The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has clarified the implementation of its third language (R3) policy, stating that students must successfully complete the school-based internal assessment in the third language to be eligible for the Class 10 Secondary School Examination Pass Certificate.
However, the Board has confirmed that the third language (R3) will not be included in the CBSE Class 10 board examination for students entering Class 10 from the 2027–28 academic session.
School-based R3 assessment mandatory
In a circular issued on July 10, CBSE stated that students who fail the third language (R3) assessment in Class 10 will be given an opportunity for re-assessment before the declaration of board examination results.
The Board also clarified that students will continue with the same three-language combination studied in Class 8 when they move to Class 9, with one of those languages designated as R3.
Three-language policy for Class 9 students
For students studying in Class 9 during the 2026–27 academic session, CBSE has made it mandatory to study three languages.
The Board said at least two of the three languages must be Bharatiya Bhashas, subject to applicable exemptions and relaxations.
Examples of Bharatiya Bhashas include Hindi, Sanskrit, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati and Assamese.
Examples of foreign or non-Indian languages include English, French, German, Arabic and Spanish.
No change for current Class 10 students
CBSE clarified that students studying in Class 10 during the 2026–27 academic session will continue under the existing two-language system.
This batch will not be required to study or take the third language (R3).
No board exam for third language
The Board reiterated that the third language will be evaluated only through an internal school-based assessment.
When the current Class 9 students move to Class 10 in 2027–28, the internal assessment system will continue, and CBSE will not conduct a board examination for the third language.
To support implementation, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has made R3 Language Learning Resources available on its official website for schools, teachers and students.
The clarification is aimed at ensuring a smooth rollout of the three-language framework while maintaining flexibility through school-based evaluation rather than a separate board examination.
