SyllabusSyllabus, textbook and sample paper
Four documents shape a Board examination. Each answers a different question, and good preparation uses all four.
| Document | The question it answers | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| Syllabus | What can be asked, and how many marks does each part carry? | The Board, each session |
| Textbook | What do I need to learn, explained and with exercises? | NCERT, for most CBSE subjects |
| Sample question paper | What will the paper look like? | The Board, each session |
| Marking scheme | What earns the marks in an answer? | The Board, with the sample paper |
The syllabus sets the boundary
The syllabus lists the units and chapters for the session and gives their marks. It is the boundary of the examination. The CBSE files name the prescribed textbooks at the end, and for most subjects these are the NCERT books.
The textbook fills it in
The textbook explains the content. But the book and the syllabus are prepared by different bodies and are not revised at the same moment. A book may contain a chapter that this year's syllabus does not list, or the syllabus may limit a chapter to certain sections. In the 2026-27 Social Science file, for example, only the first subtopics of one History chapter are to be evaluated in the Board examination. Where they differ, the syllabus decides.
The sample paper shows the pattern
The syllabus tells you that a paper is 80 marks. The sample paper shows how: how many sections, how many questions of one mark, two marks or five, how much internal choice, and what case-based questions look like. Solve the current year's sample paper under timed conditions at least once. Older sample papers are useful for practice but may follow an older pattern.
The marking scheme shows what counts
The marking scheme gives the expected answer to each question of the sample paper, with marks for each step or point. It teaches a lesson that no textbook does: marks are given for specific points and steps, not for length. After solving a paper, mark your own answers against the scheme, step by step.
Using the four together
- At the start of the year, read the syllabus and note the marks by unit.
- Study each chapter from the textbook, keeping to the topics the syllabus lists.
- When a unit is finished, try the questions on it from the sample paper.
- Check your answers against the marking scheme, and rewrite the ones that lost marks.
- Before the examination, re-read the syllabus for notes you may have missed.
What about guides and question banks?
Reference books and question banks can give more practice. They are useful only if they follow the current syllabus. Check the session printed on the cover against the session of your examination, and keep the Board's own file as the final word.
Always check the official file. This page is a summary of the CBSE curriculum for 2026-27, made from the subject file on cbseacademic.nic.in, which we read on 12 November 2026. CBSE can revise a syllabus by circular during the year. Before an examination, download the current file from the official site. This is an independent site, not connected with CBSE.