete Absent Withheld

in the attendance
course

21. Grading is NOT difficult; it will require a bit of getting used to.
The pdf files of the talks on grading given to the College Faculty on 22nd August 2013 by
Rowena Robinson and Saurabh Basu, both from IIT, Guwahati are available in our website
(www.ccsu.ac.in).
22. Spot evaluation should be done within the Cotton Campus.

FORM NO. EX-13A

COTTON COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY
INTERNAL ASSESMENT RECORD SHEET FOR B.A./ B.Sc./ B.Sc.(Bio-Tech)/ BCA/ M.A./ M.Sc./ MCA/ PGDCA COURSE
[Use tick which is applicable]; FOR THE SESSION: 20.........-.........
Department: ............................................. Cotton College, for the semester I / II / III / IV / V / VI [Use tick which is applicable
Paper Code / No.: ..................................... (Theory / Practical) [Use tick which is applicable]

Enrollment
No.

Sessional I

Sessional II

Full Marks:

Full Marks:

20
1

Entered by: ......................

(Name & Signature)

20
2

Home
Assignment
Full Marks :
.....
3

Seminar

Field work

Full Marks: Full Marks:

.....
4

.....

Surprise /
Class Test
Full Marks:

Verified by: ...............................

(Name & Signature)
Date:

.....
6

Total Full
Marks = FM
( 40),
Marks
Secured=MS
(1+2+3+4+5+6)

Contribution
of Internal Percentage
Assessment of Classes
=
attended
(MS/FM)*40

Name & Signature with seal of HoD

N.B.: (i) Evaluated scripts of Sessional Examinations must be submitted as per Examination rules & regulations.
(ii) Please avoid any overwriting. If any correction made, please put initial after correction.
(iii) This FORM is available in the website.