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The CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus 2026–27 has five units and 13 NCERT chapters, examined in an 80-mark, 3-hour board paper, plus 20 marks of internal assessment by the school. Split by discipline, chemistry carries 25 marks, biology 30 and physics 25, and CBSE's 2026–27 sample paper is laid out in exactly those three sections. The marks and assessed chapters are the same as in 2025–26; the main change is that three topics (periodic classification, evolution, and the electric motor, electromagnetic induction and generator) are back in the syllabus, but are assessed only in school, not in the board exam.
This guide gives the official unit marks, splits every chapter into physics, chemistry and biology, lists exactly what CBSE assesses, sets out the practicals and question-paper design, and ends with a chapter-by-chapter "what to master" table and three worked examples. It is part of our guide series for parents looking for Class 10 home tutors in Gurgaon.
Class 10 Science (subject code 086) is marked out of 100: 80 marks in the board theory paper and 20 marks of internal assessment, which includes practical work.
| Item | CBSE Class 10 Science, 2026–27 |
|---|---|
| Subject code | 086 |
| Board theory paper | 80 marks, 3 hours |
| Internal assessment | 20 marks: periodic assessment 5, multiple assessment 5, portfolio 5, subject enrichment (practical work) 5 |
| Units | 5 units: Chemical Substances (25), World of Living (25), Natural Phenomena (12), Effects of Current (13), Natural Resources (5) |
| By discipline | Chemistry 25, biology 30, physics 25 |
| Textbook | NCERT Science Textbook for Class X (13 chapters; the NCERT PDF is marked "Reprint 2026-27"), plus CBSE's Reading Material for Science Class X (2026–27) |
| Competency split in the theory paper | Knowledge and understanding 50%; application 30%; formulate, analyse, evaluate and create 20% |
| Paper format (2026–27 sample paper) | 39 questions in 3 sections: A Biology, B Chemistry, C Physics |
| Periods (teaching hours) | Not stated in the 2026–27 Class X Science syllabus document |
Sources: the CBSE Class X Science syllabus 2026–27, CBSE's Reading Material for Science Class X (2026–27) and the Class X Science sample question paper for 2026–27, all on cbseacademic.nic.in. Checked on 29 September 2026.
The exam calendar has also changed. According to CBSE's press release of 18 July 2026, the Board introduced two board examinations for Class 10 from 2026: a main examination (17 February to 11 March 2026) and a second examination (15 to 21 May 2026) that gave eligible students a chance to improve, with the better of the two performances used for regular students. Wait for CBSE's official date sheet for the 2027 dates.
CBSE's syllabus is organised by theme, not by discipline, and gives marks per unit rather than per chapter. Mapping the units to the NCERT chapters gives the physics, chemistry and biology split that most students and schools use.
| Unit (theme) | Discipline | Marks (out of 80) | NCERT chapters assessed in the board exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Chemical Substances: Nature and Behaviour (Materials) | Chemistry | 25 | Ch 1 Chemical Reactions and Equations; Ch 2 Acids, Bases and Salts; Ch 3 Metals and Non-metals; Ch 4 Carbon and its Compounds |
| II. World of Living (The World of the Living) | Biology | 25 | Ch 5 Life Processes; Ch 6 Control and Coordination; Ch 7 How do Organisms Reproduce?; Ch 8 Heredity |
| III. Natural Phenomena | Physics | 12 | Ch 9 Light: Reflection and Refraction; Ch 10 The Human Eye and the Colourful World |
| IV. Effects of Current (How Things Work) | Physics | 13 | Ch 11 Electricity; Ch 12 Magnetic Effects of Electric Current |
| V. Natural Resources | Biology | 5 | Ch 13 Our Environment |
| Total | 80 | 13 chapters |
| Discipline | Units | Board marks | Section in the 2026–27 sample paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | II (25) + V (5) | 30 | Section A: questions 1–16, 30 marks |
| Chemistry | I | 25 | Section B: questions 17–29, 25 marks |
| Physics | III (12) + IV (13) | 25 | Section C: questions 30–39, 25 marks |
CBSE does not publish marks for individual chapters. Where a unit has several chapters, any chapter-wise figure you see elsewhere is an estimate. The safer reading is the unit total: for example, the two light chapters share 12 marks, and the two electricity and magnetism chapters share 13.
Unit I, "Chemical Substances: Nature and Behaviour", is the chemistry of Class 10. It carries 25 marks, the same as all of physics.
Chemical reactions and equations, balanced chemical equations, and the types of reaction: combination, decomposition, displacement, double displacement, precipitation, endothermic and exothermic reactions, and oxidation and reduction.
Acids and bases defined in terms of furnishing H+ and OH− ions; identification using indicators; chemical properties, examples and uses; neutralisation; the pH scale (the logarithmic definition is not required) and the importance of pH in everyday life; and the preparation and uses of sodium hydroxide, bleaching powder, baking soda, washing soda and plaster of Paris.
Properties of metals and non-metals, the reactivity series, the formation and properties of ionic compounds, basic metallurgical processes, and corrosion and its prevention.
Covalent bonds and the properties of covalent compounds; the versatile nature of carbon; saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons; homologous series; nomenclature of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes and compounds with functional groups (halogens, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes); chemical properties (combustion, oxidation, addition and substitution); ethanol and ethanoic acid (properties and uses only); and soaps and detergents.
Not in the board exam: Periodic Classification of Elements (Döbereiner's triads, Newlands' law of octaves, Mendeleev's periodic table and the modern periodic table). It is taught for formative, school-based assessment only; see below.
Biology comes from two units: World of Living (25 marks) and Natural Resources (5 marks). Together that is 30 marks, the largest share of the paper.
The idea of a "living being", and the basic concepts of nutrition, respiration, transport and excretion in plants and animals.
Tropic movements in plants and an introduction to plant hormones; in animals, the nervous system, voluntary, involuntary and reflex action, and chemical coordination through animal hormones.
Asexual and sexual reproduction in animals and plants; reproductive health, the need for and methods of family planning; safe sex versus HIV/AIDS; child bearing and women's health.
Heredity; Mendel's contribution and the laws of inheritance of traits; and a brief introduction to sex determination. Evolution is not in the board exam in 2026–27 (see below).
Ecosystems, environmental problems, ozone depletion, waste production and solutions, and biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances.
Physics comes from two units: Natural Phenomena (light, 12 marks) and Effects of Current (electricity and magnetism, 13 marks).
Reflection by curved surfaces; images formed by spherical mirrors; centre of curvature, principal axis, principal focus and focal length; the mirror formula (derivation not required) and magnification. Refraction, the laws of refraction and refractive index. Refraction by spherical lenses; images formed by lenses; the lens formula (derivation not required); magnification; and the power of a lens.
The working of the lens in the human eye; defects of vision and their correction; applications of spherical mirrors and lenses. Refraction through a prism, dispersion and scattering of light, with daily-life applications. The colour of the sun at sunrise and sunset is specifically excluded.
Electric current and potential difference; Ohm's law; resistance and resistivity, and the factors on which the resistance of a conductor depends; series and parallel combinations of resistors and their applications; the heating effect of current and its applications; electric power and the relation between P, V, I and R.
Magnetic field and field lines; the field due to a current-carrying conductor, a coil and a solenoid; the force on a current-carrying conductor and Fleming's left-hand rule; direct current and alternating current, the frequency of AC and the advantage of AC over DC; and domestic electric circuits.
Not in the board exam: the electric motor, electromagnetic induction and the electric generator. These are taught for school-based assessment only. For a deeper look at these chapters, see our guide to CBSE Class 10 physics chapters: light, electricity and magnetism.
From our tutors: the physics section is where we see the widest spread in a class. Students who are comfortable with the sign convention for mirrors and lenses, and who can redraw a circuit into a clean series-parallel diagram, find 25 marks quite predictable. Students who guess the signs lose marks on questions they actually understand. We make every student write "u is negative, because the object is on the left" on the first line of every lens and mirror problem until it becomes automatic.
The 2026–27 syllabus contains three boxed notes that say certain topics "are included in the syllabus but will be assessed only formatively... without adding to summative assessments". In plain terms: they are taught and can be used for school assessment, but they are not examined in the year-end board paper. CBSE has published the matching NCERT text as its Reading Material for Science Class X (2026–27).
| Unit | Topic assessed only in school | Covered in CBSE's Reading Material |
|---|---|---|
| I (Chemistry) | Periodic Classification of Elements: Döbereiner's triads, Newlands' law of octaves, Mendeleev's periodic table, the modern periodic table and trends in metallic and non-metallic properties | Unit 1: Periodic Classification of Elements |
| II (Biology) | Evolution: acquired and inherited traits, speciation, evolution and classification, tracing evolutionary relationships, fossils, evolution by stages, human evolution | Unit 2: Heredity and Evolution (the evolution sections) |
| IV (Physics) | Electric motor, electromagnetic induction, electric generator | Unit 3: Magnetic Effects of Electric Current (motor, induction, generator) |
The syllabus also says that learners may be asked to read these topics and prepare a brief write-up for their portfolio, which can count towards internal assessment. And, as in earlier years, information in the NCERT textbook's boxes is not assessed in the year-end examination.
One wording point: the syllabus's "Note for Teachers" lists these topics as "Periodic Classification of Elements; Heredity and Evolution; and Electric Effects of Electric Current". Read with the unit list, it refers to the reading-material units above, because heredity itself (Mendel's laws and sex determination) is still listed as assessed content in Unit II, and the rest of Chapter 12 is still assessed in Unit IV. If your school's teachers read it differently, go by the school and CBSE's sample paper, which includes heredity questions.
We compared the 2026–27 Class X Science syllabus with the 2025–26 document on cbseacademic.nic.in.
| Area | 2025–26 | 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Unit marks | 25, 25, 12, 13, 5 | Same |
| Assessed chapter content | As listed above; the heading in Unit II read "Heredity and Evolution" but the content was heredity only | Same content; heading now reads "Heredity" |
| Periodic classification, evolution, motor/EMI/generator | Not in the syllabus | Added, for formative (school-based) assessment only, with CBSE Reading Material |
| Competency split | 50 / 30 / 20% | Same |
| Internal assessment | Periodic assessment 5 + 5, subject enrichment 5, portfolio 5 | Periodic assessment 5, multiple assessment 5, portfolio 5, subject enrichment 5 (same total of 20) |
| List of experiments | 14 experiments | Same 14 experiments |
| Prescribed books | Class IX and X books; Reading Material for Class IX | Class X books, plus Reading Material for Science Class X (2026–27) |
So nothing has been deleted from the board exam, and nothing new has been added to it. The CBSE 2026–27 Science sample paper states: "There is no change in the Question Paper Design and Assessment Pattern for Academic Session 2026-27."
Looking ahead, the CBSE Secondary curriculum for 2026–27 announces an optional Science Advanced paper for Class 10 from 2027–28: 25 marks, 1 hour, all higher-order thinking questions on additional content, taken on top of the common 80-mark Science paper. Advanced marks are not added to the aggregate. It does not affect students in Class 10 in 2026–27.
The theory paper is 80 marks. CBSE sets the competency mix, the question types and the amount of choice:
| Competency | Share of 80 marks | Typical verbs in questions |
|---|---|---|
| Demonstrate knowledge and understanding | 50% | State, name, list, identify, define, describe, outline |
| Application of knowledge and concepts | 30% | Calculate, illustrate, show, adapt, explain, distinguish |
| Formulate, analyse, evaluate and create | 20% | Interpret, analyse, compare, contrast, evaluate, discuss, construct |
Half the paper (the application and analysis rows) is competency-based. Question types are very short answer, including objective and assertion-reason questions; short answer; long answer; and source-based, case-based, passage-based or integrated questions. Internal choice is about 33%.
The 2026–27 sample paper has 39 questions in three sections, one per discipline. By our count of the marks printed against each question:
Treat this as the model, not a guarantee: the board paper may vary. Our guide to using CBSE Class 10 sample papers in the last 60 days explains how to practise with the paper and its marking scheme.
Want a clear plan for CBSE Class 10 Science? Book a free demo class. Our tutor will check your child's physics numericals, chemical equations and biology diagrams, and map the syllabus to the school's test calendar.
Book a Free Science Demo +91 92204 75088The school awards 20 marks in Science:
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Periodic assessment | 5 |
| Multiple assessment | 5 |
| Portfolio | 5 |
| Subject enrichment (practical work) | 5 |
| Total | 20 |
CBSE says practicals should be done alongside the theory. The 14 listed experiments, grouped by discipline, are:
| Discipline | Experiments in the 2026–27 list |
|---|---|
| Chemistry (Unit I) | 1. pH of samples (dilute HCl, dilute NaOH, dilute ethanoic acid, lemon juice, water, dilute hydrogen carbonate solution) with pH paper or universal indicator; properties of HCl and NaOH with litmus, zinc and solid sodium carbonate. 2. Classifying reactions: quicklime and water, heating ferrous sulphate crystals, iron nails in copper sulphate solution, sodium sulphate and barium chloride. 3. Action of Zn, Fe, Cu and Al on their salt solutions, and arranging them by reactivity. 8. Properties of acetic acid: odour, solubility, effect on litmus, reaction with sodium hydrogen carbonate. 9. Cleaning capacity of soap in soft and hard water. |
| Biology (Unit II) | 6. Temporary mount of a leaf peel to show stomata. 7. Showing that carbon dioxide is given out during respiration. 12. Binary fission in Amoeba and budding in yeast and Hydra, using prepared slides. 14. Parts of the embryo of a dicot seed (pea, gram or red kidney bean). |
| Physics (Units III and IV) | 4. V–I relationship for a resistor, its resistance and a V–I graph. 5. Equivalent resistance of two resistors in series and in parallel. 10. Focal length of a concave mirror and of a convex lens using a distant object. 11. Path of a ray through a rectangular glass slab for different angles of incidence. 13. Path of rays through a glass prism. |
Practical-based questions also appear in the theory paper: the 2026–27 sample paper, for example, opens its physics section with a question on finding the focal length of a convex lens using sunlight. Doing the experiments properly in school pays off twice.
Use this table as a checklist at the end of each chapter and again during revision. "Must master" follows the syllabus wording; "common trap" is what our Home Tutors Team sees students lose marks on most often.
| Chapter (discipline) | Must master | Common trap |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chemical Reactions and Equations (C) | Balancing equations; identifying the five reaction types; oxidation and reduction as gain or loss of oxygen or hydrogen | Changing formulae (subscripts) instead of coefficients when balancing |
| 2. Acids, Bases and Salts (C) | Reactions of acids and bases with metals, carbonates and each other; pH values and everyday uses; preparation and uses of the five named compounds | Mixing up baking soda (NaHCO3) and washing soda (Na2CO3·10H2O) |
| 3. Metals and Non-metals (C) | Reactivity series and displacement; ionic bond formation with electron-dot structures; extraction steps; corrosion prevention | Predicting a displacement reaction where the metal is less reactive |
| 4. Carbon and its Compounds (C) | Electron-dot structures; homologous series; naming with functional groups; addition, substitution, oxidation and combustion; ethanol and ethanoic acid; soap action | Wrong carbon count when naming; confusing addition and substitution reactions |
| 5. Life Processes (B) | Nutrition, respiration, transport and excretion in plants and humans; labelled diagrams (digestive system, heart, nephron) | Unlabelled or wrongly labelled diagrams; mixing up arteries and veins |
| 6. Control and Coordination (B) | Reflex arc; parts of the brain; plant hormones and tropisms; endocrine glands and their hormones | Listing hormones without their gland or function |
| 7. How do Organisms Reproduce? (B) | Asexual methods; flower structure and fertilisation; human reproductive systems; contraception methods and reproductive health | Vague answers on why variation matters for a species |
| 8. Heredity (B) | Mendel's monohybrid and dihybrid crosses; dominant and recessive traits; sex determination in humans | Mixing up genotype and phenotype ratios (1:2:1 vs 3:1) |
| 13. Our Environment (B) | Food chains and webs; the 10% energy flow idea; ozone depletion; biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste | Forgetting that energy flow is one-way |
| 9. Light: Reflection and Refraction (P) | Ray diagrams for mirrors and lenses; mirror and lens formulae with sign convention; magnification; refractive index; power in dioptres | Sign errors; focal length in cm used directly in the power formula |
| 10. Human Eye and the Colourful World (P) | Myopia and hypermetropia with correcting lenses; refraction through a prism; dispersion; scattering (blue sky, danger signals) | Including the sunrise/sunset colour explanation, which is excluded |
| 11. Electricity (P) | Ohm's law; resistivity; series and parallel combinations; heating effect; power and energy (kWh) | Treating parallel resistances as additive; forgetting to convert minutes to seconds |
| 12. Magnetic Effects of Electric Current (P) | Field patterns for wire, coil and solenoid; right-hand thumb rule; Fleming's left-hand rule; domestic circuits, earthing and fuses | Using the wrong hand rule for the force on a conductor |
One example from each discipline, at board level. Each answer has been checked by calculation.
Example 1 (Physics, Electricity). Two resistors of 4 Ω and 12 Ω are connected in parallel. This combination is connected in series with a 3 Ω resistor across a 12 V battery. Find (a) the total resistance, (b) the current from the battery, (c) the current through the 4 Ω resistor, and (d) the power dissipated in the 3 Ω resistor.
Answers: (a) 6 Ω; (b) 2 A; (c) 1.5 A; (d) 12 W. (a) Parallel part: 1/Rp = 1/4 + 1/12 = 4/12, so Rp = 3 Ω. Total R = 3 + 3 = 6 Ω. (b) I = V/R = 12/6 = 2 A. (c) The voltage across the parallel part is I × Rp = 2 × 3 = 6 V, so the current in the 4 Ω resistor is 6/4 = 1.5 A (and 6/12 = 0.5 A in the 12 Ω resistor; 1.5 + 0.5 = 2 A checks). (d) P = I2R = 22 × 3 = 12 W. Total power from the battery is VI = 24 W, which the board often asks as a follow-up.
Example 2 (Chemistry, balancing an equation). Iron reacts with steam to form iron(II,III) oxide, Fe3O4, and hydrogen gas. Write the balanced chemical equation with state symbols.
Answer: 3Fe(s) + 4H2O(g) → Fe3O4(s) + 4H2(g). Start with the skeletal equation Fe + H2O → Fe3O4 + H2. Balance the compound with the most atoms first: Fe3O4 has 4 oxygen atoms, so put 4 in front of H2O. That gives 8 hydrogen atoms on the left, so put 4 in front of H2. Finally, 3 iron atoms on the right need 3Fe on the left. Check: Fe 3 = 3, H 8 = 8, O 4 = 4. This is the NCERT example of the hit-and-trial method, and "steam" means the state symbol for water is (g).
Example 3 (Biology, heredity). A pure tall pea plant (TT) is crossed with a pure short pea plant (tt). The F1 plants are self-pollinated and 400 F2 plants are grown. How many F2 plants are expected to be tall, and what fraction of the tall plants will be pure-breeding?
Answer: about 300 tall and 100 short; one-third of the tall plants are pure (TT). All F1 plants are Tt (tall). Selfing Tt × Tt gives the genotypes TT, Tt, Tt and tt in the ratio 1:2:1, so the phenotype ratio is 3 tall : 1 short. Three-quarters of 400 is 300 tall, and 100 short. Of the tall plants, the genotypes are TT : Tt = 1 : 2, so one-third (about 100 plants) are TT and will breed true. In the board answer, show the cross as a checkerboard and state both ratios.
A quick check from light, for practice: an object is placed 30 cm in front of a convex lens of focal length 20 cm. Using 1/v − 1/u = 1/f with u = −30 cm and f = +20 cm gives v = +60 cm: a real, inverted image, magnified two times (m = v/u = −2). The lens's power is 1/f in metres = 1/0.20 = +5 D.
From our tutors: in biology, marks are often lost not on knowledge but on diagrams and keywords. A heart diagram without arrows showing the direction of blood flow, or a nephron without "Bowman's capsule" labelled, loses easy marks. We ask students to practise each important diagram three times across the year, labelled from memory, and to compare it with the NCERT figure each time.
The 2026–27 syllabus prescribes:
For exam technique, CBSE's sample question paper and marking scheme for 2026–27 are the best free resource, because they show how marks are split within each answer. For maths, see the companion guide to the CBSE Class 10 Maths syllabus 2026–27.
No. The board-exam content and unit marks are the same as in 2025–26. Three topics (periodic classification, evolution, and the motor, electromagnetic induction and generator) have been added back to the syllabus, but only for school-based assessment, not the board paper.
Chemistry 25 (Unit I), biology 30 (Unit II 25 and Unit V 5), and physics 25 (Unit III 12 and Unit IV 13), out of 80. The 2026–27 sample paper has matching sections: A Biology 30, B Chemistry 25, C Physics 25.
No. The syllabus says it is assessed only formatively, in school. CBSE has provided the text as Reading Material, and students may write it up for their portfolio.
It is in the syllabus for school-based assessment only. Heredity (Mendel's laws and sex determination) remains in the board exam.
No. The electric motor, electromagnetic induction and the electric generator are assessed only formatively in 2026–27. The rest of Magnetic Effects of Electric Current, including Fleming's left-hand rule and domestic circuits, is in the board exam.
20 marks: periodic assessment 5, multiple assessment 5, portfolio 5 and subject enrichment (practical work) 5.
The syllabus lists 14 experiments: five chemistry, four biology and five physics, the same list as in 2025–26.
CBSE gives marks by unit, not chapter. By unit, chemistry (Unit I) and World of Living (Unit II) carry 25 marks each. Every chapter can be examined, so no chapter should be skipped.
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