CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus 2026–27 Updated Curriculum

CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus 2026–27 is for Subject Code 086 and covers Chemistry, Biology, Physics and environmental science concepts.
It includes five units, 13 NCERT chapters, an 80-mark theory exam and 20-mark internal assessment.

The CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus for 2026–27 is for Subject Code 086. It includes Chemistry, Biology and Physics concepts through five units: Chemical Substances, World of Living, Natural Phenomena, Effects of Current and Natural Resources.

The theory paper carries 80 marks, and internal assessment carries 20 marks. Students can use this page to check the Class 10 Science Syllabus, unit-wise marks, chapter-wise topics, practicals, internal assessment and prescribed book details.

Key Takeaways

• Subject Code: CBSE Class 10 Science is Subject Code 086.
• Marks: Theory exam carries 80 marks, and internal assessment carries 20 marks.
• Units: The syllabus has five units and 13 NCERT chapters.
• Weightage: Chemical Substances and World of Living carry 25 marks each.

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CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus 2026–27 Overview

The 2026–27 Science syllabus follows the annual board exam format with 80 marks for theory and 20 marks for internal assessment.

The CBSE Syllabus for Class 10 Science tests conceptual clarity, diagrams, applications, experiments and scientific reasoning.

CBSE Class 10 Science Unit-Wise Marks Distribution

CBSE divides Class 10 Science into five units, with Chemical Substances and World of Living carrying the highest marks.

This Class 10 Science Marks Distribution helps students identify high-weightage units before revision. Chemical Substances and World of Living carry 25 marks each.

Chapter-Wise CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus 2026–27

The NCERT Class 10 Science textbook has 13 chapters covering Chemistry, Biology, Physics and environmental science concepts.

The current NCERT Class 10 Science textbook uses Heredity as Chapter 8. Older syllabus pages may show Heredity and Evolution, but the current chapter title is Heredity.

CBSE Class 10 Science Chapter-Wise Topics

Each chapter develops a specific concept through definitions, diagrams, examples, activities and application-based questions.

Chapter 1: Chemical Reactions And Equations

This chapter covers chemical reactions, chemical equations and balanced chemical equations. It also explains why a chemical equation needs to be balanced.

Students learn combination, decomposition, displacement and double displacement reactions. The chapter also covers precipitation, neutralisation, oxidation and reduction.

Chapter 2: Acids, Bases And Salts

This chapter covers acids and bases in terms of H+ and OH- ions. It also explains general properties, examples and uses.

Students learn the pH scale and the importance of pH in everyday life. The chapter also covers sodium hydroxide, bleaching powder, baking soda, washing soda and plaster of Paris.

Chapter 3: Metals And Non-Metals

This chapter covers the properties of metals and non-metals. Students learn how metals and non-metals differ in physical and chemical behaviour.

The chapter also covers the reactivity series, ionic compounds and properties of ionic compounds. It builds the base for understanding metal reactions.

Chapter 4: Carbon And Its Compounds

This chapter covers covalent bonding and the versatile nature of carbon. It also explains homologous series and nomenclature of carbon compounds.

Students learn saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons. The chapter also covers combustion, oxidation, addition, substitution reactions, ethanol, ethanoic acid, soaps and detergents.

Chapter 5: Life Processes

This chapter explains the meaning of living beings through basic life processes. It covers nutrition, respiration, transportation and excretion.

Students learn these processes in plants and animals. The chapter connects biological systems with the functions needed for survival.

Chapter 6: Control And Coordination

This chapter covers control and coordination in plants and animals. It explains tropic movements in plants and the role of plant hormones.

Students also learn the nervous system, voluntary actions, involuntary actions and reflex actions. Animal hormones are included in the chemical coordination part.

Chapter 7: How Do Organisms Reproduce?

This chapter covers asexual and sexual reproduction in plants and animals. It explains how organisms produce new individuals.

Students also learn reproductive health, family planning, safe sex, HIV/AIDS, child bearing and women’s health. Diagrams and process-based questions are important here.

Chapter 8: Heredity

This chapter covers heredity and the inheritance of traits. It explains Mendel’s contribution and laws of inheritance.

Students also learn sex determination in brief. The current NCERT chapter title is Heredity, so the chapter should not be titled Heredity and Evolution.

Chapter 9: Light – Reflection And Refraction

This chapter covers reflection of light by curved surfaces. Students learn spherical mirrors, centre of curvature, principal axis, principal focus and focal length.

The chapter also covers mirror formula, magnification, refraction, laws of refraction and refractive index. Spherical lenses, lens formula and power of a lens are also included.

Chapter 10: The Human Eye And The Colourful World

This chapter covers the functioning of the lens in the human eye. It also explains defects of vision and their correction.

Students learn refraction through a prism, dispersion of light and scattering of light. The chapter also includes applications of spherical mirrors and lenses.

Chapter 11: Electricity

This chapter covers electric current, potential difference and Ohm’s law. It also explains resistance, resistivity and factors affecting resistance.

Students learn series and parallel combinations of resistors. Heating effect of electric current, electric power and the relation between P, V, I and R are also included.

Chapter 12: Magnetic Effects Of Electric Current

This chapter covers magnetic field and magnetic field lines. It explains the field due to a current-carrying conductor, coil and solenoid.

Students learn force on a current-carrying conductor and Fleming’s Left-Hand Rule. The chapter also covers direct current, alternating current, frequency of AC and domestic electric circuits.

Chapter 13: Our Environment

This chapter covers ecosystem and environmental problems. It explains ozone depletion, waste production and their solutions.

Students also learn biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances. This chapter belongs to the Natural Resources unit.

Important Topics In CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus

The important topics in Class 10 Science come from high-weightage Chemistry, Biology and Physics units.

• Balanced chemical equations
• Types of chemical reactions
• pH and everyday life
• Reactivity series
• Ionic compounds
• Carbon compounds and homologous series
• Life processes
• Control and coordination
• Reproduction
• Heredity and Mendel’s laws
• Mirror formula and lens formula
• Defects of vision
• Ohm’s law
• Series and parallel circuits
• Heating effect of current
• Magnetic field and Fleming’s Left-Hand Rule
• Ecosystem and biodegradable waste

This CBSE Class 10 Science Important Topics section is useful before solving sample papers, previous year questions and chapter-wise tests.

CBSE Class 10 Science Practical And Internal Assessment

Internal assessment carries 20 marks and tests practical work, lab record, portfolio and subject enrichment.

• Practical Experiments: 5 marks
• Lab Record: 5 marks
• Portfolio and Assignments: 5 marks
• Viva / Subject Enrichment: 5 marks
• Total: 20 marks

The CBSE Class 10 Science Practical section checks how well students observe, record and apply scientific concepts in the lab.

CBSE Class 10 Science Practical List

The practical list covers experiments from Chemistry, Biology and Physics units in the Class 10 Science syllabus.

Chemical Substances Practicals

Students practise pH testing with pH paper or universal indicator. Samples include dilute hydrochloric acid, dilute NaOH solution, dilute ethanoic acid, lemon juice, water and dilute hydrogen carbonate solution.

They also study acid-base properties using litmus, zinc metal and sodium carbonate. Other practicals include reaction classification, metal reactivity, acetic acid properties and soap cleaning capacity.

World Of Living Practicals

Students prepare a temporary mount of leaf peel to show stomata. They also show that carbon dioxide is released during respiration.

The Class 10 Science Practicals list also includes prepared slides of binary fission in Amoeba and budding in yeast and Hydra. Students identify parts of an embryo of a dicot seed.

Natural Phenomena Practicals

Students determine the focal length of a concave mirror and a convex lens. They also trace the path of a light ray through a rectangular glass slab.

Another practical traces the path of rays of light through a glass prism. These activities support Light and Human Eye chapters.

Effects Of Current Practicals

Students study the dependence of potential difference across a resistor on current. They also plot the V-I graph and determine resistance.

The list also includes equivalent resistance of two resistors in series and parallel. These experiments support the Electricity chapter.

Prescribed Book For CBSE Class 10 Science

The prescribed NCERT book for CBSE Class 10 Science is Science Textbook for Class X.

The NCERT Class 10 Science textbook is reprinted for 2026–27 and has 13 chapters. It presents Science as an integrated subject with concepts from Physics, Chemistry, Biology and environmental science.

The textbook uses examples, activities, in-text questions, diagrams, solved examples and exercises. It also supports application-based understanding instead of rote learning.

What Changed From The Old CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus?

The updated CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus needs 2026–27 framing and current NCERT chapter names.

Older Extramarks content used 2024–25 framing. The updated page now uses Subject Code 086, current unit-wise marks and the latest NCERT chapter list.

Chapter 8 should be titled Heredity in the current article. Older pages may use Heredity and Evolution, but the 2026–27 NCERT textbook lists the chapter as Heredity.

The download section also appears lower in the updated structure. Generic tips have been replaced with important topics, practicals, prescribed book details and syllabus changes.

Download CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus

The Download CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus option helps students check the latest units, chapters, practicals and marks distribution before board exam preparation.

Students can check the Science Class 10 Syllabus before chapter-wise revision. The syllabus helps identify high-weightage units such as Chemical Substances and World of Living.

Students can use it with NCERT Solutions, revision notes, sample papers, previous year questions and important questions. This keeps preparation aligned with the current board exam pattern.