Syllabus: Science for Class 10 PDF Download

Learning Science is important for children as it helps develop their thinking, feelings, and physical skills. It encourages curiosity, creativity, and a sense of objectivity. Understanding the syllabus is crucial for students preparing for the board exams, as it guides them on what to study, how much time to allocate, and the importance of each section. Knowing the marking scheme helps students prioritize their study areas effectively. Overall, a good grasp of the syllabus enhances their chances of performing well in exams and competitive tests.

CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus 2025

The topic-wise marks distribution and weightage of CBSE Class 10 Science are given below:

Unit I: Chemical Substances - Nature and Behaviour

Chapter 1: Chemical Reactions and Equations
Chemical equation, Balanced chemical equation, implications of a balanced chemical equation, types of chemical reactions: combination, decomposition, displacement, double displacement, precipitation, endothermic exothermic reactions, oxidation and reduction.

Chapter 2: Acids, Bases and Salts
Their definitions in terms of furnishing of H+ and OH– ions, General properties, examples and uses, neutralization, concept of pH scale (Definition relating to logarithm not required), the importance of pH in everyday life; preparation and uses of Sodium Hydroxide, Bleaching powder, Baking soda, Washing soda and Plaster of Paris.

Chapter 3: Metals and Non-metals
Properties of metals and non-metals; Reactivity series; Formation and properties of ionic compounds; Basic metallurgical processes; Corrosion and its prevention.

Chapter 4: Carbon and its Compounds
Covalent bonding in carbon compounds. Versatile nature of carbon.
Homologous series. Nomenclature of carbon compounds containing functional groups (halogens, alcohol, ketones, aldehydes, alkanes and alkynes), the difference between saturated hydrocarbons and unsaturated hydrocarbons. Chemical properties of carbon compounds (combustion, oxidation, addition and substitution reaction). Ethanol and Ethanoic acid (only properties and uses), soaps and detergents.

Unit II: World of Living

Chapter 5: Life Processes 
‘Living Being’. Basic concept of nutrition, respiration, transport and excretion in plants and animals.

Chapter 6: Control and Coordination
Control and coordination in animals and plants: Tropic movements in plants; Introduction of plant hormones; Control and coordination in animals: Nervous system; Voluntary, involuntary and reflex action; Chemical coordination: animal hormones.

Chapter 7: How do Organisms Reproduce? 
Reproduction in animals and plants (asexual and sexual) reproductive health - need and methods of family planning. Safe sex vs HIV/AIDS. Childbearing and women’s health.

Chapter 8: Heredity
Heredity; Mendel’s contribution- Laws for inheritance of traits: Sex determination: brief introduction: (topics excluded - evolution; evolution and classification and evolution should not be equated with progress).

Unit III: Natural Phenomena

Chapter 9: Light – Reflection and Refraction
Reflection of light by curved surfaces; Images formed by spherical mirrors, the centre of curvature, principal axis, principal focus, focal length, mirror formula (Derivation not required), magnification.Refraction; Laws of refraction, refractive index.Refraction of light by spherical lens; Image formed by spherical lenses; Lens formula(derivation not required); Magnification. Power of a lens.

Chapter 10: The Human Eye and the Colourful World
Functioning of a lens in the human eye, defects of vision and their corrections, and applications of spherical mirrors and lenses.Refraction of light through a prism, dispersion of light, scattering of light, applications in daily life (excluding the colour of the sun at sunrise and sunset).

Unit IV: Effects of Current

Chapter 11: Electricity
Electric current, potential difference and electric current. Ohm’s law; Resistance, Resistivity, Factors on which the resistance of a conductor depends. Series combination of resistors, parallel combination of resistors and its applications in daily life. Heating effect of electric current and its applications in daily life. Electric power, Interrelation between P, V, I and R.
Chapter 12: Magnetic Effects of Electric Current
Magnetic field, field lines, field due to a current carrying conductor, field due to current carrying coil or solenoid; Force on current carrying conductor, Fleming’s Left Hand Rule, Direct current. Alternating current: frequency of AC. Advantage of AC over DC. Domestic electric circuits.

Unit V: Natural Resources

Chapter 13: Our Environment
Eco-system, Environmental problems, Ozone depletion, waste production and their solutions. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable substances.

Deleted Syllabus of Class 10 Science 2025

The deleted syllabus of Class 10 Science is mentioned below:

Practicals Syllabus

Unit I

1. A. Finding the pH of the following samples by using pH paper/universal indicator: 
(i) Dilute Hydrochloric Acid
(ii) Dilute NaOH solution
(iii) Dilute Ethanoic Acid solution
(iv) Lemon juice
(v) Water
(vi) Dilute Hydrogen Carbonate solution

B. Studying the properties of acids and bases (HCl & NaOH) based on their reaction with: 
(a) Litmus solution (Blue/Red)
(b) Zinc metal
(c) Solid sodium carbonate

2. Performing and observing the following reactions and classifying them into: 
A. Combination reaction
B. Decomposition reaction
C. Displacement reaction
D. Double displacement reaction
(i) Action of water on quicklime
(ii) Action of heat on ferrous sulphate crystals
(iii) Iron nails kept in copper sulphate solution
(iv) Reaction between sodium sulphate and barium chloride solutions

3. Observing the action of Zn, Fe, Cu and Al metals on the following salt solutions:
(i) ZnSO₄(aq)
(ii) FeSO₄(aq)
(iii) CuSO₄₍aq)
(iv) Al₂ (SO₄)₃(aq)
Arranging Zn, Fe, Cu and Al (metals) in the decreasing order of reactivity based on the above result.

4. Study of the following properties of acetic acid (ethanoic acid): 
(i) Odour
(ii) solubility in water
(iii) effect on litmus
(iv) reaction with Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate

5. Study of the comparative cleaning capacity of a sample of soap in soft and hard water. 

Unit II

1. Preparing a temporary mount of a leaf peel to show stomata.
2. Experimentally show that carbon dioxide is given out during respiration.
3. Studying (a) binary fission in Amoeba, and (b) budding in yeast and Hydra with the help of prepared slides.
4. Identification of the different parts of an embryo of a dicot seed (Pea, gram or red kidney bean).

Unit III

1. Determination of the focal length of:
(i) Concave mirror
(ii) Convex lens
by obtaining the image of a distant object.

2. Tracing the path of a ray of light passing through a rectangular glass slab for different angles of incidence. Measure the angle of incidence, angle of refraction, angle of emergence and interpret the result.

3. Tracing the path of the rays of light through a glass prism. 

Unit IV

1. Studying the dependence of potential difference (V) across a resistor on the current (I) passing through it and determining its resistance. Also, plotting a graph between V and I.

2. Determination of the equivalent resistance of two resistors when connected in series and parallel. 

Question Paper Design

• Typology of Questions: VSA including objective type questions, Assertion – Reasoning type questions; SA; LA; Source-based/ Case-based/ Passage-based/ Integrated assessment questions.
• An internal choice of approximately 33% would be provided. 

If you want guidance on how to prepare for science, do check out the document How to Prepare for Class 10 Science