CBSE Board Exams 2026: New Rules for Class 10 Science & Social Science

No Marks will be Awarded for Answers Written in the Wrong Section

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a new and strict guideline for Class 10 board examinations. The board found that in previous years, during evaluation, students often mixed up answers from different subjects, leading to confusion and mark deductions.

To prevent this problem, from the 2025-26 academic session, CBSE has clarified that each answer must be written only in its designated section, otherwise, it will not be included in the evaluation.

This decision by the board is significant because many students, in their haste, write answers without understanding the grouping of questions, resulting in their correct answers not receiving marks. CBSE has clearly instructed that no correction will be made for such mistakes at any stage, whether it is verification or re-evaluation.

CBSE Releases New Section-Based Structure

According to the official notification issued by the board, the Class 10 Science and Social Science examinations will now be completely divided into separate sections. This structure is as follows:

Science (Three Sections)

Section A – Biology

Section B – Chemistry

Section C – Physics

Social Science (Four Sections)

Section A – History

Section B – Geography

Section C – Political Science

Section D – Economics

CBSE has advised students to study the sample question papers available on the official CBSE website to understand the grouping of questions and the correct way to write answers. The complete examination pattern is explained in detail in this notification.

Writing Section-Wise in the Answer Sheet is Also Mandatory

CBSE has clarified that students must create separate sections in their answer sheets before starting the examination.

The Science answer sheet should have three separate sections for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

Similarly, the Social Science answer sheet must have four distinct sections for History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics. The board states that this section-based system must be followed consistently throughout the entire answer sheet. Writing answers outside their designated sections will result in a deduction of marks.

No marks for answers written in the wrong section

CBSE has also warned that answers written in the wrong section will not be included in the evaluation. For example, if an answer related to Physics is written in the Biology section, or an answer related to Economics is written in the Geography section, zero marks will be awarded for that question. Even if the answer is perfectly correct, the examiner will not check it.

This rule will be uniformly applicable to all examination centres across the country, and no exceptions will be made.

No correction during verification or re-checking

The board has also clarified that if a student makes a mistake in matching the sections, it will not be corrected later. During verification, re-checking, or re-evaluation—none of these processes will involve checking answers written in the wrong sections.

Instructions to schools for practice

CBSE has urged all schools to familiarize students with writing section-based answers during regular classes and pre-board examinations. The board says that if students start practicing this in advance, the chances of making such mistakes during the main examination will be significantly reduced.

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