The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has mandated the three language rule for students from Class 9 beginning July 1. However, there will be no board examination for the third language in Class 10. “With effect from 1st July 2026, for Class IX, the study of three languages (R1, R2, R3) shall be compulsory, with at least two languages being native Indian languages,” the circular stated.
As per the CBSE circular, atleast two of the three languages must be native Indian languages in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
What is three-language formula?
As per the CBSE secondary school curriculum, language subjects will be organised into three levels - R1, R2 and R3. R1 (Language 1) will be student's main language, R2 is a different language and R3 (third language) will be compulsory from Class 6 starting this academic session 2026-27 and set to be fully operational up to Class 10 by 2030–31.
The languages chosen at R1 and R2 cannot be the same and should not be offered simultaneously at more than one level. "Languages include two official languages of India i.e. Hindi, English and 42 other languages. Thus, all scheduled languages listed in the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India are being offered, in addition to other Indian regional languages and foreign languages," CBSE notification mentioned.
Two-level Maths and Science from 9th
Mathematics and Science will have a two-level system starting in the 2026–27 academic session. All students will study the standard curriculum for Maths which comprises of a common 80-mark examination of three hours while an advanced component will comprises of a separate 25-mark paper to test higher-order thinking skills (HOTS).
The new curriculum will replace the existing basic and standard Mathematic system; the two level system (standard + advanced) in Mathematics and Science will commence in 2026–27, the first board exam for 10th will be held in 2028.
