Sources said the portion that was out of syllabus was from the previous year’s Punjabi textbook and the board had changed the course this year. “I was horrified to see the questions,” said Shubham, a class V student. Simranpreet Kaur, another student, said, “I had prepared well for the test and was hoping to stand first in my class, but was highly disappointed to see so many unfamiliar questions.”

“This was the only paper that we were confident of doing well in, but it took us by surprise,” said students Jagjit Singh and Goldy Kumar.

Even the teachers were aghast to see the paper. “It only reflects the indifference of the board towards the future of the students,” said Manpreet Kaur, a teacher.