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In a major shift approved by its Governing Body, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will introduce two-tier difficulty levels – standard and advanced – for science and social science subjects in Class 9 from 2026.
According to a report the national school Board’s Curriculum Committee had decided to offer the two subjects at two levels. The Board’s Governing Body, its highest decision-making authority, has now approved the proposal, paving the way for its implementation in Class 9 from next year and for the Class 10 Board examination in 2028.
In the Class 10 Board examination in 2028, the two subjects could either have one question paper with an additional set of questions for the advanced level, or different question papers for the two levels, said a source who did not wish to be identified.
The decision to offer science and social science at two levels aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends that ‘all subjects and corresponding assessments, beginning with Mathematics, could be offered at two levels, with students doing some of their subjects at the standard level and some at a higher level.
Since 2019-20, Mathematics is the only subject CBSE offers at two levels in Class 10. While both Standard and Basic Mathematics share the same syllabus, they differ in the complexity of questions in Board examinations.
With science and social science set to be offered at two levels in Class 9 next year, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been tasked by the CBSE to devise new textbooks for the two subjects with an additional section containing material for the advanced level, a source said.
For all classes, the NCERT is in the process of bringing out new textbooks that align with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.
New textbooks for classes 1 and 2 were released in 2023, while those for classes 3 and 6 were out in 2024, and books for classes 4, 5, 7 and 8 are set to be made available this year for the 2025-26 academic session.
The new textbooks for class 9 are expected to be available ahead of the 2026-27 session, the source added.