Explore CBSE Marking Scheme Class 12 | Complete Guide 2025

The Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) is instrumental in the academic journey of Indian students. Class 12 is the final year of school for any student and is when they appear for the board examination one last time. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE, the CBSE total marks for 12th, the chapter-wise marking scheme class 12, and the evaluation pattern followed in the examination. This blog will help you explore all aspects of the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE in 2025. But first, let’s comprehend the marking scheme.

The marking scheme for class 12 CBSE is a detailed structure of marks distribution across various subjects like mathematics, biology, economics, etc. Each chapter of a subject contains a specific weightage in the entire syllabus of that particular subject. This helps students strategize their study in a way that focuses on the important topics, carrying more weight, understanding the evaluation criteria of the answers, and fine-tuning their preparation accordingly.

Making the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE accessible to students and teachers ensures transparency and fair assessment in this nationwide examination. It prevents subjectivity and warrants that examiners evaluate response sheets without any bias, thus preventing discrepancies in the evaluation process. A predetermined pattern is followed to award marks regardless the answers are lengthy or concise. This way a student can focus more on high-weightage chapters, and know exactly how their paper will be judged and what they need to do to maximize their scores.

Class 12 board exams in the CBSE pattern include both theoretical and practical components.CBSE total marks for 12th-grade subjects are divided between theory(written test) and practicals, vivas, or internal exams. The total for each subject is 100 split into 80 marks for theory and 20 marks for internals or practicals. The theory(written) test includes a mixed bag of question types ranging from multiple choice, short answers, and long answers. The marking scheme ensures each question has appropriate weightage. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Computer science include practical marks of laboratory work, viva voce, and project reports.

Marking scheme for class 12 CBSE

Subject-wise marking scheme for class 12 CBSE

1. Science stream

• Physics – Theory is 70 marks while practical is 30 marks. Some of the important chapters are electrostatics, magnetism, electromagnetism, and optics. Chapterwise marks distribution of physics can be found at the official CBSE website. 
• Biology – Theory is 70 marks while practical is 30 marks. Some of the important topics are genetics, ecology, environment, and reproduction.
• Chemistry – Theory is 70 marks while practical is 30 marks. These are in turn bifurcated as Organic Chemistry (20 marks), Physical Chemistry (23 marks), and Inorganic Chemistry (20 marks).
• Mathematics – Theory is 80 marks while internal assessment is 20 marks. This subject is split into sections such as Calculus (44 marks), Algebra (13 marks), and Vectors and 3-D Geometry (17 marks).

2. Commerce stream

• Economics – The theory exam is worth 80 marks and the project is worth 20. In this, macroeconomics carries more weight than microeconomics.
• Business studies – Theory is of 80 marks and project is worth 20. This subject includes  Management Principles (16 marks), Marketing Management (15 marks), and Business Environment (10 marks).
• Accountancy – Theory is worth 80 marks while the project is 20. Chapters like accounting for partnership firms, company accounts, and financial statements carry a substantial amount of weightage.

3. Humanities stream

• History – The theory exam is worth 80 marks while 20 marks are for project work. The marking scheme for class 12 CBSE focuses more on The Harappan Civilization and The colonialism and Rural Society.
• Geography – Theory is 70 marks while practical is 30 marks. The key chapters are India: People and Economy and Human Geography.
• Political Science(Civics) – Theory is of 80 marks and the project is worth 20 marks. This subject is split up into two parts called Contemporary World Politics and Indian politics since independence.

It is of utmost importance for the students to deeply understand the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE and chapter chapter-wise marking scheme class 12 to identify chapters of high importance and prioritize them for revision, familiarize themselves with the variety of questions in CBSE pattern, solve sample papers, structuring answers that fetch the maximum marks and giving equal importance to practical and internal assessments.

The evaluation process of the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE assures fairness and uniformity.

A stepwise marking scheme is followed for subjects like mathematics and physics, where calculations and derivations are involved. Even if the final answer is incorrect, partial marks are given to other steps, provided they are correct. A word limit is established for answers in subjects like English, Political Science, History, etc. Examiners generally expect clear, concise, and to-the-point answers. According to the CBSE pattern, no extra marks are awarded to a neat and well-presented answer sheet. However, it creates a positive impression and is easier to navigate than a messy one.

In addition to the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE, the grading system assesses students on a relative basis. They give a broader view of a student’s performance relative to its peers. Grades are given on the basis of the total marks secured in each subject. They are also graded based on their overall performance. These grades are as follows ;

• A1: 91–100 marks, with a grade point of 10.0
• A2: 81–90 marks, with a grade point of 9.0
• B1: 71–80 marks, with a grade point of 8.0
• B2: 61–70 marks, with a grade point of 7.0
• C1: 51–60 marks, with a grade point of 6.0
• C2: 41–50 marks, with a grade point of 5.0
• D: 33–40 marks, with a grade point of 4.0
• E1: 21–30 marks, indicating failure in the subject
• E2: 0–20 marks, indicating failure in the subject

In recent years, the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE has increased its emphasis on multiple-choice questions(MCQs) and objective-type questions in general. These test student’s conceptual understanding and the ability to recall key facts quickly. Short answer questions test a student’s ability to summarize important facts and information using the right keywords while the long answer questions require a lot of writing, as suggested by the name, but they need in-depth knowledge and analytical skills. 

Internal assessments, projects, and practicals are conducted in the school or given as home assignments as per the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE. In all, this structured approach followed by a marking scheme for class 12 CBSE tests student’s comprehension, application, analytical skills, and synthesis.

The marking scheme for class 12 CBSE is hence an indispensable tool for teachers to avoid any partialism and for students to excel in their board exams. Students who are well versed with the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE can prepare strategically and boost their scores in board exams. 

The marking scheme for class 12 CBSE also provides clarity, teaches time management, and planning tasks, and helps them set realistic goals according to their future plans. Being aware of the marking scheme for class 12 CBSE, total marks and chapter-wise marking scheme, class 12 students are better equipped to score high marks and have a structured learning process which reduces stress and anxiety.

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