CBSE Class 12 Results: Board data reveals dip in Science, Commerce scores, arts remain steady

Since the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released Class 12 results on May 13, social media platforms have been flooded with concerns about the evaluation process conducted through On-Screen Marking (OSM). Anxious students have claimed that poor scan quality might have led to errors in marking, among other reasons. The discontent among students was particularly strong in subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, where many felt their answers were undervalued. Some also pointed to discrepancies, noting that candidates who scored 95 percentile or above in JEE Main ended up with unexpectedly lower marks in the CBSE board exams.

Responding to the criticism, CBSE, in a media brief held on May 17, acknowledged a minor dip in both pass percentage and average marks this year. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, explained that the cut-offs in subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Accountancy had dropped by 1–3 marks, while other subjects remained stable or even rose.

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The board attributed this shift to evaluators following the marking scheme prepared by subject experts, which emphasises rigour and conceptual understanding over shortcuts. CBSE maintained that the system ensures fairness and consistency, while also offering students the option of revaluation and verification to address grievances.

CBSE Class 12th Results 2026: Comparative analysis

In the brief, the Board shared the last three years’ stream-wise pattern of scores.

Science stream 2026-2024
			2026		2025		2024
Code		Grade	From	To	From	To	From	To
041	Math	A1	85	100	86	100	88	100
041	Math	A2	75	84	75	85	77	87
042	Physics	A1	79	100	82	100	84	100
042	Physics	A2	71	78	74	81	75	83
043	Chemistry	A1	87	100	89	100	92	100
043	Chemistry	A2	78	86	80	88	83	91
044	Biology	A1	91	100	91	100	92	100
044	Biology	A2	84	90	85	90	85	91

The data table shared by CBSE shows that in Mathematics, the A1 grade now begins at 85 marks, down from 86 in 2025 and 88 in 2024. Physics shows a sharper slide, with the A1 threshold falling to 79 marks from 82 in 2025 and 84 in 2024. Chemistry too reflects a decline, with the A1 cut-off at 87 marks, compared to 89 last year and 92 in 2024. Biology remained stable, with the A1 grade holding at 91 marks, unchanged from 2025.

Also Read | ‘I scored over 99 percentile in JEE Main but got below 75% in Class 12th’: Students question CBSE’s first year of On-Screen Marking

On the other hand, in the Commerce stream, there is a minor dip in cut-offs across commerce subjects in 2026 compared to previous years. In Economics, the A1 grade now begins at 89 marks, down from 91 in 2025, while A2 has slipped to 81–88 from 83–90.

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Commerce stream 2026-2024
			2026		2025		2024
Code		Grade	From	To	From	To	From	To
030	Economics	A1	89	100	91	100	89	100
030	Economics	A2	81	88	83	90	81	88
054	Business Studies	A1	90	100	91	100	90	100
054	Business Studies	A2	82	89	83	90	82	89
055	Accountancy	A1	89	100	89	100	93	100
055	Accountancy	A2	78	88	78	88	82	92

Business Studies shows a similar trend, with the A1 threshold at 90 marks compared to 91 last year. The sharpest decline is in Accountancy, where the A1 cut-off fell to 89 marks from 93 in 2024, and the A2 range narrowed to 78–88 from 82–92.

Also Read | CBSE Class 12 results: 16% fall in students scoring 90% or above; on-screen marking in focus

While in the case of Humanities, the data reported by the CBSE in 2026-2024 shows only marginal shifts. In History, the A1 cut-off rose slightly to 87 marks from 86 in 2025, while A2 widened to 79–86 from 76–85. Political Science showed a modest gain, with the A1 threshold climbing to 89 marks from 87 last year, and A2 improving to 80–88 from 77–86.

Humanities stream 2026-2024
			2026		2025		2024
Code		Grade	From	To	From	To	From	T0
027	History	A1	87	100	86	100	86	100
027	History	A2	79	86	76	85	77	85
028	Political Science	A1	89	100	87	100	89	100
028	Political Science	A2	80	88	77	86	78	88
029	Geography	A1	89	100	90	100	90	100
029	Geography	A2	82	88	82	89	82	89
301	English core	A1	92	100	92	100	92	100
301	English core	A2	88	91	87	91	87	91

Geography remained steady, with the A1 cut-off at 89 marks compared to 90 in 2025, while A2 held at 82–88. English Core displayed complete stability, with the A1 grade fixed at 92 marks across three consecutive years and A2 consistently at 87–91 or 88–91.

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An analysis of the 2026 CBSE Class 12 results across streams shows a decline in grade cut-offs in the Science stream, with thresholds dropping by 1–3 marks compared to previous years, while Biology remained stable. In the Commerce stream, Accountancy recorded the sharpest change, with the A1 cut-off falling from 93 marks in 2024 to 89 in 2026, alongside marginal declines in Economics and Business Studies. The Humanities stream remained largely stable, with slight increases in History and Political Science cut-offs, Geography showing minimal change, and English Core remaining unchanged over the past three years.

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