CBSE plans to extend 2-tier STEM curriculum for Classes 11 and 12

After deciding to offer Science and Social Science at two levels – basic and advanced — at the secondary stage, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) plans to extend the model to STEM subjects at the higher secondary level, starting with Class 11, The Sunday Express has learnt.

The CBSE currently offers Mathematics at two levels in Class 10 — standard and basic. The examination for the basic level is easier than that for the standard one, but the question papers for both levels are based on the same syllabus.

In December last year, its governing body, the Board’s highest decision-making authority,



approved a proposal to extend this model to Science and Social Science in Classes 9 and 10, paving the way for all three subjects to be offered in basic and advanced formats, beginning with Class 9 in the 2026–27 academic session.

This is now expected to be extended, at least for STEM subjects, at the higher secondary level, with the rollout beginning for Class 11 students in the 2026–27 academic session.

Government sources, however, pointed out that the timeline remains flexible as the rollout depends on when the new NCERT textbooks for higher classes are released, and how they accommodate learning at two levels.