CBSE at Qlive
CBSE is the board most of our families follow. About three in four Qlive students are in CBSE schools, a large share of them in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, where CBSE schools serve a big Indian community. Others are in India, or abroad and planning a move back.
Because so many of our students are CBSE, our teachers know the NCERT textbooks well, know how schools usually pace the year, and know what the board papers ask for. That matters more than it sounds. A teacher who knows that a chapter is short in the book but carries heavy weight in the exam will plan the term differently.
How CBSE is structured
KG to Class 5. The early years focus on reading, writing, number sense and EVS, with Hindi or another second language added early in most schools. Gulf CBSE schools usually add Arabic too. Children who slip here often carry the gap for years, so we pay close attention to reading fluency and basic maths.
Classes 6 to 8. Subjects split into Maths, Science, Social Science, English and languages. Algebra and geometry arrive, Science becomes more about explaining why, and Social Science asks for longer written answers. This is often where a capable child starts to feel behind for the first time.
Classes 9 and 10. The secondary stage, ending in the Class 10 board exam. The Class 10 syllabus builds directly on Class 9, so a weak Class 9 is the most common reason for a stressful Class 10.
Classes 11 and 12. Students choose a stream: Science (with Maths, Biology or both), Commerce or Humanities. The jump from Class 10 to Class 11 is the largest in the school years, especially in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Class 12 ends in the Class 12 board exam, and many students prepare for entrance exams alongside.
How CBSE assessment works
Schools run their own periodic tests and term exams up to Class 9 and in Class 11. In Class 10 and Class 12, students sit the board exams, with part of the marks in most subjects coming from internal assessment and practicals done at school.
Since 2026, Class 10 students get two chances at the board exam in the same year: a main exam around February that everyone sits, and an optional second exam around May to improve marks in up to three subjects. Internal assessment is done once, before the first exam. CBSE is also bringing in changes for students who started Class 9 in 2026-27, including a third language and optional advanced-level papers in Maths and Science. The details are still being phased in, so check the latest CBSE circulars for your child’s year.
CBSE has been moving towards competency-based questions: case-based passages, assertion and reason, and questions that test whether a student can apply an idea, not just repeat it. Students who learned by memorising answers often find these hard, even when they know the chapter. Teachers spend time on exactly this, using NCERT exercises, exemplar problems and sample papers.
What CBSE students commonly find hard
- Maths in Class 9 and 10: algebra, trigonometry and proofs in geometry, usually because an earlier topic was never secure
- Science answers: knowing the concept but losing marks for incomplete explanations or missing keywords
- Class 11 Physics and Chemistry: the sudden step up in maths and abstraction
- Hindi and second languages: grammar and writing, especially for children who do not speak the language at home
- Time: finishing a full paper in the time allowed
How a one-to-one CBSE teacher helps
In school, your child is one of many. In a Qlive class, your child works through activities and problems in Qlive Space, Qlive’s AI-powered learning platform, and the teacher goes through their working step by step on Google Meet, stopping where something has gone wrong. Classes follow your child’s school chapter order, so tuition supports what is happening in school rather than running a separate course.
Between classes, your child gets worksheets and a checkpoint every two to three weeks. For Class 9 and 10 Maths and Science, there are also term exams built from the chapters already covered, at no extra cost. Written answers are photographed and marked by the teacher or Qlive’s academic team, and their comments are good practice for board exam presentation.
Your Student Success Partner is on your side, working towards the board result or school marks you are aiming for, and brings in what is needed: extra classes before exams, a talk with the teacher or a revised plan. They keep you informed in the Qlive Learn app. The app shows every class in your own timezone and has a chat for each class with the teacher and the Qlive team.
Subjects we teach for CBSE
Maths, Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, EVS, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Arabic, French, Social Science, History, Geography, Economics, Political Science, Accountancy, Business Studies and Computer Science. Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Hindi are among our most requested subjects overall.
Getting started
Start with the free assessment. It is adaptive, about 40 questions, guided live by a Qlive counsellor, and pitched at your child’s real level rather than just their class. You get a report on strengths and gaps, and we use it to match a CBSE teacher and suggest a plan. Fees are shared after the assessment, and there is no obligation to continue.
