The CBSE Class 10 syllabus is released by the Central Board of Secondary Education for each academic session on its academic website, cbseacademic.nic.in. Each subject has its own PDF with units, marks per unit, the question paper design and the internal assessment plan. If you are searching for the syllabus of Class 10 CBSE for 2025-26 or a later session, always download the file for your own session, because CBSE revises details every year.
For most Class 10 students the scheme is the same: two languages, Mathematics, Science and Social Science, with most main subjects marked as 80 for the board theory paper and 20 for internal assessment.
Scheme of studies in Class 10
| Group | Subjects | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | Two languages, for example English with Hindi or another language | Hindi and some other languages have Course A and Course B |
| Main subjects | Mathematics, Science, Social Science | Compulsory |
| Skill subject | One subject from the skill list, such as Information Technology or Artificial Intelligence | Optional sixth subject |
| Additional language | A third language | Optional |
| Internal assessment subjects | Art Education, Health and Physical Education, Work Experience | Assessed by the school |
Mathematics has been offered at two levels, Standard and Basic, so students can pick according to their plans for Class 11. Check the current curriculum to confirm the levels for your batch.
Marks split: 80 plus 20
In Mathematics, Science, Social Science and the languages, the board paper is out of 80 and the school awards 20 marks of internal assessment. The board paper is a 3-hour theory exam. The internal assessment is built from several parts during the year, such as:
- Periodic tests held by the school
- Multiple assessment methods like quizzes, oral tests or concept maps
- A portfolio of class work and notable work
- Subject enrichment activities: practical work in Science, listening and speaking in languages, project work in Social Science
The exact break-up for each subject is in its syllabus PDF. Internal assessment is not a free 20; schools must keep records, and CBSE can check them.
Subject-wise structure
CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus
Science covers chemistry, biology and physics units, such as chemical substances and their reactions, the world of living things, natural phenomena like light, and the effects of current and magnetism, along with natural resources. The PDF lists the chapters inside each unit, the marks for each and the list of practicals you must perform.
Mathematics
Units include number systems, algebra, coordinate geometry, geometry, trigonometry, mensuration, and statistics and probability. Standard and Basic follow the same units, but the Basic paper has simpler questions.
Social Science
The four parts are History, Geography, Political Science and Economics. Map work is part of the paper, and the PDF names the exact map items you need to learn.
CBSE Class 10 English syllabus
English has a reading section, a writing and grammar section, and a literature section from the prescribed textbooks. Two courses have been offered in the past, so make sure you open the PDF for the course your school follows.
How to download the CBSE Class 10 syllabus PDF
- Go to cbseacademic.nic.in.
- Click Curriculum and choose the current session.
- Open Secondary Curriculum (Class IX-X).
- Choose the group: Languages, Main Subjects, Academic Electives or Internal Assessment subjects.
- Download the PDF for each subject you study and save it on your phone.
Sample question papers and marking schemes for each subject are in the SQP section of the same website. Use them together with the syllabus.
Question paper design
Each subject PDF ends with a question paper design that shows how marks are spread across question types, such as multiple-choice, short answer, long answer and case-based questions. CBSE has been raising the share of competency-based questions that test application rather than memory. Read the design for each subject and match it with the latest sample paper, so you know how many marks come from each type before you start revising.
Practicals and internal work timing
Schools finish internal assessment and practical work before the board theory exams and upload the marks to CBSE. Missing a periodic test or project can cut your internal marks, so treat school assessments as part of the board exam, not as optional work.
Two board exams and the syllabus
From 2026, CBSE holds the Class 10 board exam twice a year. The first exam is mandatory. The second is optional and lets you try to improve marks in up to three subjects. Both exams follow the same full syllabus of the session, so there is no separate syllabus for the second attempt.
Common questions students have
- Is the syllabus reduced this year? Only the PDF on cbseacademic.nic.in can tell you. Ignore viral lists of "deleted chapters" unless CBSE has issued them.
- My school's book has an extra chapter. Follow the CBSE PDF. Chapters outside it are not asked in the board paper.
- Where are the NCERT books? The textbooks prescribed for most subjects are NCERT books, free to read on ncert.nic.in.
- What happens if I fail a main subject? Under CBSE's scheme, if you fail one of Science, Mathematics or Social Science and pass the skill subject, the skill subject can replace it in the result.
Related pages
See the CBSE board exams hub for how the year runs, and the CBSE result guide for checking marks and re-evaluation. Looking ahead to Class 12, you can see how school subjects feed into the CUET UG domain subjects and the NEET syllabus. Other syllabus guides are in the syllabus section.
HindiScope is not an official site; confirm on cbseacademic.nic.in.