4 min readNew DelhiMay 18, 2026 11:54 AM IST
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.
