The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has rolled out significant changes to the secondary school curriculum and Class 10 board examination pattern, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
Starting from the 2026-27 academic session, students entering Class 9 will be required to study three languages, structured into three levels - R1, R2, and R3. R1 will be a student's primary language, studied at an advanced level, while R2 will be a different language studied at a comparatively lower level. R3 will be introduced as a compulsory subject from Class 6 in the 2026-27 academic session and expanded to Class 10 by 2030-31.
During the transition phase, students must study and pass a third language as part of their secondary education. The same language cannot be chosen for both R1 and R2. Even if identical textbooks are used initially, the syllabus and assessment for each level will differ, meaning students may face separate question papers and varying difficulty levels based on whether they opt for R1 or R2.
CBSE has listed 44 languages covering all Scheduled languages listed in the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India. Major language subjects include Hindi, English, French, Nepali, German, Russian, Santhali, Maithili, Dogri, and Konkani, among others.
Students currently enrolled in Class 9 will have to appear in at least two languages in the Class 10 board examinations in 2028. The datesheet for board exams of Class 10 exam in 2028 will be made accordingly and exam of language subjects will be held for two days - one day for R1 and second day for R2 and 2031 onwards will be held for three days - one day for R1 level, second day for R2 level and third day for R3 level.
