Education
Understanding CBSE Two Board Exam Model
CBSE’s Two-Phase Board Exam from 2025–26 aims to ease pressure, offer flexibility, and support every student’s best performance.
CBSE Duel Board Examination for Class 10
As per CBSE circular, from the 2025-26 academic year, CBSE will implement a two board exam system for Class 10. This thoughtful transition is a major reform in line with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020). The objective: reduce pressure from a “one-chance-only” system, and offer students a second opportunity to improve their performance.
Exam Structure Highlights
- Main Exam (Phase 1): February 17 – March 6, 2026 (mandatory)
- Improvement Exam (Phase 2): May 5 – 20, 2026 (optional)
- Students can appear for up to three subjects again; the higher score will be considered
- The entire NCERT syllabus is assessed in both attempts
- Internal/Practical Assessments will be conducted only once, and those marks will apply for both phases
- Minimum passing marks: 33% (combined theory + internal/practical)
- No supplementary or special exams after May
- Subject choices get locked after LOC finalization—no changes allowed later
- The mark sheet will show both scores and final grades based on best performance
Result Declaration
- The results of the First Examination will be declared in the month of April
- The results of the Second Examination (Improvement Exam) will be declared in the month of June
- The performance in the First (Main) Examination will be made available in the DigiLocker and can be used by students for admission into Class 11, in case they choose not to appear for the improvement exam
- The Final Passing Document (Marksheet, Migration, and Pass Certificate) will be issued only after the declaration of the Second Examination results
- The Merit Certificate, where applicable, will also be issued only after the Second Examination
What It Means for Schools and Families
At Glentree Academy, we welcome this progressive move towards flexible, student-focused assessments. However, this change brings temporary ambiguity in implementation. Many educators across schools are still waiting for clarity on timelines, support structures, and academic planning.
Until then, our strategy is simple: we will prepare students for the February board exam as always. The improvement phase will be recommended only if required, after careful consideration of each student’s academic readiness and emotional bandwidth.
A Word of Caution for Parents
This opportunity must not become an automatic expectation. Unnecessarily preparing for duel high-stakes exams will only stretch the academic year, leaving no mental or physical break before the new session in June. This is counter to the core objective of de-stressing students.
We encourage all stakeholders—parents, teachers, and students—to make informed, thoughtful decisions, so that this well-intentioned reform truly benefits learners.
