The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday made a third language a compulsory qualifying subject for students in classes 9 and 10 under the NEP 2020 framework. However, the subject will not be part of the Class 10 board exams. Students have to pass a school-based internal assessment from the 2027-28 academic session. Those who fail to clear the assessment will not receive their Class 10 pass certificate. For example, Bhartiya Bhashas include: Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, etc. Examples of non-native languages: English, French, German, Arabic, Spanish, etc.
Who Must Study Third Language Under CBSE R3 Rule?
Under the three-language rule, students will have to study three languages, which include two Indian languages and one non native language. Even if the students fail in their third language subject, they have to pass the exam to get promoted in next standard.
The new policy will apply to students who are joining Class 9 in the 2026-27 academic session and Class 10 in 2027-28. But students already studying in Class 10 during 2026-27 will not have to study or pass a third language under these new rules either.
This means for this year, class 9th and 10th students do not need to worry about their third internal assessment language exam.
Third Language Now Compulsory for Class 9 and Class 10
In a circular dated July 10, CBSE said students failing R3 in Class 10 will get a re-assessment chance before results are declared.
CBSE clarified that the same three-language combination from Class 8 continues in Class 9, one of these three to be chosen as R3.
NCERT has rolled out R3 Language Learning Resources on its website for students and schools.
For students who are in Class IX (2026-27), CBSE said every student would study three languages. Out of these three languages, at least two would be Bhartiya Bhashas, subject to the relaxation and exemptions given below.
What If Students Fail to Qualify
If a Class 10 student doesn’t clear the third language internal assessment, then the school gives another chance to sort it out before the final board results are announced.
Although the third language will not be part of the board exams but still student must pass the school assessment to complete Class 10.
Class 9 students who fail the third language assessment will still be promoted to Class 10. However, they will have to clear the pending Class 9 assessment while studying in Class 9.
This means students will not stay in Class 9 but they must pass the third language requirement before receiving their Class 10 pass certificate.
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Manisha Chauhan is a Senior Sub Editor with over three years of experience in digital journalism. She covers breaking news, national, international, and trending topics. With expertise in news writing, editing and SEO, she is committed to delivering accurate, engaging and reader-friendly content that keeps audiences informed.
