Delhi Class 9 adds vocational education, third-language clearance rule

Delhi Class 9 students entering the 2026-27 academic session will study vocational education as one of six main subjects required for promotion, alongside two languages, Mathematics, Science and Social Science.

They will also continue the three-language combination studied in Class 8. Schools will assess the third language, designated R3, as “Qualified” or “Not Qualified”. A student can still move to Class 10 if they meet the other promotion conditions, but must clear the Class 9 third-language assessment before appearing for the Class 10 board examination.

The Directorate of Education has also created optional Mathematics Advanced and Science Advanced assessments. Each will be a one-hour, 25-mark test aimed at higher-order understanding beyond the prescribed syllabus. The scores will not affect promotion or the aggregate. Students who score at least 50% will have the achievement recorded on their marksheet.

Students must score at least 33% separately in internal or practical assessments and external assessments in every main subject, along with 25% in the annual examination. Those failing in up to three subjects can take compartment examinations; others will repeat Class 9.

Art Education, Physical Education and Well-Being, and Individuals in Society will also be compulsory curricular areas. Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence modules are due to begin in 2026-27 and will become compulsory from 2027-28.