CBSE · Class 11
CBSE Class 11 in 2026–27 Choosing subjects for two years
Class 11 starts a two-year course that ends in the Class 12 board exam. The subjects your child picks now are the ones they will be examined on, and CBSE gives more freedom in that choice than the word "stream" suggests.
Class 11 is a fresh start and a choice. CBSE does not have official streams: your child takes at least five subjects, with English or Hindi as one of two languages, and may add a sixth. Science, Commerce and Humanities are groupings schools make from that list. Classes 11 and 12 form one course, so the subjects chosen now go into the Class 12 board exam. The NCERT books stay the same this session; new Grade 11 books arrive in 2027–28. The jump in depth from Class 10 is real, and the first few months show quickly whether the ideas from Class 10 were understood or only memorised.
At a glance
- Board exam this year?
- No. Class 11 is assessed by the school; the board exam is at the end of Class 12.
- Official documents
- CBSE Senior Secondary Curriculum 2026–27, Part 2
- NCERT books
- Free NCERT textbooks for Class 11
Checked on 2 October 2026 against CBSE's and NCERT's own documents.
What's new in 2026–27
Little changes in Class 11 content this session. The rules on choosing subjects matter most.
CBSE released the 2026–27 curriculum for Classes 11 and 12 on 1 April 2026.
The existing NCERT textbooks for Grade 11 continue in 2026–27; new Grade 11 books come in 2027–28.
Classes 11 and 12 are one course. A student takes at least five subjects, with Hindi or English as one of two languages, and may add a sixth. Health and Physical Education, Work Experience and General Studies are assessed in school.
Some subjects cannot be combined: Mathematics with Applied Mathematics; more than one of Computer Science, Informatics Practices and Information Technology; Business Studies with Business Administration.
Subjects this year
These are subjects from CBSE's Class 11–12 list, grouped for reading. CBSE has more, including skill subjects; your school offers a selection.
Languages
English Core or Elective, Hindi Core or Elective, Sanskrit and others. English or Hindi must be one of the two languages.
Physics
Motion, forces, energy and fields, described with mathematics and tested in the lab.
Chemistry
Structure of matter, bonding, reactions and organic chemistry.
Biology and Biotechnology
Living systems from cells to ecosystems, and how biology is put to use.
Mathematics or Applied Mathematics
Algebra, calculus, statistics and more. The two cannot be taken together.
Computer Science or Informatics Practices
Programming and working with data. Only one of these, or Information Technology, may be chosen.
Accountancy, Business Studies and Entrepreneurship
Recording money, running organisations and starting ventures.
Economics
How people, firms and governments make choices, with statistics.
History, Political Science and Geography
The past, how power works, and the physical and human world.
Sociology, Psychology and Legal Studies
Society, the mind and the law.
Home Science, Physical Education and Knowledge Tradition and Practices of India
Applied, health and cultural subjects.
Fine Arts, Music, Dance, NCC and Engineering Graphics
Creative, performing and technical options, depending on what the school offers.
What the questions will ask
Physics, Classes 11–12. CBSE's question paper design for Physics divides the 70 theory marks by the kind of thinking each question needs; practical work adds 30 marks. CBSE notes that the template is only a sample. Class 11 papers are set by the school, but most schools follow the same design so that Class 12 holds no surprises.
- Remembering and Understanding38%
- Applying32%
- Analysing, Evaluating and Creating30%
Source: CBSE Physics, Classes 11–12, 2026–27: Question Paper Design
One topic, six kinds of question
Topic: motion in a straight line, from NCERT Physics Part I (Class 11), Chapter 2, "Motion in a Straight Line". The questions are our own. Below the first step is "not yet", where a person steps in.
Remember
Define displacement.
Understand
Explain why a runner who completes one full lap of a track has covered a distance but has zero displacement.
Apply
A scooter speeds up uniformly from 4 m/s to 16 m/s in 6 s. Find its acceleration and the distance it covers.
Analyse
A velocity–time graph is a straight line sloping down and crossing the time axis. Describe what the object does before and after the crossing.
Evaluate
A classmate says, "If velocity is zero, acceleration must be zero." Judge the claim using a ball thrown straight up.
Create
Design an experiment with a phone stopwatch and a measuring tape to check whether a ball rolling down a ramp speeds up uniformly.
Ideas this year rests on
Class 11 moves fast. These Class 9 and 10 ideas carry the most weight, depending on the subjects chosen.
- Speed, velocity and acceleration from Class 9, which Class 11 Physics redoes with graphs and calculus.
- Linear and quadratic equations from Class 10, used across Physics, Chemistry, Economics and Mathematics.
- Atoms, molecules and chemical equations from Classes 9 and 10, the base of Class 11 Chemistry.
- Ratios, percentages and reading data from tables and graphs, used in Accountancy and Economics.
How SelfEnabler practises this
In Class 11 a gap from Class 10 often shows up as a new topic that "makes no sense". A SelfEnabler lesson opens with a question asked before any teaching, which brings that gap into view early, and the short check then shows how far up the steps your child's understanding goes.
When a topic is ready, the AI Guru can teach it again step by step from the course material, and answer follow-up questions without leaving the topic. If nothing is prepared, it says so instead of improvising.
See how a lesson works
For parents: what to watch this year
A choice made by label
Sign: "I'll take Science because everyone does." Action: look at the actual subjects and the pairs CBSE does not allow, and ask which ones your child understood best in Class 10.
The Class 10 gap resurfaces
Sign: early Class 11 chapters feel impossible. Action: revisit the Class 10 idea the chapter builds on before pushing ahead.
Too many tracks at once
Sign: school, coaching and entrance practice all at once, with little sleep. Action: set one weekly review together and drop what is not helping.
Questions parents ask about Class 11
Did CBSE change the Class 11 syllabus for 2026–27?
CBSE published the 2026–27 curriculum for Classes 11 and 12 on 1 April 2026. The NCERT books do not change this session; new Grade 11 books come in 2027–28.
Will NCERT books change in 2026–27 for Class 11?
No. NCERT's advisory of 17 March 2026 says the existing Grade 11 books continue during 2026–27.
Are there streams in CBSE Class 11?
Not officially. CBSE asks for at least five subjects, with English or Hindi as one of two languages, plus an optional sixth. Science, Commerce and Humanities are groupings that schools offer.
Can my child take Mathematics and Applied Mathematics together?
No. CBSE does not allow that pair, nor more than one of Computer Science, Informatics Practices and Information Technology.
Is there a board exam in Class 11?
No. CBSE's board exams are at the end of Class 10 and Class 12. Class 11 exams are held by the school.
More from CBSE
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