The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced new rules for students appearing in the **Class 10 Board examinations next year, starting on February 17, 2026**. These changes affect how students must answer questions in their **Science** and **Social Science** papers. The main update is that both subjects will now have separate sections in the answer sheet, and students must write answers only in the correct section. If answers are written in the wrong section, they will not be marked.
CBSE has sent these directions to all schools. The goal is to make sure students understand the new paper structure and follow the rules for answering questions section-wise. Schools must help students get comfortable with these changes before the final Board exams.
New Structure for Class 10 Science Paper
For the upcoming **Class 10 Science Board exam**, the question paper and answer book will be divided into **three clear sections**. Each section will cover a specific part of Science:
- Section A: Biology
- Section B: Chemistry
- Section C: Physics
Students must be careful to mark these three sections in their answer book before they start writing. It is very important to write answers for Biology questions only in Section A, Chemistry answers in Section B, and Physics answers in Section C. This helps examiners evaluate papers correctly and avoids confusion.
New Structure for Class 10 Social Science Paper
Similarly, the **Class 10 Social Science Board exam** will have **four distinct sections**. Each section will be for a different branch of Social Science:
- Section A: History
- Section B: Geography
- Section C: Political Science
- Section D: Economics
Just like with Science, students need to make sure they write answers for History questions only in Section A, Geography answers in Section B, Political Science answers in Section C, and Economics answers in Section D. The CBSE circular clearly states that each answer must be written only in the space meant for that particular section in the answer book.
Strict Rules for Answering Questions
CBSE has made it very clear that students must not mix their answers. This means an answer meant for, say, Geography (Section B) should not be written in the space for History (Section A). If students write answers in the wrong section or mix them up, the examiners will **not give any marks** for those answers.
It is also important to know that these errors cannot be corrected later. If a student writes an answer in the wrong section and it is not marked, they **cannot get it corrected** during re-checking or re-evaluation processes. This rule is firm to ensure fairness and efficiency in checking exam papers.
Schools Must Prepare Students
To help students adapt to these new rules, CBSE has asked all schools to provide enough practice. This means teachers should give students practice during their regular classes. Also, the schools' Pre-Board examinations should follow this new section-wise format. This practice will ensure that students do not face any problems or difficulties when they appear for their final Board examinations in **February 2026**.
The **Class 10 and Class 12 Board Examinations for the academic year 2025-26 will begin on February 17, 2026**. Students are advised to understand these new guidelines carefully and practice writing their answers in the correct sections to avoid losing marks.
