Hello educators, students, and parents in winter-bound session CBSE schools!
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released an important circular detailing the schedule and guidelines for the Practical Examinations, Project Assessments, and Internal Assessments for Classes 10 and 12 for the 2025–26 session.
Official Notice for CBSE Winter Bound Schools Practical Examination
Since winter bound schools typically close in January for the winter season, the assessment window is different from the regular session schools. Let's dive into the key details you need to know to ensure a smooth and timely process.
CBSE Winter-Bound Practical Exam Window Key Dates
The window for conducting the Practical Examinations/Project/Internal Assessment for both CBSE Class 10 and Class 12 in winter-bound schools is:
- Start Date: 06 November, 2025 (Thursday)
- End Date: 06 December, 2025 (Saturday)
Note: The uploading of marks will happen simultaneously from the start date and must be completed by the last date of the practical examinations (06 December, 2025). No extension of these dates will be considered by the Board.
Essential Checklist for CBSE Winter-Bound Schools
To ensure the timely completion of all assessments, CBSE winter bound schools are requested to take the following actions:
- Final List of Candidates: Prepare the final list and ensure that only students whose names have been submitted in the online List of Candidates (LOC) are allowed to appear.
- External Examiners and Observers: Contact your Regional Office to facilitate the appointment of external examiners and observers.
- Timely Completion and Dispatch: Complete all Practical Examinations/Project work/Internal Assessments on time and send the practical exam answer books to the concerned regional offices.
CBSE Class 10 Internal Assessment: What's Different?
For CBSE Class 10 students in winter-bound schools, the process for Internal Assessment has a few key specifics:
- No External Examiner: The Board will not appoint an external examiner for Class 10. The Internal Assessments will be conducted by the schools themselves as per the subject curriculum.
- One-Time Assessment: The Internal Assessment for all regular candidates will only be conducted once. These marks will be applicable even for candidates appearing for the Second Board Examination.
- No Hard Copy Submission: Schools do not need to send the practical answer books or the hard copy of the award lists to the Regional Office.
CBSE Class 12 Practical and Project Assessment: Key Guidelines
The process for CBSE Class 12 involves the appointment of Board officials to maintain fairness and rigor:
- Board-Appointed Officials are Mandatory: The Board will appoint External Examiners for conducting Practical Examinations and Project Assessments. The school is not authorised to make alternate arrangements. The Board may also appoint Observer(s).
- Internal Examiner: In addition to the External Examiner, the school must appoint an Internal Examiner with adequate experience and expertise.
- No External Examiner, No Exam: The practical/project examination must not be conducted in the absence of the Board-appointed External Examiner. Any delays or issues with examiner availability must be reported to the Regional Office immediately.
- Batch Size: Schools can create batches of 30 students each. The assessment for a complete batch of 30 students must be finished together on the same day.
- Uploading Photographs: Schools are required to upload a geotagged and time-tagged group photograph of each batch during the examination. This photo must include all candidates, the External Examiner, Internal Examiner, and the Observer.
General Instructions for Fair Assessment
- Error-Free Uploading: The School Principal, Internal Examiner, and External Examiner must ensure correct marks are uploaded, as no correction will be allowed once the marks are submitted.
- Non-Disclosure of Marks: The marks awarded to students must not be disclosed to the students or any other person under any circumstances.
- Rescheduling for Absent Students: An absent student's Practical Examination/Project Assessment can be re-scheduled—but only during the officially notified dates (06 November to 06 December, 2025). Students absent from the session must be marked ‘Absent’ or ‘Re-scheduled’ in the online system.
Source
Official Notice by CBSE, 16 October, 2025: click here to read.
Kindly note that any and all information is subject to change as per the CBSE, Education Ministry, and Government of India.
