New Attendance & Internal Assessment Rules: What CBSE Students Should Watch

“Miss classes, miss board exams.” That’s the blunt warning many Class 10 and 12 families are waking up to.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has tightened the rules for board eligibility. Starting this year, students must meet three non-negotiables:

• 75% attendance

• Completion of all coursework

• Submission of internal assessments

Fall short on any, and students may be tagged with an “Essential Repeat”, meaning they lose a year, no matter how prepared they are for the final exam.

The Problem: Silent Disqualifications

For years, parents believed the real hurdle was the March board exam. Now, attendance registers and project files have become gatekeepers too.

CBSE has instructed schools not to forward exam forms of students who don’t meet the attendance or internal assessment criteria. For a child who may have missed classes due to illness, family circumstances, or simply not realizing the importance of internal submissions, this can mean losing their shot at the boards altogether.

That’s not just an academic penalty; it’s a heavy emotional toll. Imagine a child who studied all year, only to be told in February, “You can’t even sit for the exam.”

What Parents Should Know

This isn’t fine print. Here’s what you need to keep track of:

• Attendance threshold: A minimum of 75% attendance is compulsory.

• Cut-off date: Attendance is counted up to 1 January of the academic year.

• Leave documentation: Any absence without a written request and supporting documents (e.g., medical certificates) is marked unauthorized. Students with repeated unauthorized leave risk being labelled “dummy candidates” — disqualified from boards.

• Condonation requests: If attendance falls short, schools must apply for condonation by 7 January, with all supporting documents. Late requests are not accepted.

• Valid exemptions: Only prolonged illness, death of a parent, serious family emergency, or national/international sports participation (with official certificates) qualify.

• Internal assessments: Every periodic test, project, and practical must be submitted. Missing even one can derail eligibility.

• Essential Repeat: Different from “supplementary” or “compartment.” It means repeating the entire year.

• School responsibility: CBSE has warned schools against manipulating attendance or allowing dummy candidates. Surprise inspections may even lead to school disaffiliation if irregularities are found.

The SchoolDoor POV

Parents and students deserve clarity well before February. Attendance records and assessment completion should not be secrets locked away in school offices.

We believe schools must proactively share attendance tallies and assessment status with families every term, not just at the last minute. Parents, too, must engage regularly, asking:

• How many classes has my child attended?

• Are all internal submissions marked?

• Have leave documents been properly filed?

• What’s the fallback if we fall short?

Rules may be strict, but surprises shouldn’t be. Transparency can reduce anxiety and prevent last-minute heartbreak.

Call to Action

If you’re a CBSE parent, act now:

• Request a status report from your child’s teachers on attendance and assessments.

• File leave documents immediately for any illness or emergencies — don’t wait.

• Mark 7 January on your calendar: ensure condonation requests, if needed, are filed before this deadline.

• Create a submission tracker at home to monitor project and test deadlines.

Board exams are stressful enough. No student should lose their chance because of hidden technicalities. Together, let’s make sure parents and schools share the same compass.