CBSE Class 10 Social Science Previous Year Papers & Map Marking Rubrics
Download CBSE Class 10 Social Science (Code 087) previous years question papers, marking keys, unit-wise weightage (History, Civics, Geography, Economics), and map rubrics.
CBSE Board Exam Blueprint & Section Breakdown
Unit balance: India and the Contemporary World - II (20 marks), Contemporary India - II (20 marks), Democratic Politics - II (20 marks), and Understanding Economic Development (20 marks). The map skill component is mandatory with internal choices only within specific geographic locations.
| Section | Questions | Marks / Question | Total Marks | Question Type | Cognitive Demand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | 20 | 1 mark | 20 marks | 16 MCQs + 4 Assertion-Reason | Recall |
| Section B | 4 | 2 marks | 8 marks | Very Short Answer (VSA) | Understanding |
| Section C | 5 | 3 marks | 15 marks | Short Answer (SA) | Understanding |
| Section D | 4 | 5 marks | 20 marks | Long Answer (LA) | Analysis & Evaluation |
| Section E | 3 | 4 marks | 12 marks | Case-Based Source Passages | Application |
| Section F | 1 | 5 marks | 5 marks | Map Work (History 2 + Geography 3) | Recall |
Official Step-Marking Deduction Matrix & Common Student Pitfalls
CBSE examiners use strict stepwise marking criteria. The tables below illustrate where students commonly lose fractional marks on key derivations, proofs, and numerical problems.
Section F: Map Work Evaluation (5 Marks Total)
5 Marks Subjective| Evaluation Step | Mark Share | Examiner Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| History Map Identification | 2.0 Marks (1 mk each) | Correctly identifying marked INC Sessions or centres of National Movement (e.g. Champaran, Jallianwala Bagh). |
| Geography Location & Labelling | 3.0 Marks (1 mk each) | Accurately locating and labelling major dams, thermal/nuclear power plants, or iron ore mines. |
CBSE marking rubrics award credit only when location markers are accurately placed within designated state and geographic coordinates.
Common pitfall: Labelling the correct name but placing the pointer marker in an adjacent state.
NEP 2020 Competency-Based Questions (CBQs)
Under CBSE Circular No. Acad-45/2023 (Classes 9–10), the Central Board of Secondary Education requires at least 50% of the question paper to test competency-based learning. This means 40 marks out of 80 (or 35 marks out of 70) require applying concepts to real-life case studies, interpreting data tables, or resolving assertion-reason arguments rather than writing memorized definitions.
Case MCQs, Assertion-Reason, and Source MCQs
Stepwise derivations, numericals, and multi-step solutions
Strictly enforced in modern board question patterns
Official CBSE Previous Year Papers & Marking Schemes
Direct links to official PDF repositories hosted on CBSE academic servers (`cbseacademic.nic.in`).
CBSE Class 10 Social Science Board Exam Paper 2024
Generate CBSE Social Science question papers from NCERT chapters
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should Class 10 Social Science long answers be written in points or paragraphs?
CBSE examiners prefer structured, bulleted points with clear headings. Each 5-mark answer should contain distinct points corresponding directly to the marking scheme criteria.