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PARENT GUIDE · CBSE

How to read a CBSE report card

What the grades mean, where internal marks come in, and the questions that turn a report card into a plan.

IN SHORT

CBSE board results use nine grades, from A1 (top 1/8 of passed students) to E (needs to repeat). The pass mark is 33% in each subject. Look past the overall grade to the pattern: which subjects are slipping, how internal assessment compares with written exams, and what the teacher suggests next.

Updated · Mayo International School, Patparganj, East Delhi

Pass mark
33% per subject
Grades
A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D, E
Ask about
Patterns, not one number

The CBSE grade scale (board exams)

Grades are given by rank among students who passed: the top eighth get A1, the next eighth A2, and so on.

A1, A2Top quarter of passed students
B1, B2Second quarter
C1, C2Third quarter
DLowest quarter of passed students
EDid not pass — needs a supplementary exam or repeat

What to look at

  • Subjects that dropped since the last report
  • Internal assessment vs written exam — a big gap tells you something
  • Attendance — board exams need 75%
  • Teacher remarks about effort, behaviour and confidence

Questions for the parent-teacher meeting

  • Which topic is my child finding hardest right now?
  • Is the problem understanding, practice or exam technique?
  • What should we do at home in the next month?
  • How will we know it is working?

How Mayo helps

There are 5 parent-teacher meetings on the 2026-27 school calendar.

Classes X and XII sit two pre-board rounds before the board exams.

Mayo recorded 84% first divisions and 80% of students above 90% in the CBSE 2026 board exams.

Questions parents ask

What is the pass mark in CBSE?

33% in each subject.

What do A1 and A2 mean in CBSE?

Grades are by rank among passed students: A1 is the top eighth, A2 the next eighth.

Sources

Rules change each year: check the official notice for your year. Mayo's own figures come from the school's records.

Questions about academics?

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