Help us request a fair and practically manageable examination pattern for the Internal Semester Examination.

We, the students of KLE Law College, Bengaluru, are starting this petition to request the college administration and concerned faculty members to reconsider the newly announced pattern for the Internal Semester Examination (Mid-Term Examination).

The previous examination pattern was:

Per Unit:

• 1 × 6-mark question
• 1 × 4-mark question
  For three units, this resulted in:

3 × 6 marks + 3 × 4 marks = 30 marks

The examination duration was 120 minutes (2 hours).

The previous structure provided students with a reasonable amount of time to understand the questions, structure their answers and properly demonstrate their knowledge.

The New Examination Pattern

The newly announced pattern provides 15 marks per unit, with three questions in each unit:

1 × 2-mark question – Mandatory
1 × 8-mark question – Optional
1 × 5-mark question – Optional
Therefore, across the three units, the question paper will contain 9 questions in total, and students will be required to answer.

3 × 2-mark questions = 6 marks
3 × 8-mark questions = 24 marks
3 × 5-mark questions = 15 marks

This means students are required to write a total of 45 marks within the existing 120-minute (2-hour) examination duration.

Our concern is not about introducing a new examination pattern or the marks allotted to individual questions. The concern is whether writing 45 marks, including three 8-mark answers, three 5-mark answers and three mandatory 2-mark answers, is practically achievable within 120 minutes, particularly in a law examination where answers often require legal provisions, case laws, reasoning and application.

Why are students concerned?

Law examinations require more than simply writing an answer. Depending on the question, students may need to identify the legal issue, explain the relevant legal provision, refer to case laws, provide legal reasoning and apply the law to the facts given.

An 8-mark question, in particular, requires considerably more detailed writing than a 2-mark question. Students will also have to read and understand multiple questions, decide which optional question to attempt, plan their answers and then write them within the same 120-minute period.

With only 40 minutes available per unit on average, students may face significant time pressure.

This could result in:

1. Students rushing through their answers.
2. Incomplete or poorly structured answers.
3. Reduced ability to explain legal provisions and case laws.
4. Less time for legal reasoning and application.
5. Students being assessed partly on writing speed rather than their actual understanding of the subject.
6. Difficulty in completing all required questions within the prescribed time.
7. We believe that an internal examination should provide students with a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, legal reasoning and application of law.

Our Request
Through this petition, we respectfully request the Principal, faculty members and academic administration of KLE Law College to review the newly announced examination pattern and consider whether it can realistically be completed within 120 minutes.

We request the administration to either:

1. Continue with the previous 6-mark + 4-mark pattern per unit; OR

2. Introduce a revised question pattern that is realistically manageable within the existing 120-minute examination duration; OR

3. Reconsider the examination duration if the new pattern is to be retained.

We are not requesting easier examinations or reduction in academic standards.

We are simply requesting an examination pattern that gives students a fair and practical opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.

We respect the efforts of our faculty and administration in designing an effective assessment system. We hope that the concerns raised through this petition will be considered before the Internal Semester Examination.

Please support this petition

If you are a student who believes that examination patterns should be academically rigorous while also being practically achievable within the allotted time, please sign and support this petition.

Our request is simple: Let the examination test our knowledge and legal reasoning, not just how fast we can write.

Sign this petition and help us request a reconsideration of the new Internal Semester Examination pattern.