CBSE Class 10 Phase 2 Exam — ExplainedBest of Two Marks, Eligibility, and What It Means for English
Starting in 2026, CBSE split the Class 10 board exam into two phases: a mandatory main exam in February–March, and an optional second exam in May. This page explains exactly what that means for your English marks — who can appear in Phase 2, how the final mark is decided, and what stays the same.
The two phases at a glance
Phase 1 — Mandatory
February–March
Every Class 10 student must appear. In 2026, the English paper was held on 21 February. This is the main exam — for most students, this is their only board exam.
Phase 2 — Optional
May
Only for students who want to improve their Phase 1 score, or who failed up to two subjects. The 2026 Phase 2 window ran mid-May to early June — check your own school-issued datesheet for your subject's exact date, since some subject dates were revised after the first datesheet was released.
How "best of two" works
If you appear in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 for English, CBSE automatically compares your two theory scores and keeps whichever is higher for your final marksheet. There is no risk in attempting Phase 2 — a weaker Phase 2 attempt cannot pull your mark down. Only the higher of the two counts.
In practice
If your Phase 2 theory score is higher than your Phase 1 theory score, the Phase 2 score is recorded as your final mark. If it is lower, your original Phase 1 score is kept unchanged — the comparison is automatic and there is nothing you need to apply for separately.
Who can appear in Phase 2
Eligibility depends entirely on your Phase 1 result. There are three categories:
Improvement — passed all subjects, wants higher marks
Can appear in Phase 2 for a maximum of 3 subjects of their choice. Purely optional — there is no downside since the higher of the two scores is kept.
Compartment — failed 1 or 2 subjects
Must appear in Phase 2 for the subject(s) failed. Since 2025–26, CBSE requires 33% separately in both the theory paper and internal assessment — scoring well in one can no longer offset a shortfall in the other, so a compartment candidate must clear the 33% threshold in the Phase 2 theory paper itself. This is not optional for these students.
Essential Repeat — failed 3 or more subjects
Not eligible for Phase 2 at all. These students must repeat the full academic year as regular Class 10 candidates the following session.
What stays the same
- •Internal assessment is not repeated. Your internal assessment and practical marks from before Phase 1 stay fixed and carry forward automatically into Phase 2 — only the written theory paper is re-attempted.
- •The full syllabus is tested in both phases. Phase 2 is not a reduced or "easier" version of the exam — the entire English syllabus is in scope, exactly as it was in Phase 1.
- •The question paper pattern is unchanged. Both phases follow CBSE's current blueprint of roughly half competency-based questions (case studies, source-based, application questions), with the rest split between MCQs and short/long descriptive answers — the same pattern used in recent years, not something new to Phase 2.
Preparing for Phase 2 English
Since the full syllabus is tested again, your Phase 1 preparation is not wasted — you're building on it, not starting over.