Third language internal assessment mandatory for Class 9, 10 students: CBSE clarifies R3 rule
New Delhi, July 14
Students must clear the school-based R3 assessment in Class 10 to be awarded the Secondary School Examination Pass Certificate, while third language will not be part of the board exam for students who enter Class 10 from 2027-28, CBSE said.
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.
Examples of Bhartiya Bhashas: Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, etc. Examples of non-native languages: English, French, German, Arabic, Spanish, etc.
For students in Class X (2026-27), CBSE reiterated that there will be no change, and they will continue with the old system of two languages. No third language is required to be taken by this batch.
"The third language (R3) will be assessed by the school through an internal school-based assessment only. The assessment criteria applicable to class IX (2026-27) & class X (2027-28), as given at point 'B' above, will also be applicable to these batches. There will be no CBSE Board examination for the third language when these batches progress to Class X," CBSE said in the notice.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who struggled with Sanskrit in school, I welcome this move. Internal assessment means the language teacher can evaluate you based on your effort, not just marks in a high-pressure board exam. But I hope schools don't make it too lenient - some accountability is needed.
Interesting decision. But this could be challenging for students in schools where a third Indian language isn't easily taught. My cousin studies in a Kendriya Vidyalaya in a small town - they only offer Hindi and English. How will they manage Sanskrit or Telugu teachers? Implementation needs work.
Bhartiya Bhashas focus is great but why exclude English from that category? English is an Indian language too - it's our link language, used in courts, administration, and everyday life. This binary of "Indian" vs "foreign" languages feels outdated. Kids should learn multiple languages without labels.
I'm worried about the workload. Three languages plus core subjects - Class 9 and 10 are already tough with board pressure. At least R3 being internal helps, but schools need to ensure this doesn't become just another test to cram for. Let kids enjoy learning languages! 📚
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