CBSE Class 10th Board Exam: Syllabus | Marking Scheme | Chapter-wise Weightage

  • ACIO
  • November 24, 2023

Class 10th is undoubtedly a pivotal year in every student’s life. Your performance in the class 10th board exam determines your future career path.

Class 10th 2025 Ads

For the session 2023-24, CBSE has decided to discontinue its two-examination policy implemented during the pandemic. Instead, CBSE will conduct a single examination covering the entire prescribed syllabus at the end of the year. Also, to equip students with the skills required to conquer the challenges of the 21st century, the board has decided to implement Competency-Based Education (CBE) in schools. Therefore in the forthcoming sessions, there’ll be more Competency Based Questions that assess the application of concepts in real-life/ unfamiliar situations. Hence, candidates must prepare diligently to score well in CBSE class 10th board exams. And since effective preparation requires you to know about the exam syllabus and marking scheme. Here we present the marking scheme updated syllabus and chapter-wise weightage for CBSE class 10th board exams.

 

CBSE Class 10th Board Exam 2023:

Marking Scheme of Science:

As per the CBSE assessment policy, the examination will be of 100 marks, with 80 marks allotted to the theory paper and the remaining 20 marks for internal assessment. The theory paper will be conducted for 3 hours (180 minutes), consisting of a mix of MCQs and subjective-type questions. Here’s the marking scheme for the CBSE class 10th science exam:

Section Word Limit No. of Questions Total Marks
Section A: MCQs (1 mark) 20 20
Section B: Short Answer Type-I (2 marks) 30 – 50 6 12
Section C: Short Answer Type-II (3 marks) 50 – 80 7 21
Section D: Long Answer Type (5 marks) 80 – 120 3 15
Section E: Competency-Based (4 marks) 3 12
Total 39 80
Internal Assessment 20
Grand Total 100

Updated Syllabus & Chapter-wise Weightage of Science:

Chapter Name 1M (MCQ) 2M 3M 5M 4M Total Marks
Chemical Reactions and Equations 3 1 6
Acids, Bases and Salts 3 3
Metals and Non-metals 1 1 1 1 10
Carbon and its Compounds 1 1 6
Periodic Classification of Elements Deleted
Life Processes 2 2 1 9
Control and Coordination 1 1 3
How do Organisms Reproduce? 1 1 6
Heredity and Evolution 3 1 7
Light – Reflection and Refraction 2 1 10
The Human Eye and the Colourful World 1 2
Electricity 2 1 7
Magnetic Effects of Electric Current 3 1 6
Sources of Energy Deleted
Our Environment 1 1 5
Sustainable Management of Natural Resources Deleted
Total 20 6 7 3 3 80

Note: All questions are compulsory. However, an internal choice is provided in some questions. A student is expected to attempt only one of these questions.

Physics:

Chemistry:

Biology:

Marking Scheme of Mathematics:

For session 2022-23, the board has decided to conduct the mathematics exam in two parts – Mathematics Standard and Mathematics Basic.

Class 10 2025 Mathematics Paper Design

Students get a choice between two papers. Students who do not wish to pursue mathematics for future studies can opt for Mathematics Basic since its difficulty level is comparatively low. On the other hand, mathematics standard’s difficulty level is high to prepare students who wish to pursue higher studies in the subject.

Both papers will also be of 100 marks each, with 80 marks allotted to the theory paper and the remaining 20 marks for internal assessment. The theory paper will be conducted for 3 hours (180 minutes), consisting of a mix of MCQs and subjective-type questions. Here’s the marking scheme for the CBSE class 10th mathematics exam:

Section No. of Questions Total Marks
Section A: MCQs (1 mark) 20 20
Section B: Short Answer Type-I (2 marks) 5 10
Section C: Short Answer Type-II (3 marks) 6 18
Section D: Long Answer Type (5 marks) 4 20
Section E: Competency-Based (4 marks) 3 12
Total 38 80
Internal Assessment 20
Grand Total 100

Updated Syllabus & Chapter-wise Weightage of Mathematics Basic:

Chapter Name 1M (MCQ) 2M 3M 5M 4M Total Marks
Real Number 3 1 6
Polynomials 1 1 4
Pair Of Linear Equations In Two Variables 1 1 1 6
Quadratic Equations 1 1 6
Arithmetic Progressions 1 4
Coordinate Geometry 3 1 7
Triangles 1 1 1 8
Circles 1 1 1 6
Introduction To Trigonometry 3 1 1 8
Application Of Trigonometry 1 4
Constructions Deleted
Areas Related To Circles 1 1 3
Surface Areas And Volumes 2 1 7
Statistics 2 1 7
Probability 1 1 4
Grand Total 20 5 6 4 3 80

Updated Syllabus & Chapter-wise Weightage of Mathematics Standard:

Chapter Name 1M (MCQ) 2M 3M 5M 4M Total Marks
Real Number 2 1 5
Polynomials 1 1 4
Pair Of Linear Equations In Two Variables 1 1 3
Quadratic Equations 1 1 1 9
Arithmetic Progressions 1 4
Coordinate Geometry 2 1 6
Triangles 3 1 1 10
Circles 1 1 1 6
Introduction To Trigonometry 3 1 1 8
Application Of Trigonometry 1 4
Constructions Deleted
Areas Related To Circles 2 1 4
Surface Areas And Volumes 1 1 6
Statistics 2 1 7
Probability 1 1 4
Grand Total 20 5 6 4 3 80

Note: For both papers, all questions are compulsory. However, an internal choice in 2 questions of 5 marks, 2 questions of 3 marks and 2 questions of 2 marks has been provided. An internal choice has been provided in the 2 marks questions of Section E.

Marking Scheme of Social Science:

Social Science exam will also be of 100 marks, with 80 marks allotted to the theory paper and the remaining 20 marks for internal assessment. The theory paper will be conducted for 3 hours (180 minutes), consisting of a mix of MCQs and subjective-type questions, including the map skills. Here’s the marking scheme for the CBSE class 10th social science exam:

Section No. of Questions Total Marks
Section A: MCQs (1 mark) 20 20
Section B: Short Answer Type-I (2 marks) 4 8
Section C: Short Answer Type-II (3 marks) 5 15
Section D: Long Answer Type (5 marks) 4 20
Section E: Competency-Based (4 marks) 3 12
Section F: Map (5 marks) 1 5
Total 37 80
Internal Assessment 20
Grand Total 100

Note: Section F has a single map-based question, carrying 5 marks and is divided into two parts – one from History (2 marks) and another from Geography (3 marks).

Updated Syllabus & Chapter-wise Weightage of Geography:

Chapter Name 1M (MCQ) 2M 3M 5M 4M (CB) Map Total Marks
Resources and Development 1 1
Forest and Wildlife 1 1
Water Resources 1 1M 5
Agriculture 1 1
Minerals and Energy Resources 1 1M 3
Manufacturing Industries 1 1M 6
Life Lines of National Economy 1 3
Grand Total 3 1 1 1 1 3 20

Updated Syllabus & Chapter-wise Weightage of History:

Chapter Name 1M (MCQ) 2M 3M 5M 4M (CB) Map Total Marks
Rise of Nationalism in Europe 1 5
Nationalism in India 1 2M 5
Making of a Global World 1 1 3
Age of Industrialization 1 4
Print Culture and the Modern World 3 3
Grand Total 4 1 1 1 1 1Q-2M 20

Updated Syllabus & Chapter-wise Weightage of Civics:

Chapter Name 1M (MCQ) 2M 3M 5M 4M (CB) Total Marks
Power Sharing 2 1 6
Federalism 1 1 3
Democracy & Diversity Deleted
Gender, Religion and Caste 1 1 3
Popular Struggles and Movements Deleted
Political Parties 1 5
Outcomes of Democracy 1 3
Challenges to Democracy Deleted
Grand Total 4 2 1 1 1 20

Updated Syllabus & Chapter-wise Weightage of Economics:

Chapter Name 1M (MCQ) 2M 3M 5M 4M (CB) Total Marks
Development 2 2
Sectors of the Indian Economy 2 1 1 7
Money and Credit 1 1 6
Globalization and the Indian Economy 2 1 5
Consumer Rights only for project
Grand Total 7 1 1 1 0 20

Note: There is no overall choice in the question paper. However, an internal option is provided in a few questions. Only one of the choices in such questions has to be attempted.

  • In addition, separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary.

Marking Scheme of English:

English (Language & Literature) exam will also be of 100 marks, with 80 marks allotted to the written paper and the remaining 20 marks for internal assessment. The exam will be conducted for 3 hours (180 minutes), consisting of a mix of MCQs and subjective-type questions. Here’s the marking scheme for the CBSE class 10th English exam:

Section Total Question Total Marks
Reading 2 20
Grammer 10 10
Writing 2 10
Literature 10 40
Description of Literature No. of Question Marks per Question Total Marks
MCQ 2 5 10
Short Answer Type (40-50 Words) 6 3 18
Long Answer Type (100-120 Words) 2 6 12

For English, we encourage students to prepare all the chapters, including stories and poems from both the books – First Flight and Footprints without Feet.

Smart preparation is necessary to ace CBSE class 10th board exams, and it requires a thorough understanding of the marking scheme and chapter-wise weightage. Use the above information to fine-tune your preparation and pass the exams with flying colours.

ALLEN Overseas wishes all the CBSE class 10th students good luck for their board exams.

Learn the effective exam strategies and tips from ALLEN Experts.

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