The Government of Punjab has officially restored board-level examinations for Class 5 (Primary) and Class 8 (Middle) for the academic year 2025-2026. This year, the responsibility for conducting these assessments has been handed over to the Punjab Education Curriculum Training and Assessment Authority (PECTA), replacing the previous Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) structure.
These exams are mandatory for students in government schools across the province to ensure standardized learning outcomes before they enter matriculation levels.
Official Exam Schedule 2026
The dates for the annual examinations have been finalized to ensure results are processed before the start of the new academic session in April.
Subjects and Exam Pattern
Due to certain budgetary constraints and the transition to PECTA, there have been discussions regarding a “Smart Syllabus” or reduced subject list for the 2026 board exams.
Class 8 Proposed Subjects: Reports suggest PECTA may conduct board-style exams for four core subjects: Urdu, English, Mathematics, and Science. Class 5 Pattern: The exams will follow the School Based Assessment (SBA) model but will be administered under board-style supervision for government schools. Objective & Subjective: The papers will likely be a mix of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Constructed Response Questions (CRQs).
Registration Process and Roll Number Slips
The registration process for 2026 has been simplified through the digital School Information System (SIS).
For students in government schools, separate admission forms were not required in many districts; students registered on the SIS portal are automatically enrolled. Roll number slips are issued electronically to the respective headmasters/principals through the SIS portal. Private students or those in non-SIS schools were required to submit manual forms through the Assistant Commissioner (AC) or Education offices during the November window.
Important Updates for Parents and Students
As the February 2026 exam date approaches, keep the following points in mind:
The board exams are currently mandatory for Government Schools. Private schools in many districts may continue with internal School Based Assessments (SBA) unless specified otherwise by their respective authorities. The primary goal of restoring these exams is to prepare students for the BISE Board Pattern (9th and 10th Class) and improve the quality of education in rural and urban Punjab. Teachers and invigilators (estimated at over 50,000 for Grade 8) will be deployed to ensure the transparency of the examination centers.
How to Check Results (March 31, 2026)
Once the exams are completed, the results will be released on the last day of the academic year.
Results will be available on the official PECTA/PEC portal. School heads will be able to download the complete Gazette and individual Result Cards via the SIS dashboard. Students can usually check their individual marks by sending their Roll Number to a designated SMS code (to be announced closer to the result date).