The Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE has officially released the CBSE Class 12 Political Science Syllabus for the 2026-27 academic session. Updated in accordance with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and the latest NEP guidelines, the new curriculum is designed to help students master both "Contemporary World Politics" and "Politics in India Since Independence." For students preparing for the 2027 board exams, reviewing this syllabus is the first step to understanding the unit-wise weightage, the exact question paper design, and the complete 100-mark evaluation scheme comprising an 80-mark theory paper and a 20-mark practical/project assessment. Check out the detailed course breakdown below, and click the direct link to download the CBSE Class 12 Political Science Syllabus 2026-27 PDF of your board preparations today.
CBSE Class 12 Political Science Syllabus 2026-27: Course Structure
Students can take a look at the course structure below:
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Chapter No.
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Chapter Name
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Marks Allotted
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PART: A- CONTEMPORARY WORLD POLITICS
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||
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1
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The End of Bipolarity
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6
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2
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Contemporary Centres of Power
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6
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3
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Contemporary South Asia
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6
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4
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International Organizations
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6
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5
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Security in the Contemporary World
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6
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6
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Environment and Natural Resources
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6
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7
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Globalisation
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4
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PART A - Total
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40
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PART B-POLITICS IN INDIA SINCE INDEPENDENCE
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1
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Challenges of Nation-Building
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6
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2
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Era of One-Party Dominance
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4
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3
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Politics of Planned Development
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2
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4
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India’s External Relations
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6
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5
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Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System
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4
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6
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The Crisis of Democratic Order
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4
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7
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Regional Aspirations
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6
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8
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Recent Developments in Indian Politics
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8
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PART B - Total
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40
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TOTAL
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80
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CBSE Class 12 Political Science Syllabus 2026-27: Course Content
The students can take a look at the detailed course content provided below and prepare accordingly for the exams.
PART A-CONTEMPORARY WORLD POLITICS
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1. The End of Bipolarity
Topics to be focused:
a) The Soviet System
b) Gorbachev and the disintegration
c) Causes and Consequences of Disintegration of Soviet Union
d) Shock Therapy and its Consequences
e) New entities in world politics
· Russia
· Balkan States
· Central Asian States
f) India's relations with Russia and other post-
communist countries
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2. Contemporary Centres of Power
Topics to be focused:
a) European Union
b) Association of Southeast Asian Nations
c) Rise of China as an economic power
d) Japan and South Korea as emerging powers
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3. Contemporary South Asia
Topics to be focused:
a) Military and Democracy in Pakistan and Bangladesh
b) Monarchy and Democracy in Nepal
c) Ethnic Conflict and Democracy in Sri Lanka
d) India-Pakistan Conflicts
e) India and its Neighbours
f) Peace and Cooperation
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4. International Organizations
Topics to be focused:
a) Meaning and importance of International Organisations
b) Evolution of the UN
c) Structure and function of International Organisations
d) Principal Organs of UN
e) Reform of the UN after ColdWar
f) Reform of Structures, Processes and Jurisdiction of the UN
h) India and the UN Reforms
i) Key Agencies: IMF, World Bank, WTO, ILO, IAEA.
j) NGO: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch.
g) Implications and Future of International Organisations
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5. Security in the Contemporary World
Topics to be focused:
a) Meaning and Type of Security.
b) Traditional concept of Security
c) Non-tradition notions of Security.
d) New Sources of Threats
e) Cooperative Security
f) India’s Security strategy
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6. Environment and Natural Resources
Topics to be focused:
a) Environmental Concerns
b) Global Commons
c) Common but differentiated responsibilities
d) India’s Stand on Environment Issues
f) Environmental Movements
g) Resource Geopolitics
e) Rights of Indigenous peoples
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7. Globalisation
Topics to be focused:
a) Concept of globalisation
b) Causes and Consequences of globalisation
c) India and globalization
d) Resistance to globalisation
e) India and resistance to globalisation
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PART B-POLITICS IN INDIA SINCE INDEPENDENCE
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1. Challenges of Nation Building
Topics to be focused:
a) Challenges for the new Nation.
· Three Challenges.
b) Partition: Displacement and Rehabilitation.
· Consequences of Partition.
c) Integration of Princely States.
· The problem
· Government’s approach
· Hyderabad
· Manipur
d) Reorganisation of States.
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2. Era of One-Party Dominance
Topics to be focussed:
a) Challenge of building democracy.
b) Congress dominance in the first three general elections.
· Nature of Congress dominance
· Congress as a social and ideological coalition.
· Tolerance and management of Factions
c) Emergence of opposition parties.
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3. Politics of Planned Development
Topics to be focussed:
a) Political contestation.
· Ideas of Development.
· Planning
· Planning Commission
b) The Early Initiatives
· The First Five Year Plan.
· Rapid Industrialisation.
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4. India’s External Relations
Topics to be focussed:
a) International Context
b) The Policy of Non-Alignment.
· Nehru’s role
· Distance from two camps.
· Afro Asian Unity
c) Peace and conflict with China
· The Chinese Invasion1962
· War and Peace with Pakistan
· Bangladesh War 1971
d) India’s Nuclear Policy.
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5. Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System
Topics to be focused:
a) Challenge of Political Succession
· From Nehru to Shastri
· From Shastri to Indira Gandhi
b) Fourth General Election1967
· Context of the Election.
· Non Congressism
· Electoral Verdict
· Coalitions
· Defections
c) Split in the Congress
· Indira vs the Syndicate
· Presidential Election 1969
d) The 1971 Election and Restoration of Congress
· The outcome and after Restoration
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6. The Crisis of Democratic Order
Topics to be focused:
a) Background to Emergency.
· Economic Context.
· Gujarat and Bihar Movements
· Conflict with Judiciary
c) Declaration of Emergency
· Crisis and response
· Consequences
c) Lessons of the Emergency.
d) Politics after Emergency.
· Lok Sabha Elections 1977
· Janata Government
d) Legacy
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7.Regional Aspirations
Topics to be focused:
a) Region and the Nation
Indian Approach
Areas of Tension
Jammu and Kashmir
Roots of the Problem
External and Internal disputes
Politics since 1948
Insurgency and After
2022 and Beyond
b) Punjab
Political Context
Cycle of Violence
Road to Peace
c) The Northeast
Demand for autonomy
Secessionist Movements
Movements against outsiders
Assam and National Integration
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8.Recent Developments in Indian
Politics Topics to be focused
a) Context of 1990s
b) Era of Coalition
Alliance Politics
c) Political rise of the Backward Classes
Mandal Implemented
Political Fallouts
d) Communalism, Secularism and Democracy.
Ayodhya Issue
From Legal proceedings to amicable
acceptance
e) Emergence of New Consensus
f) Lok Sabha Elections (2004- 2019)
g) Growing Consensus
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CBSE Class 12 Political Science Syllabus 2026-27: Download PDF
CBSE Class 12th Political Science Syllabus 2026-27: Question Paper Design
Students can check the question paper design below:
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S. No
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Competencies
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Marks
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Percentage
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1
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Knowledge and Remembering: Exhibit memory of
previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, and basic concepts.
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22
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27.50%
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2
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Understanding: Understanding of facts and ideas by
Organising, comparing, explaining, describing, and stating main ideas.
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24
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30%
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3
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Applying: Solve problems by applying acquired
knowledge, facts to interpret a situation/ cartoon/ clippings/ sources/ Map
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22
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27.50%
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4
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Analysis and Evaluation: Classify, compare, contrast, or differentiate between pieces of information; organise and/ or integrate from a variety of sources; Examine, synthesise information into parts and identify motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to support
generalisations.
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12
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15%
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80
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100%
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Prescribed Books:
1. ContemporaryWorld Politics, Class XII, Published by NCERT
2. Politics in India since Independence, Class XII, Published by NCERT
3. Added Reference Material available with the document in the Annexure
Note: The above textbooks are also available in Hindi and Urdu Languages.