CBSE Class 10 & 12 Board Exams: New/Revised Grading System, Pass Criteria, Merit Certificates and Curriculum

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has implemented a new grading system to calculate the scores of classes 10 & 12 students from the academic year of 2009 to 2010. The CBSE Class 10th & 12th result 2023 will be determined based on a 5-point scale grading system from Grade A to Grade E. There are two parameters depending on which the CBSE grading system is decided namely, Absolute and Percentile Marks. However, these parameters will not be the same for all the subjects depending on the difficulty level. Therefore, under the new CBSE marking system, only subject-wise grades will be awarded to the student instead of cumulative grade. This grading system eliminates the schools from mentioning the raw scores on the report card of each student.

With the CBSE class 10 and 12 result to be released, students must get themselves acquainted with the grading system of CBSE Class 10 & 12 for 2023 exams. The CBSE class 10 exam 2023 began on February 15, 2023, and will end on March 21, 2023. While, the Board began conducting the CBSE class 12th exam 2023 on February 15, 2023 which will continue till April 5, 2023. CBSE 10th and 12th practical exams 2023 were conducted between January 2, 2023 and February 14, 2023. It is important for Class 10 & Class 12 students to know about Pass Criteria, Grading System, and Merit Certificates of CBSE. CollegeDekho is here to give you a detailed account of all these aspects. Have a look!

You can refer to the links given below to know about CBSE class 10 and 12 result 2023 in detail:

CBSE General Guidelines for Board Exams

• The scheme of examination and pass criteria of board exams conducted by CBSE are laid down and amended from time to time.

• Schools conduct internal exams for Class 10 and Class 12, while board exams will be conducted by CBSE.

• The syllabus for Class 10 and Class 12 board exams will be based on the syllabus prescribed by the board.

CBSE Pass Criteria

• Candidates appearing for the Class 10 examination in 2023 onwards will have to secure an overall 33% (both taken together) in the subjects to be eligible to pass that subject.

• In each subject, students have to score 33% of marks to pass. If there are practicals in any subject, students will have to score 33% of marks in Theory Exam and 33% in the Practical Exam.

• No overall division/distinction/aggregate shall be awarded.

• Each student will have to secure a grade above ‘E’ to be declared as ‘Pass’ in board exams.

• Other than the abovementioned, the passing criterion differs for Class 10 and 12 as follows:
  A.   Passing Criteria for CBSE Class 10:
  If a candidate is presenting an additional subject, the following guidelines must be followed:
  1. In the case that a candidate fails a language, a language offered as an additional topic may be substituted if the candidate has English/Hindi as one of the languages.
  2. The replacement must meet the requirements outlined in the Scheme of Studies. For appearing in an external examination, the result will be declared only if all other conditions in the Pass Criteria are met.

  B.   Passing Criteria for CBSE Class 12:
  If a candidate is presenting an additional subject, the following guidelines must be followed:
  1. In the case that a candidate fails a language, a language offered as an additional topic may be substituted if the candidate has English/Hindi as one of the languages.
  2. An elective subject given as an additional subject may be substituted for one of the candidate's elective subjects. It may also be used to replace a language if the candidate has English/Hindi as one of their languages.
  3. An additional language taught at the elective level may replace an elective topic if the number of languages offered after replacement does not exceed two.
  4. Candidates who have been exempted from one or more internal examination subjects are qualified to take the external examination, and their results are according to the fulfilment of the Pass Criteria.

Also Read: Arts Courses Available after Class 12, Have a Look!

CBSE Grading System for Class 10 and Class 12 Board Exams

• According to the norms of CBSE, assessment of theory or practical exams in external subjects shall be in numerical scores.

• The board will indicate only the grades of candidates in marks sheets.

• For external exams, CBSE uses letter grades on a nine-point scale.

• CBSE will derive the grades of students on the basis of their score in board exams.

Also Read: Top B.Sc. Courses to Choose after Class 12: Scope and Salary

CBSE Grading System 2023 for Class 10

In order to get promoted to the next level, the nine-point grading system will help the students get qualifying grades in four of the five subjects. There will be no pass/ fail mentioned on the mark sheets of students. CBSE will award the following grades based on the aggregate marks scored by students in all the subjects: 

CBSE Grading System 2023 for Class 12

Compared to CBSE Class 10th grading system, the grading system for Class 12 is slightly different. The Board has prepared a formula based on which the theory marks for each subject will be calculated using the scores obtained in the pre-boards or half-yearly examinations supervised by the schools. The half-yearly grades comprise only 40% of the assessment criteria. The remaining percentage includes the scores from previous classes, with 30% from Class 10 board exams and 30% from Class 11 board exams. This procedure is included in the practical scores as well. The new CBSE Grading system 2023 for class 12 has been tabulated below:

Important Points to Remember for Candidates

• In the case of a tie, CBSE will make minor variations in the proportion of candidates.
• If there is a tie, all the students securing the same score will get the same grade. If there is a need for the division of the number of students at a scoring point, the smaller segment will go with the larger.
• ​​​​​​​The method of grading is applicable in subjects where the number of candidates passing board exams is more than 500.
• ​​​​​​​If the total number of candidates passing in the subject were less than 500, the grading will be adopted on the patterns of grading and distribution in other similar subjects.
• ​​​​​​​Numerical scores will be mentioned for the assessment of theory/ practical papers in external subjects. Apart from this, the Board will also mention the grades of the external assessment subjects in the mark sheets. In case of the subjects of internal examinations, only grades will be shown.
• In CBSE Class 10 internal exam, the subjects will be assessed based on five types of grading system i.e. A, B, C, D & E.
• Students are required to score a minimum of 33% marks to clear the exam.
• In the subjects with practical work of Senior School Certificate Examination, students must secure 33% marks in both theory and practical separately.

CBSE Merit Certificates

• Top 0.1% candidates passing in each subject will be awarded a Merit Certificate by CBSE.

• Further, if the number of candidates passing a subject is less than 500, CBSE will not issue any merit certificate.

• CBSE will determine the number of Merit Certificates by rounding the total number of candidates passing in each subject to the nearest multiple of thousand.

• Also, if there is a tie, all students who get a similar score will be awarded a Merit Certificate.

Also Read:Studying in India vs Studying Abroad

CBSE Curriculum

CBSE has strict guidelines that the curriculum taught in Class 9 and Class 10 in CBSE-affiliated schools is kept as prescribed by the Board. The curriculum has been designed to provide development of not only the intellect but also of the physical and social attributes of an individual. The syllabus, as prescribed by CBSE, aims to imbibe Constitutional values in an individual, keep a balance between learning life skills and the development of scientific thinking while promoting the idea of equal opportunity for education and environmental values. 

CBSE Class 10 Curriculum

The CBSE class 10 curriculum for the academic year 2022-23 is given below.

*Work Experience is included in Physical Education

Also Read:Diploma Courses that Accept Admissions at Class 10 Level

CBSE Class 12 Curriculum

The curriculum prescribed by CBSE for class 12 is as given below.

*Work experience is included in Health & Physical Education.

Also Read:ITI Courses at Class 12 Level

CBSE's curriculum is based on a holistic growth approach and promotes self-realisation as well as the development of a global understanding in an individual. The curriculum is flexible where it needs to be and leaves optimum scope for a student to shape it as per his/her interests. Inclusion of subjects such as Music, Dance as well as Skill Subjects such as Retail, Banking, Food Production Marketing, etc. alongside regular academic subjects goes to show the amount of thought that has been put into designing such a curriculum.

A strong focus on inclusivity and understanding the skills and interests of students on an individual level, backed by strong institutions and well-trained instructors, is sure to lay a strong foundation of education in India that will bear fruit in the years ahead.

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