UPSC Mains Paper Wise Marks CIC Advice and 2018 Update

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has advised the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to bring back the practice of publishing paper-wise marks of recommended candidates in the UPSC Civil Services Main Examination. The development came after the CIC found that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) could not produce any formal order explaining why the practice stopped from 2018.

The matter started with an RTI application seeking detailed marks of selected candidates across General Studies papers, optional subjects and the Personality Test for CSE 2018 to 2023. The CIC has also directed the DoPT to provide this information to the RTI applicant.

Why did the CIC ask UPSC to publish paper wise marks?

The CIC's recommendation is linked to the earlier practice of showing the detailed marks of recommended candidates in the UPSC CSE Mains result.

According to the report, paper-wise marks were publicly available until CSE 2017. From 2018 onwards, candidates could see aggregate marks, but the detailed paper-wise breakup was not published in the same way.

The CIC noted that no file noting, office memorandum, policy decision or other official record was produced by DoPT to explain the discontinuation.

The commission said detailed marks should be disclosed to support transparency in the selection process. It also pointed out that UPSC Mains has separate written papers and candidates have to meet the required minimum marks in each of the seven competitive papers.

What information did the RTI applicant seek from UPSC?

The RTI application asked for comparative information about marks secured by recommended candidates over several years.

The information sought included:

The applicant also wanted to understand how candidates performed across different optional subjects. This became an important part of the discussion because the detailed marks can show the marks obtained in individual papers rather than only the final total.

What did UPSC and DoPT tell the CIC?

UPSC and DoPT gave different descriptions of where the detailed marks are maintained.

UPSC told the commission that after the final result is declared, the detailed marks are sent to DoPT and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).

DoPT, however, maintained that the detailed marks are generated and maintained by UPSC.

The CIC considered the lack of a clear record behind the 2018 change while examining the RTI matter.

What has the CIC directed about UPSC CSE marks?

The CIC has issued an advisory under Section 25(5) of the RTI Act to reinstate the earlier practice of publishing the detailed marks of recommended candidates in the Civil Services Main Examination.

It has also directed DoPT to provide the RTI applicant with detailed marks for recommended candidates from CSE 2018 to CSE 2023. The requested breakup covers General Studies papers, optional subject papers and the Personality Test.

This is an advisory and not an announcement that UPSC has already started publishing paper-wise marks for all future examinations.

Why are UPSC optional subject marks important for aspirants?

Paper-wise marks can give aspirants more information about how selected candidates performed in individual subjects and papers.

The CIC said that publishing optional-subject marks could help aspirants make choices based on actual available data instead of depending on claims from outside sources.

However, the available information does not mean that one optional subject will always produce higher marks. Marks can vary from candidate to candidate and from one examination year to another.

Does UPSC charge any fee to check marks?

There is no separate fee in INR mentioned for checking the publicly available UPSC result information or marks-related updates.

For the RTI application involved in this matter, the applicant had sought information under the Right to Information Act. The present CIC development concerns disclosure of records and publication of marks, not a new examination fee.

What does the CIC decision mean for UPSC CSE aspirants?

The immediate development is about transparency in the publication of UPSC CSE Mains marks.

For aspirants, the main points are:

• CIC has advised restoring paper-wise marks disclosure.
• The practice was available before 2018.
• DoPT could not produce a formal record explaining the 2018 discontinuation.
• Detailed marks from CSE 2018 to 2023 have been sought through the RTI matter.
• The CIC has directed DoPT to provide the requested marks to the RTI applicant.
• UPSC has not been reported as having already restored paper-wise public marks for all future CSE results.

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