CBSE announces major change for 2025 Class 10,12 board exams: Syllabus reduced by...

In a significant move to alleviate academic pressure on students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced a reduction in the syllabus and changes to the assessment structure for the 2025 Class 10 and 12 board exams. During a meeting with school principals in Indore, CBSE officials revealed that the syllabus will be cut by 10-15% across all subjects.

Vikas Kumar Agrawal, the CBSE Regional Officer for Bhopal, addressed the ‘Bridging the Gap’ principals' summit at the Brilliant Convention Centre, stating that the reduction aligns with CBSE’s ongoing efforts to lessen the academic burden on students. "This will help students gain a deeper grasp of their subjects," Agrawal noted, emphasising the importance of focusing on essential concepts rather than rote memorisation, reported Business Standard.

In addition to the syllabus changes, the assessment format for the 2025 board exams will also be revised. Internal assessments will now account for 40% of the final marks for both Classes 10 and 12, while the final written exams will make up the remaining 60%.

Agrawal explained that this shift promotes continuous learning and provides students with more opportunities to demonstrate their understanding throughout the school year. The internal assessments will include projects, assignments, and periodic exams to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of students' skills and development.

To enhance the examination process further, CBSE will implement digital assessment methods for certain subjects to improve marking efficiency and transparency. Additionally, an open-book exam format will be introduced for select subjects, such as social science and English literature, allowing students to refer to their textbooks during tests. This change aims to foster critical thinking and application-based learning, moving beyond mere memorization to assess students' abilities to analyse and interpret information.

Meanwhile, the CBSE is expected to release the date sheet for the 2025 board examinations by the end of November 2024 on its official website, cbse.nic.in.

According to a circular issued at the beginning of the academic year, the CBSE board exams for Class 10 and Class 12 are scheduled to begin on February 15, 2025. Class 10 examinations are anticipated to conclude in the second week of March, while Class 12 exams are likely to wrap up in the first week of April 2025.