New Delhi/Alive News: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has outlined the examination pattern for the 2028 Class 10 board exams, introducing five compulsory subjects along with an option to take an additional skill subject. The changes will apply to students currently in Class 9 during the 2026-27 academic session. Students already studying in Class 10 will not be affected.
Under the proposed pattern, students will be able to choose one additional skill subject that could help them pass if they fail in Mathematics, Science or Social Science, subject to the board’s prescribed rules. CBSE has also clarified that the interdisciplinary area and modules on Computational Thinking (CT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be included in the study scheme.
Vocational education to become mandatory
CBSE Director (Academics) Pragya M. Singh said vocational education would be compulsory for students appearing for the Class 10 board examinations in 2028. Students can opt for Skill Development or choose from the board’s 22 skill subjects.
They will have the option of completing an internal assessment conducted by their school or appearing for the board examination to obtain a nationally recognised skill certificate.
Three-language policy for Classes 9 and 10
CBSE has also made the three-language policy compulsory for Classes 9 and 10 in affiliated schools. Students will have to study three languages, of which at least two must be Indian languages. The decision is expected to affect around 50 lakh students across the two classes.
However, students appearing for the Class 10 board examinations this year will not be required to take a third-language paper, although studying the language will remain compulsory.
Until new textbooks become available, Class 9 students will use the third-language textbooks prescribed for Class 6. Schools have also been instructed to include local and state-level literary material, such as poems and short stories, in teaching.
The three-language policy was previously introduced for Class 6 through a CBSE circular issued on April 9.
