CBSE clarifies third-language assessment for Classes 9, 10: ‘No Board examination for…’

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently released the R3 Language Assessment Framework. According to the board, the third language, referred to as R3, will be assessed only through internal school-based exams of Class 9 and 10, eliminating the need for the R3 CBSE board exam. The revised policy will apply to Class 9 students in the current academic session — 2026-27 — and to Class 10 in 2027-28.

What happens if students don’t clear R3 in Class 9?

Students who don’t clear the R3 internal exam in Class 9 will still be promoted to Class 10, but must clear it while in Class 10 to receive the Secondary School Examination pass certificate.

In a circular dated July 10, the board clarified that students who fail to qualify for the Class 10 third-language internal assessment will be offered another opportunity. Their third-language reassessment will be conducted before the final board results are announced. Even though no board examination will be held, students must pass the internal assessment to pass Class 10.

CBSE's circular states, “The third language (R3) will be assessed by the school through an internal school-based assessment only. The assessment criteria applicable to class IX (2026-27) & class X (2027-28), as given at point 'B' above, will also apply to these batches. There will be no CBSE Board examination for the third language when these batches progress to Class X," ANI reported.

In the latest set of guidelines, CBSE explained that the same three-language combination from Class 8 will continue in Class 9. Students will have to select one among these three languages as R3. The latest directive comes over 10 days after CBSE announced that the three-language formula would be implemented from Class 6 onwards, beginning in the 2026-27 academic session.

What happens if a student studies two non-native languages in Class 9?

The notification issued on 29 June states, “Two out of the three languages opted for must be Bhartiya Bhashas. A non- native language can be opted for as the third language (R3), provided that the other two are Bhartiya Bhashas.”

Hence, every student in Class 9 is required to study three languages, out of which at least two would be Bhartiya Bhashas. Some examples of Bhartiya Bhashas are Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia and Assamese, among others. If a student studies two non-native languages, such as English, French, German, Arabic, or Spanish, the student will be offered a special one-time relaxation. Students already in Class 9 can continue with those two non-native languages, but need to add one Bhartiya Bhasha as a third language.

Who will give R3 CBSE board exam?

As per the circular, present Class 6 students are required to chose two Bhartiya Bhashas out of the three languages. “When this batch and the subsequent Class VI batches progress to Class X, they shall take the Board examination of R3,” the board said. While current Class 7 and 8 students are exempt from R3 board exams, 2026-27 batch Class 6 students will have to appear for R3 CBSE board exam when the reach Class 10.