CBSE Class 12 Hindustani Music (Vocal) Board Paper analysis: “Section A was highly scoring”

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is conducting the Class 12 board exam 2026 from February to April in the traditional pen-and-paper format. As part of the ongoing CBSE board exams 2026, students appeared for the Hindustani Music (Vocal) paper on 17 March 2026.

The three-hour exam commenced at 10:30 am and concluded at 1:30 pm. Students were given an additional 15 minutes, from 10:15 am to 10:30 am, to read the question paper before beginning the exam.

As per estimates, over 45 lakh students are appearing for the board exams across India and abroad this year.

Format of the Question Paper

The question paper was of 30 marks, with a duration of three hours, and was divided into 3 sections.

Section A: Students were required to attempt all questions (each question carried 1 mark)

Section B: Students were required to attempt all questions (each question carried 2 marks)

Section C: Students were required to attempt all questions (each question carried 6 marks)

Teacher Analysis

According to Dr. Mamta Sharma, H.O.D. Music, Apeejay School, Noida, the question paper was of a moderate level, neither too easy nor too difficult. She noted that the paper covered the complete syllabus.

“Section A included one-mark questions and was highly scoring. Section B featured direct questions on topics such as tala notation, the time theory of ragas, life sketches of musicians, and musical scriptures,” she said.

She further added that Section C, which carried six-mark questions, included both direct and conceptual questions. “Students who had thoroughly covered the syllabus would have performed well; however, it may have been challenging for those who were less prepared,” she explained.

“In my opinion, students should be given more choices in this section, particularly in Question No. 14,” she added.