The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) awards grades to students for all subjects, along with the marks obtained by them in the CBSE 10th board exams. These CBSE Class 10 grades are assigned and reflected in the final CBSE 10th result marksheet, which is issued to the students. CBSE follows a ‘Relative Grading System,’ which is considered to be a more scientific approach than an Absolute Grading System. The main difference between the Relative grading and the Absolute grading system is that in the latter, grades are determined based on pre-determined cut-off scores.
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In simple language, one can say that grades are not determined based on a marks range such as 91 to 100, 81 to 90, etc, in the Relative Grading system. The Relative CBSE 10th grading system adopted by CBSE is more scientific and removes dependency on rigid cut-offs. It provides a more balanced assessment method. In this article, we have discussed the CBSE Class X grading system 2026 in detail.
For awarding grades to students, the CBSE Board follows a rank order, as mentioned in the table below. Students who have passed the CBSE Class 10 board exams are divided into 8 groups and awarded grades. The division of group details can be checked in the table below:
Grades | Particulars |
A-1 | Top 1/8th of the passed candidates |
A-2 | Next 1/8th of the passed candidates |
B-1 | Next 1/8th of the passed candidates |
B-2 | Next 1/8th of the passed candidates |
C-1 | Next 1/8th of the passed candidates |
C-2 | Next 1/8th of the passed candidates |
D-1 | Next 1/8th of the passed candidates |
D-2 | Next 1/8th of the passed candidates |
E* | *Essential Repeat |
For Art Education in CBSE Class 10, a five-point grading system is followed. The grade allocation and its connotations are mentioned in the table below:
Grade | Connotation |
A | Exemplary |
B | Proficient |
C | Developing |
D | Emerging |
E | Beginner |
The CBSE Board needs to divide students into 8 equal groups and award grades to them. Minor adjustments are made in cases of ties. The proportion of candidates is nearly the same in all groups.
Students who obtain the same score are kept in the same group and awarded the same grade.
It should be noted that any candidate who obtains equal scores in any 2 subjects may not necessarily get the same grade. This is how the Relative Grading system works.
As per CBSE’s official notice, the grading method is used in subjects where more than at least 500 candidates are declared pass.
In subjects where the number of passed students is less than 500, a different grading system is adopted by the board. The demonstration of how the CBSE Class X grading system works can be seen in the image given below:
CBSE Class 10 Grading System Hypothetical Example

For awarding grades in CBSE 10th external exams, a 9-point grading system is used, which ranges from A1 to E grade.
For internal exams or internal assessment, a five-point grade scale is used, which ranges from A to E grades only.
For theory subjects and practical components, students get both numerical scores and grades.
The top 0.1% of students in each subject get a merit certificate.
Certificates are not awarded for subjects where the number of students who passed the subject is less than 500.
Students who obtain the same scores in any subject are awarded certificates if there is a tie.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A student may not necessarily get the same grade in 2 subjects even if the marks obtained are the same. This is because CBSE follows a Relative grading system and grades awarded are based on competition level in the respective subjects.
Once CBSE 10th results are announced, students cannot change their grades.They can, however, take improvement exams and then the new score obtained may change their original grade.
Students need at least a D-2 grade to be declared pass in the CBSE 10th exams.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
The link to the question paper is attached here. You can also find the answer key on the website of Careers360. Careers360 also provide student with preparation tips that will help them utilise their time in preparation.
https://school.careers360.com/articles/cbse-sahodaya-class-10-pre-board-question-paper-2025-26
Thank you.
Hello,
The link to the question paper is attached here. You can also find the answer key for the subjects on the careers360 website that will help you analyse in-depth performance.
https://school.careers360.com/articles/chennai-sahodaya-question-paper-2025-26
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You will be able to download the CBSE Class 10th Sample Paper 2025-26 from our official website, careers360, by using the link which is given below.
https://school.careers360.com/boards/cbse/cbse-10th-maths-sample-papers-2025-26
Thank you.
Hello,
The link to the question paper is attached here. You can also find the answer key that will help you analyse your in-depth performance. Careers360 provides students with preparation tips that will help them utilise their time correctly in preparation
https://school.careers360.com/boards/cbse/cbse-pre-board-sample-paper-2025-26
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