CBSE New Exam Format: CBSE will teach science and social science at two different levels in class 9 from 2026. This will help students prepare for entrance exams.
Central Board of Secondary Education: CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) has made a big change. Now from 2026, Science and Social Science will be taught at two different levels in class 9 – Standard (General) and Advanced (Higher).
CBSE top brass has approved the plan. The change will be implemented starting from Class 9 in 2026 and in Class 10 board exams in 2028.
In the 2028 Class 10 board exams, there will either be a single paper for these two subjects with separate questions for the advanced level, or separate papers for both levels.
The decision to teach science and social science at two levels is in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. NEP 2020 states that all subjects, including mathematics, should be taught at two levels, so that students can study some subjects at the general level and some at the higher level.
According to The Indian Express, an official said that the option to study maths and science at the higher level will help students prepare for entrance exams like JEE. He said, “Right now, the school syllabus is not enough to prepare for entrance exams, so students go to coaching classes.”
From 2019-20, CBSE has been teaching maths at two levels in class 10. The syllabus for standard and basic maths is the same, but the difficulty of questions in board exams varies.
From next year, science and social science will be taught at two levels in class 9. CBSE has entrusted NCERT with the task of creating new books for these two subjects, which will have more material for the advanced level.
NCERT is bringing new books for all classes as per the National Curriculum Framework 2023. New textbooks for classes 1 and 2 were released in 2023, while those for classes 3 and 6 will be made available in 2024, and for classes 4, 5, 7 and 8 for the 2025-26 academic year. New textbooks for class 9 are expected to be available before the 2026-27 session.
Students will have to choose one of the two levels for science and social science in class 9. CBSE is considering giving them the option to change the level in class 10 as well.
This plan to teach science and social science at two levels is being tested in 30 schools. In these schools, internal assessment of students is being done on the basis of the level chosen by them.
