# CBSE retains 33% combined passing marks for Class 10 2026-10-02T16:17:42+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has clarified that Class 10 students will continue to need a minimum of 33 per cent combined marks in internal assessment and board examination to pass a subject, Times Now and The Indian Express report. The clarification follows confusion triggered by a recent circular that was interpreted by some teachers and schools as requiring separate 33 per cent marks in each component. At a webinar hosted by CBSE on Friday, 2 October 2026, an official said the board had withdrawn an earlier plan to introduce separate passing marks for Class 12. ‘We are continuing with the old one because a lot of changes are coming, so we wanted to bring all the changes in one go later on,’ the official was quoted as saying. CBSE has also issued a notification to all affiliated schools stating that the question paper design and assessment pattern for the academic session 2026-27 remain unchanged from 2025-26. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both outlets produce near-identical straight news reports of the CBSE clarification, quoting the same circular and the same official at the webinar. The Indian Express adds more context about the confusion and mentions the earlier plan to require separate 33 per cent marks in Class 12, while Times Now keeps its account shorter. Neither outlet takes an editorial position or frames the story as a controversy. The uniform coverage suggests the board succeeded in containing the confusion with a single, unambiguous statement. The only open question is when CBSE will roll out the separate passing criteria for Class 12 it says it deferred. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Straightforward clarification story with official quotes - indianexpress.com (neutral report) Straight news report repeating CBSE circular and official's words This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: assessment criteria, board exams, CBSE, Class 10 Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/cbse-retains-33-combined-passing-marks-for-class-10/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/cbse-retains-33-combined-passing-marks-for-class-10/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/