The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is planning to implement a two-level structure for Science and Social Science in Classes 9 and 10, starting from the 2026-2027 academic year. This move follows the introduction of a similar system for Mathematics in Class 10, where students can choose between Standard and Basic levels.
Under the new structure, Science and Social Science would be taught at two levels-standard and advanced. The goals of the NEP 2020 are to de-load the curriculum and reduce pressure so that coaching culture is checked; and that subjects can be provided at different levels, and the child has a choice to study a standard or an advanced level as per his or her capability or interest. This system aims to address diverse learning needs and provide flexibility in academic progression.
The CBSE’s curriculum council has recently approved this proposal for Science and Social Science. However, the final decision rests with the Board’s governing body, its highest decision-making authority. While the specifics of implementation are yet to be fully detailed, it remains unclear whether students opting for the advanced level will require distinct study materials or only face a different examination format.
This system has been introduced in accordance with the two-tier Mathematics structure already in place, which was introduced in the 2019-20 academic year. Currently, Mathematics in Class 10 is taught at two levels: Standard and Basic. The syllabus for both levels is the same, but the exams vary in terms of question difficulty. In the 2023-24 academic year, according to CBSE statistics, more students chose the Standard level of Mathematics (15.88 million) than the Basic level (6.79 million).
The rollout of this two-level system for Science and Social Science is going to allow students who want to take higher-level learning in these subjects to do that before they enter Class 11. Probably, they will be given a specified time frame within which to choose between Standard and Advanced levels and then have the ability to switch over within that specified time frame.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has also started creating new textbooks under the National Curriculum Framework 2023. These are expected to come out by early 2025, and these new textbooks would be pivotal for the roll-out of the two-level structure. This dual-level system was the most important step taken by CBSE in aligning its approach with the rest of the educational reforms visualized by the National Education Policy 2020.
