NCERT Syllabus for Class 8 Social Science 2025-26, Download Latest Syllabus PDF
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  • NCERT Syllabus for Class 8 Social Science 2025-26, Download Latest Syllabus PDF

NCERT Syllabus for Class 8 Social Science 2025-26, Download Latest Syllabus PDF

Vishal kumarUpdated on 18 Aug 2025, 05:58 PM IST

The NCERT Class 8 Social Science syllabus 2025-26 is well designed under the CBSE syllabus along with the National Curriculum Framework of School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. The new format of the revised textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond - Part 1, involves a theme based approach which is more than the rote learning process; it encourages critical thinking; inquiry-based learning and global comprehension of the society. The curriculum is structured into coherent themes covering an interconnection of concepts in Geography, History, Political Science and Economics instead of solid subject divisions. Every theme is designed to make the students relate what they learn in the classroom to the real life-just as one may learn about the rich Indian cultures, or environmental and resource concerns, or discuss governance and democracy, or learn about economic developments in NCERT syllabus.

This Story also Contains

  1. NCERT Syllabus for Class 8 Social Science 2025-26
  2. CBSE Class 8 Social Science Syllabus 2025-26 Chapter-wise Overview
  3. Benefits of CBSE Class 8 Social Science Syllabus
  4. How to Download the Class 8 SST Syllabus NCERT 2025-26?
  5. NCERT Class 8 Social Science Book PDF 2025-26
  6. Preparation Tips for NCERT Class 8 Social Science 2025-26
  7. NCERT 8th Other Syllabus and Books
NCERT Syllabus for Class 8 Social Science 2025-26, Download Latest Syllabus PDF
NCERT 8th syllabus 2025-26

This theme-integrated process not only enables the students to be qualified in school examination and scholarship examination as well as competitive entrance exams but also gives them a generalized view of world. The NCERT syllabus for class 8 aims at building social consciousness, political literacy, environmental awareness and analytical skills, which are vital to the 21 st century student. The NCERT Class 8 Social Science: Exploring Society: India and Beyond Part 1 can be downloaded (in PDF format) at the NCERT official site, free of cost. With concise explanations, practical examples and organization of its chapters into a systematic flow, it effectively helps the students develop good base capacity of higher learning and life-long education.

NCERT Syllabus for Class 8 Social Science 2025-26

The NCERT Class 8 Social Science syllabus of 2025-26 is based on the NCF-SE 2023 and is covered using a new updated textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond - Part 1. This theme-based teaching incorporates a combination of history, geography, political science and economics through interrelated units, abandoning the dated approach of teaching subject-wise. The program is based on the concepts of critical thinking, inquiry-based learning, and real life, so students are able to realize what India has been, is currently, and can be in their holistic vision.

ThemeChapter No.Chapter TitlePage No.
Theme A – India and the World: Land and the PeopleChapter 1Natural Resources and Their Use1
Theme B – Tapestry of the PastA Note on History’s Darker Periods20
Chapter 2Reshaping India’s Political Map21
Chapter 3The Rise of the Marathas61
Chapter 4The Colonial Era in India83
Theme D – Governance and DemocracyChapter 5Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System117
Chapter 6The Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive139
Theme E – Economic Life Around UsChapter 7Factors of Production163
Glossary186
Images and Maps from External Sources188

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NCERT solutions for Class 8

NCERT Books for Class 8 Social Science

CBSE Class 8 Social Science Syllabus 2025-26 Chapter-wise Overview

Theme A — India and the World: Land and the People

Chapter 1 – Natural Resources and Their Use

Presents some of the fundamental terms like renewable and non-renewable resources, distribution of resources and significance of responsible use and Sustainability

Theme B — Tapestry of the Past

Chapter 2 – Reshaping India’s Political Map

Discusses the shifting of historical political borders in the country throughout history.

Chapter 3 – The Rise of the Marathas

Analyses how the Maratha empire originated and the socio-political power of the empire.

Chapter 4 - The Colonial Era in India

Covers the onset and effects of British colonial rule, its economic and cultural impacts on Indian society.

Theme D — Governance and Democracy

Chapter 5 – Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System

Explores democratic rights and the functioning of elections in modern India.

Chapter 6 – The Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive

Explains the structure of India’s governance, the roles of central institutions, and the interplay between legislative and executive bodies.

Theme E — Economic Life Around Us

Chapter 7 – Factors of Production

Introduces land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship—fundamentals of economic activities and national development.

Benefits of CBSE Class 8 Social Science Syllabus

  1. Holistic Learning Method: The new thematic curriculum is a combination of history, geography, political science, and economics and helps the students gain an all-round picture of society, governance, culture, and the environment.
  2. Relevant and updated content: The syllabus is up to date in terms of developments in the current society, environment and politics of the day and so, learning is more meaningful and practical based on the latest NCERT textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond - Part 1.
  3. Development of Critical Thinking: Curriculum fosters curiosity of questioning, analysis and systematic evaluation of information as opposed to memorisation of information thereby facilitating a conceptual understanding.
  4. Real-Life Connections: Natural resource management, democratic processes, and historic change are some of the topics that can be relevant in the contemporary and allow students to be able to show correlations between the classroom and real life.
  5. Quality Exam Preparation: The clear chapter goals and the structured themes assist the student in studying effectively towards school exams, scholarship exams and in competitive entrance exams.
  6. Skill Enhancement: Develops key skills, including the ability to read maps, interpret data, think analytically, and have political awareness, which are valuable both in academics and daily life.

How to Download the Class 8 SST Syllabus NCERT 2025-26?

Students can follow the guidelines given below to download the NCERT Class 8 Social Science syllabus :

Step 1: Go to the official NCERT website at http://ncert.nic.in.

Step 2: On the home page, in the 'Search' option and type 'Syllabus' and click on it. This will take you to the syllabus page.

Step 3: Click on the 'Syllabus for Classes on the Elementary Level' option. The syllabus PDF will open.

Step 4: Choose the "Required Subject Class VI to VIII Syllabus" in the PDF.

Step 5: The NCERT Class 8 Social Science syllabus PDF will be displayed on your screen. Download and save it for future use.

Note*: The Class 8 Social Science latest syllabus is not updated on the NCERT official website.

NCERT Class 8 Social Science Book PDF 2025-26

Students can now download the latest NCERT Class 8 Social Science book which reads as "Exploring Society: India and Beyond" for the academic year 2025-26. It has been prepared in accordance with the updated NCF-SE 2023 guidelines, and parts of its publication are downloadable online with no charges. To download the chapterwise textbook, click on the link below.

Book TitleDownload PDF
Exploring Society: India and BeyondClick Here

Preparation Tips for NCERT Class 8 Social Science 2025-26

The new CBSE Class 8 Social Science syllabus 2025 26 provides a new NCERT textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond Part 1 which is classified into themes and not the classical Geography, History, and Civics categories. The syllabus aims at clarity of concepts, life-based applications and critiquing. Easy tips on how to prepare:

  1. Go through the NCERT Text Book properly: Concentrate on explanations, case study, and activity-based questions provided in the book. Mark key words such as resources, governance, cultural diversity, livelihoods, global connections in order to remember during revision.
  2. Take Short Notes: Make bullet-point summaries of each chapter.
  3. Solve NCERT Exercises and Extra Questions: Solve all questions (in-text and end-of-chapter). Practice papers of past years CBSE, and practice papers of school-level to enhance delivery of answers.
  4. Relate Theory to Current Affairs: Associate the aspects of governing, economy and global connectivity to current happenings in the news. This does not just enrich the insight, but enhances critical responses in the tests and exams.
  5. Revise Smartly Before Exams: Do quick reviews of your notes in the last 7–10 days before the test. Focus on high-weightage chapters and frequently asked concepts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What languages will the new textbook have?
A:

It is published in Hindi and English versions, both in print and a free PDF version on the NCERT official website.

Q: How many chapters are there in Class 8 Social Science?
A:

There are a total of 7 chapters in the new SST book based on the four different themes.

Q: What is the difference between the new and the old Social Science syllabus?
A:

As compared to the previous categorisation consisting of History, Geography, and Civics, the new curriculum is structured around broad topics, including resources, governance, livelihoods, cultural diversity and the global connections.

Q: What is the emphasis on practical learning in terms of the new syllabus?
A:

It has incorporated activity-based practices, case studies and real-life examples to promote critical thinking and thought application.

Q: Is NCERT sufficient to crack Class 8 Social Science?
A:

Yes, NCERT is enough to seek in school exams, but students can have some extra reference literature in case they want to learn more or prepare to pass a competitive exam.

Q: Does the new syllabus include current affairs?
A:

While it doesn’t have a separate current affairs section, topics encourage students to connect concepts with recent events in governance, economy, and global issues.

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