CBSE 2027 Marks Split: How Much of Each Subject Is Decided Before the Board Exam

In short: CBSE has put up its subject-by-subject marks list for the 2027 Class 10 and 12 board exams. It shows that in most subjects, 20 to 30 of the 100 marks come from practicals, projects or internal assessment done in school, before the theory paper in February.

What happened

On 6 November 2026, alongside the 2027 date sheet, CBSE posted a "subject-wise marks bifurcation" list for the 2026-27 exams on its website. When we covered the practical exam dates the same week, we suggested asking teachers for this split. The full list is now public, so here is what it says for the subjects most students take.

For every subject, the list gives the theory paper's length and maximum marks, the marks for practical, project or internal assessment (IA), and whether CBSE will send an external examiner.

Class 10

Subject	Theory	Rest of the 100 marks
Mathematics (Standard or Basic)	80	20 internal assessment
Science	80	20 internal assessment
Social Science	80	20 internal assessment
English, Hindi and other languages	80	20 internal assessment
Computer Applications, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence	50	50 practical
Home Science	70	30 practical

No Class 10 subject has an external examiner. Your own school does all the marking.

Class 12

Subject	Theory	Rest of the 100 marks
Physics, Chemistry, Biology	70	30 practical
Computer Science, Informatics Practices	70	30 practical
Geography, Psychology, Physical Education	70	30 practical
History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology	80	20 project
Accountancy, Business Studies	80	20 project
Mathematics, Applied Mathematics	80	20 internal assessment
English Core and other languages	80	20 internal assessment

In Class 12, CBSE appoints an external examiner for the practicals and projects in nearly all of these subjects. The exceptions in the table are Maths, Applied Maths and the languages, which have internal assessment instead. (Legal Studies has a project but no external examiner.) Music, dance and painting give 70 marks to the practical in most cases, and most skill subjects give it 40 or 50.

How the 100 marks split

Class 10 vs Class 12, CBSE 2027

Class 10

• Maths, Science, Social Science, languages: 80 theory + 20 internal
• Computer Applications, AI, IT: 50 + 50 practical
• No external examiner in any subject

Class 12

• Physics, Chemistry, Biology, CS: 70 + 30 practical
• History, Economics, Accountancy, Business Studies: 80 + 20 project
• Maths, English Core: 80 + 20 internal

For students

The school part is the most predictable part of your result. It rewards steady work, not exam-day luck.

1. Look up your own subjects. Write down how many marks in each come from the theory paper and how many from school. A PCM student, for example, has 30 marks riding on each science practical but only internal assessment in Maths.
2. Finish files and projects now. For Class 12 social science and commerce, the 20-mark project is assessed in school with an outside examiner present. A half-done project in January eats into revision time.
3. Practise the practical, not just the record book. In Physics, Chemistry and Biology, 30 marks is almost a third of the subject. Know your experiments well enough to explain them, because the examiner may ask.
4. Class 10: don't ignore internal assessment. It is 20 marks in each main subject. Pending notebooks, activities and periodic tests all feed into it.

What it means

The marks you earn before the board exam

For students

• In most subjects, 20 to 30 marks are settled in school before the theory paper
• Finish your practical file and project now, not in February

For parents

• Ask the school for practical and project dates early
• Class 12 practicals and projects in most subjects are marked with an outside examiner sent by CBSE

For parents

These marks are earned in December and January, not in February. CBSE's earlier circular says practicals for regular schools start from 1 January 2027, and winter-bound schools are holding them now, until 19 December. The theory papers begin on 16 February 2027. So the period many families treat as a break is when a real share of the marks is decided.

An outside examiner is normal in Class 12. If your child's practical is marked with a teacher from another school, that is how CBSE runs it. There is nothing to arrange or pay for.

Use the split to plan, not to panic. A child who is weaker in theory can protect a good part of the score through careful practical and project work. A child who skips it gives away marks that are much easier to earn than the last 20 in a theory paper.

Ask the school two things: the practical and project dates for each subject, and whether any internal assessment work is still pending.

Key dates

Date	What
Until 19 Dec 2026	Winter-bound schools: practicals and internal assessment
From 1 Jan 2027	Regular schools: practicals, projects and internal assessment begin
16 Feb 2027	Class 10 and 12 theory exams begin

Sources

• CBSE, subject-wise marks bifurcation for Class X and XII, Examination 2026-27 (cbse.gov.in), listed on 6 November 2026, checked 14 November 2026.
• CBSE, Date Sheet for Class X and XII Board Examinations 2027 (cbse.gov.in), checked 14 November 2026.
• CBSE circulars on practical exams for 2026-27 (5 November 2026); see our earlier report on CBSE 2027 practical exam dates.

Dates can change. Confirm on the official website before you pay or apply.

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