NEW DELHI: Students taking up the Class 10 CBSE board exams in 2028 will have five compulsory subjects with the option of an additional skill paper, which will help them clear the examination even if they fail in subjects like mathematics, science or social science, said the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Thursday, while clarifiying its Scheme of Studies.
The clarification applies specifically to students studying in Class 9 in 2026-27, who will appear for their Class 10 board examinations in 2028. It does not affect the current batch. The board also said that interdisciplinary area and CT and AI modules will not be included in its Scheme of Studies.
“To align the introduction of this curricular area with the implementation schedule, the subject ‘Individuals in Society’ and the ‘Modules of CT and AI’ in Class 9 (2026-27) and the subject ‘Environmental Education’ in Class 10 (2027-28) shall not be part of the curriculum for these batches,” Praggya M Singh, Director (Academics), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), said in a communique to school principals.
“Vocational education shall continue to be a compulsory curricular area for students of Class 10 (2028 batch). To fulfil this requirement, students may opt for either the subject ‘Kaushal Vikas’ or any one of the 22 skill subjects notified by the board,” she said.
“Our foremost priority is to safeguard students’ interests by clearly communicating the academic and examination-related provisions well in advance. The emphasis is on encouraging students to focus on meaningful learning rather than solely on examinations,” a source said.
Under the scheme, the five compulsory board-exam subjects will be two languages, mathematics, science and social science.
Class X skill subject exam
Students opting for any of the 22 skill subjects shall have to appear in the board examination in the respective skill subject in Class 10. The grades for that subject will be reflected in the marksheet issued by the Board, as per existing practice. Those opting for ‘Kaushal Vikas’ will undergo school-based internal assessment.