CBSE Introduces Sectional Changes In Class 10 Board Exam, Check The Details
Students must write answers only within designated sections in Science and Social Science papers; mixed answers will not be evaluated.
NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released a notification mentioning crucial changes that have been introduced in Class 10 question paper for board exams 2026.
The changes have been inducted to improve the quality of evaluation for the 2026 board exams.
As per an official notice, the board has divided the Science and Social Science question paper of Class 10 into different sections.
To view the detailed notification, click here.
Changes made to Science paper
Question paper has been divided into three sections i.e. Section A, Section-B and Section-C. Section-A is Biology, Section-B is Chemistry and Section C is Physics.
Changes made to Social Science paper
For Social Science subject, the question paper has been divided into four sections i.e. Section-A, Section-B, Section-C and Section-D. Section- A is History, Section-B is Geography, Section-C is Political Science and Section-D is Economics.
Instructions for students
Students will divide the answer book in three sections in science and in four sections in social science for writing answers.
Replies of questions are to be written only within the space identified for the concerned section only.
Reply of a section should not be written or mixed in any other section. In case, replies are mixed, these will not be evaluated and no marks will be awarded.
Such mistakes will not be accepted and addressed even during verification or revaluation process after the results are declared.
To make students familiar about the paper pattern, the board has published the sample question papers of both Science and Social Science on the official website of the CBSE.
Revised structure
CBSE has revised the structure of Class 10 and 12 papers. From 2026, 50 per cent of the questions will be competency-based, MCQs, case-based questions, source-based integrated questions, data interpretation, or situational problems.
Twenty per cent of the paper will consist of select-response (MCQ) questions, while the remaining 30 per cent will be constructed-response questions, including short and long answers.
This means half of every question paper will assess students’ conceptual clarity and their ability to apply what they have learnt, rather than simply recall information.