‘Two Bhartiya Bhashas, One Non-Native’: CBSE Makes Third Language Internal Assessment Compulsory For Classes 9, 10

Published 14 July 2026 · education

‘Two Bhartiya Bhashas, One Non-Native’: CBSE Makes Third Language Internal Assessment Compulsory For Classes 9, 10 Published By, Last Updated: July 14, 2026, 11:30 IST

‘Two Bhartiya Bhashas, One Non-Native’: CBSE Makes Third Language Internal Assessment Compulsory For Classes 9, 10 Published By, Last Updated: July 14, 2026, 11:30 IST CBSE makes third language compulsory for Classes 9 and 10 under NEP 2020. Students must pass an internal assessment from 2027-28 to get a pass certificate. CBSE makes the third language a compulsory qualifying subject for students in Classes 9 and 10. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday announced that the third language will be a compulsory qualifying subject for students in Classes 9 and 10 under the Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework. The Board clarified that while the third language will not be included in the Class 10 board examination, students will have to pass a school-based internal assessment in the subject from the 2027-28 academic session. Students who fail to clear the internal assessment in the third language will not be awarded the Secondary School Examination pass certificate, the CBSE said. Under the three-language formula, students will be required to study two Bharatiya Bhashas (Indian languages) and one non-native language. The revised policy will apply to students entering Class 9 in the 2026-27 academic session and Class 10 in 2027-28. However, students who are already in Class 10 during the 2026-27 academic session will not be required to study or qualify in a third language under the new norms.

Third Language School-Based Assessment Now Compulsory Under a CBSE circular issued on July 10, students entering Class 10 in the 2027-28 academic session will be required to pass the school-based assessment in the third language, designated as R3, to be eligible for the Secondary School Examination pass certificate. Also Read: CBSE Three-Language Policy: Board Says Schools Are Ready. Parents Disagree. Here’s Why Although the third language will not form part of the Class 10 Board examination, qualifying in its internal assessment has been made a mandatory condition for passing the secondary school examination. The Board has also outlined the procedure for students who fail the assessment. If a Class 10 student does not clear the third language internal assessment, the school must conduct a reassessment before the declaration of the Board examination results. For students in Class 9, the policy provides some flexibility. Those who fail the third language assessment will still be to Class 10. However, they will have to clear the pending Class 9 assessment during the following academic year while studying in Class 10. The revised framework ensures that students are not detained in Class 9 because of the third language requirement, but they must successfully complete the assessment before they can be awarded the Class 10 pass certificate. According to a CBSE circular issued on July 10, students entering Class 10 from the 2027-28 academic year must clear the school-based assessment in the third language, referred to as R3, to receive the Secondary School Examination pass certificate.