CBSE Board Exams: Two-tier system for Class 9 in 2026, Class 10 in 2028, says report

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will implement two-tier difficulty levels- 'standard and advanced' for science and social science papers in Class 9 starting from 2026, reported The Indian Express. As per report, this is paving the way for changes in the CBSE Class 10 board exams in 2028. However, CBSE has not clarified regarding the two-tier system yet. CBSE Board Exam 2025 Live

According to The Indian Express, the decision follows a recommendation by CBSE’s Curriculum Committee, which initially proposed the change regarding two-tier difficulty levels. The CBSE Class 10, 12 board exams 2025 commenced on February 15.

A source cited by The Indian Express mentioned that for the CBSE Class 10 board exam in 2028, board is considering two possible formats: a single question paper with additional advanced-level questions or separate papers for ‘standard’ and ‘advanced’ levels.

CBSE board exams twice a year?

The board plans to hold CBSE Class 10 ,12 exams twice a year. The decision of holding CBSE Board exams 2025 aims to reduce pressure of a single annual exam. The CBSE twice-a-year board exam format aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) directed CBSE to draft proposal for conducting board exams twice a year, which will allowing students toretain their highest marks. The modalities of this reform were discussed in a high-level meeting chaired by union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on February 18. From 2026 onwards, students will have the flexibility to take the CBSE Board exams twice a year. CBSE is exploring various approaches, such as introducing a semester system with exams in January-February and March-April.

This two-tier difficulty level initiative also aligns with the NEP 2020, which advocates for multiple difficulty levels in subjects to provide students with the option of choosing different difficulty levels. Students will be able to choose the difficulty level based on their aptitude and career goals.

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CBSE Board Exams: NCERT to introduce new textbooks

CBSE has assigned NCERT to develop new textbooks that include additional content for the 'Advanced' level, The Indian Express reported. As per IE, CBSE had previously introduced a two-level system for Mathematics in 2019-20, where both ‘standard’ and basic mathematics share the same syllabus but differ in question difficulty level.

CBSE: Global Curriculum for foreign schools

Along with the introduction of twice-a-year board exams, CBSE is set to launch Global curriculum for 260 foreign-affiliated schools starting from the 2026-2027 academic session. This curriculum will blend core Indian subjects with international educational standards.

“Today the Hon'ble Minister of Education, Sh Dharmendra Pradhan, chaired a high level meeting with Secretary, DoSEL, Secretary ER, MEA, heads of CBSE, NCERT, KVS, NVS along with representatives of global schools. The modalities of establishing and implementing the CBSE Global Curriculum were discussed in detail and CBSE was directed to launch CBSE Global Curriculum for Foreign Schools from 2026-2027 and to prepare a detailed action plan accordingly,” the central board posted on X.