CBSE makes third language internal assessment essential for Class 10 pass certificate
PTC Web Desk: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it compulsory for students to clear the internal assessment in the third language, in order to receive their Class 10 pass certificate. The new rule will come into effect from the 2027-28 academic session.
The third language will continue to remain outside the Class 10 board examination. However, schools will now be required to conduct an internal assessment for the subject, referred to as R3. Students must clear this assessment to be eligible for the Secondary School Examination pass certificate.
If a student does not clear the assessment in the first attempt, the CBSE has directed schools to conduct a reassessment before board results are declared. The circular, however, does not clarify what will happen if a student fails to clear the subject even after reassessment. It remains unclear whether such students will receive a provisional result, be given a further opportunity for reassessment, or have their certificate withheld until the requirement is met.
Class 9 students who do not clear the third language assessment will still be promoted to Class 10. They will, however, be required to clear the pending assessment while studying in Class 10. This provision ensures that students are not held back in Class 9, while still being required to meet the language requirement before completing secondary education.
The latest directive builds on an earlier CBSE circular issued in late June, which reintroduced the three-language formula from Class 6 onwards, effective the 2026-27 academic session. Under this framework, students are required to study three languages, at least two of which must be Indian languages.
Students in Classes 7, 8 and 9 who had already opted for a foreign language alongside English will be permitted to continue with it. They will, however, also need to take up an additional Indian language as their third subject.
Earlier, most students discontinued a third language after Class 8. Under the revised policy, the subject becomes compulsory in Class 9 from 2026-27, and in Class 10 from 2027-28. The current Class 10 batch, appearing for the 2026-27 board examinations, will not be affected by this change.
The implementation of the revised language policy has also been challenged in court. A writ petition contesting CBSE's circulars on the three-language formula is currently under consideration. The petitioners have sought restoration of CBSE's earlier position, announced in April, which had deferred the compulsory implementation of the third language at the Class 9 level until the 2029-30 academic session.
In response, the Ministry of Education filed a counter-affidavit on July 13, defending the policy. The affidavit, submitted by Subhash Chand, Under Secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy, was filed following a Supreme Court notice issued in May.
The Centre has argued that education falls under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, giving both the Union and State governments the authority to implement the National Education Policy. The government has further stated that the three-language formula supports multiple objectives, including the promotion of multilingualism, preservation of Indian languages, strengthening of students' cognitive development and fostering of national integration.
Also Read | CBSE has made clearing the third language internal assessment compulsory for Class 10 students from 2027-28. Here's what the new rule means for students and schools
Also Read | Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, CBSE and NCERT over three-language policy for Class 9 students
- With inputs from agencies
