CBSE Class 10 & 12 Exam Pattern: Evaluation, Marking Scheme

According to the revised CBSE exam pattern, the theoretical paper is worth 80 marks, while the internal evaluation is worth 20 marks.  CBSE has scrapped the two-term exam model for the upcoming CBSE 12 exam for the academic year 2023. Students will now appear for a 3-hour final exam. The CBSE class 10 & 12 exam pattern is explained below.

Latest Updates

• 29th December 2022: CBSE released CBSE class 12 date sheet 2023. Read more

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The board has opted to emphasise Competency-Based Education (CBE). While the overall marks and duration of the test will remain the same, the question paper will comprise a greater proportion of competency-based questions or questions that assess the application of suggestions in real-life/ modern ways. Therefore, knowing the CBSE exam pattern 2023 would be extremely beneficial to students, as it will enable them to design an effective approach for the CBSE examination 2023.

CBSE New Exam Pattern

The new CBSE exam pattern will help assess students' understanding, reading, interpretation, and writing ability and avoid rote learning. CBSE has introduced application-based questions due to the ongoing pandemic and changes in education law.

In addition, it is said that the board had decided to add more case-study-based questions where students are supposed to go through a paragraph and answer questions accordingly.

Before we go into the intricacies of CBSE's new Test Pattern, let's take a look at the modifications that have been made to the CBSE exam pattern:

• All subjects have an internal examination.
• In the question paper, there is an internal choice. All subjects have questions added to them.
• Mathematics at the second level is only for grades 10th and up to students.
• There have been significant modifications in the total number of questions across all disciplines.

CBSE Class 12th Exam Pattern

Competency-Based Questions

Competency-based questions would be a minimum of 30%. These can be in the form of Multiple Choice Questions, Case based Questions, Source-based Integrated Questions, or any other types

Short / Long Questions

50% short answer/long answer questions (as per the existing pattern).

Objective Type Questions

Students can easily score high marks with the addition of 20% objective type questions (Objective type, Fill in the Blank spaces, Assertion-Reason) in all subjects. This will enhance their exam scores and alleviate writing a long and complex paper.

Internal Evaluation

Internal Assessment will be given a 20% weightage in all subjects under the new exam pattern. The internal evaluation procedure is as follows:

• Multiple Assessment – 5 marks
• Periodic test – 5 marks
• Subject Enhancement Activities – 5 marks
• Portfolio – 5 marks

CBSE Class 12th Passing Criteria

A candidate needs to obtain a minimum of 33% in theory and 33% in practical/internal examination to pass CBSE class 12th exam as per the new CBSE exam pattern. A candidate must also achieve 33% marks in aggregate in all the subjects. Below are the detailed passing criteria for CBSE 12th board exams:

• A candidate receives a pass certificate if they acquire a grade higher than an 'E' in all internal assessment subjects.
• A candidate shall obtain at least 33% marks in all the five external examination subjects (main/compartmental).
• For subjects involving practical work, a candidate must obtain 33% marks in theory and 33% marks in practicals separately to qualify.
• Candidates exempt from one or more internal examinations will be eligible to appear in the external exams.
• However, the result shall be declared only after the fulfillment of other conditions.

CBSE Class 12th Grading System

Every year, around ten lakh students apply to take the CBSE exam. Most class 12th students are confused by CBSE's grading system, which is identical to class 10th. The board will rate all students and issue grades in the following order:

CBSE Class 10th Exam Pattern

The new CBSE exam pattern for class 10th has been released because CBSE's ongoing pandemic exam pattern differs from previous years. The CBSE exam pattern for all subjects, including Maths, Science, English, Social Science, and more, are explained below:

• All subjects will have more objective-type questions.
• The internal choice will be more problematic in the paper.

Subjects	Total 100 Marks (Class X- Syllabus only)
	80 Marks (Theory Board Examination) Passing marks- 33% out of 80 in each subject	20 Marks (Internal Assessment) Passing marks- 33% out of 20 in each subject
		Periodic Test (10 Marks)	Notebook Submission (5 Marks)	Subject Enrichment Activity (5 Marks)
Language 1	Board exam would be of 80 marks for each subject which would cover 100% of class X syllabus only. Both Marks and Grades will be awarded for individual subjects. 9 point grading system would be followed.	Periodic written tests are restricted to three in each subject in an academic year. Average of the best two to be taken for final submission.	This Includes: Regularity   Assignment completion   Neatness and upkeep of notebook	Speaking and Listening Skills
Language 2				Speaking and Listening Skills
Science				Practical Lab work
Mathematics				Maths Lab Work
Social Science				Map work and Project Work
6th Additional Subject	If a student opts for language as an additional subject, modalities defined for language one and two shall be followed

CBSE Class 10th Passing Criteria

All board exam papers (including the additional topics) will be worth 80 points; a student must receive at least 33 percent to pass.

When a Student Fails

• Suppose a student fails one of the three compulsory academic subjects (Science, Mathematics, or Social Science) but passes the Skill subject (offered as the sixth optional subject). In that case, the academic subject will be replaced by the Skill subject, and the class 10th board examination result will be computed accordingly.
• Suppose a student fails any of the first five main subjects. In that case, that subject will be replaced by the language taken as a sixth subject (in the absence of skills subjects) or as a seventh subject (optional), provided that they have passed that language subject and that either Hindi or English remains as a passed language in the first five subjects after replacement.

Internal Choice in Question Paper 

CBSE officials have implemented internal choice in question papers. Students will find 33 percent internal choice in all sections of the question papers for all subjects. As a result, students will have a variety of options from which to choose. This will assist them in answering questions about which they are more knowledgeable.

Objective Type Questions

Officials have implemented 20% objective-type questions in all subjects as per the CBSE exam pattern. Objective-type questions will receive 20 marks out of a possible 80. (Multiple Choice Questions, Fill in the Blanks, etc.). Subjective questions requiring students to write a detailed response will be worth only 60 marks.

CBSE Class 10th Marking Scheme and Grading Pattern

i) Periodic Test (05 Marks): A total of 3 periodic tests will be conducted for each subject. Out of which, an average of two will be taken for final submission. The weightage of this will be five marks.

ii) Multiple Assessment (05 Marks): Schools have the authority to use other assessment modes depending on the subject's demand. This can include oral tests, individual or group work, class discussions, fieldwork, concept maps, graphic organisers, visual representation, etc. The weightage of this will be five marks.

Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of a student's work that describes the student's efforts, progress, growth, and accomplishments in several areas of study. The following are the elements that can be used to evaluate a portfolio. The work's representation is as follows:

• This encompasses neatness as well as aesthetic appeal.
• Completion of guided work aimed towards achieving particular curriculum goals
• The development of students
• All relevant work is included (completeness)
• This will have a weighted average of 5 points.

Subject Enrichment Activities

This is worth another 5 points and evaluates a student's practical, project work, and language capabilities. The subject enrichment activity varies depending on the subject. For example, hearing, speaking, and vocabulary abilities will be evaluated in the language subject, whereas practical work will be reviewed in math and science. In addition, some relevant project work will be reviewed for a subject like social science.

CBSE Attendance Rules for Class 10th and 12th

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has chosen to keep track of its associated schools' students' attendance. It has given schools new instructions, requiring them to provide their students' attendance reports.

In addition, the board will decide whether or not to allow students to appear for the examinations for which it is responsible based on attendance. After a recent study, the board decided that students with low attendance scored poorly in exams. The CBSE has also devised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to deal with low-attendance incidents:

• The board has framed new rules on low attendance.
• Students will be exempt if a protracted loss of a mother or father, illness, engagement in sports, or other comparable circumstances.
• By the first day of the academic year, schools should have completed their attendance records and reported them to CBSE. 

All the changes in the CBSE board exam patterns have been made to reduce the strain on students and their mental health in these times of distress amid the surging Covid. However, the Central Board of Secondary Education will be altering more elements in the future to further reduce unrest among students and schools.