Dhaka, Nov. 12 -- Students sitting supplementary HSC examinations after failing one or two subjects will retain their previous practical marks, so they need not retake practicals unless they were absent or failed that component.

However, the new examination instructions do not explicitly clarify whether candidates who failed only practicals must also sit written papers.

The first supplementary examinations for HSC and equivalent candidates will run from Dec 1 to 15. The schedule, published Thursday, says students must pass theory, multiple-choice and practical components separately.

Asked whether practical-only failures need written papers, Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee President Syed Akhtaruzzaman said: "This seems comp...