CBSE Class 10 Social Science Previous Year Question Papers with Solutions (2020-2026)

In SST, marks depend on two things beyond knowing the chapter: writing the points the marking scheme looks for, and putting each answer in the right section of the answer book. The 2026 papers and marking schemes below show how both work.

CBSE Class 10 SST 2026 paper: marks by question type

The theory paper is 80 marks in 3 hours, and internal assessment adds 20. In 2026 the 38 questions sat in four sections of 20 marks each: History, Geography, Political Science and Economics. Set 1 broke down like this:

• 20 MCQs of 1 mark: 20 marks (History 4, Geography 6, Political Science 4, Economics 6)
• 4 very short answers of 2 marks, up to 40 words: 8 marks
• 5 short answers of 3 marks, up to 60 words: 15 marks
• 4 long answers of 5 marks, up to 120 words, one in each section: 20 marks
• 3 source-based questions of 4 marks, up to 100 words, in History, Geography and Political Science: 12 marks
• Map: 2 marks in History and 3 in Geography, 5 marks in all

Source: CBSE Class 10 Social Science 2026 question paper and marking scheme, Set 1 (32/1/1), Gradehunt analysis.

The MCQs and the map together are 25 of the 80 marks. The sections are not shaped alike, though. Economics had no source-based question and three 3-mark answers instead, and Geography had no 3-mark question at all.

Six questions had an internal choice: the 2, 3 and 5-mark questions in History, and the long answer in each of the other three sections. At 2¼ minutes a mark, each section is worth about 45 minutes.

The 2026-27 sample paper keeps this design. Its first line says there is no change in the question paper design and assessment pattern for 2026-27.

Did Sets 1, 2 and 3 have the same questions?

Many of them, yes. Across CBSE's three marking schemes, all three source-based questions were identical: Bhagat Singh and the HSRA in History, flood safety precautions in Geography, and power sharing through parties and pressure groups in Political Science.

So were six short answers: Gutenberg and print, organic farming, features of federalism, the functions of political parties, technology connecting the world, and why sustainable development matters. Many MCQs also repeated in a different order.

The 5-mark questions changed from set to set. In History, Set 1 asked how the British nation-state formed differently, Set 2 how culture shaped the idea of the nation, and Set 3 about Bismarck and German unification.

The four-section answer book rule

CBSE's 2026 marking scheme repeats the rule in its instructions to examiners. Students divide the answer book into four sections, one per subject. Answers written in the wrong section, or mixed across sections, are not evaluated, and the mistake is not corrected at verification or re-evaluation.

Older papers in the table mix the four subjects, so practise the habit with them too: divide your sheets into History, Geography, Political Science and Economics before you start, and write each answer in its own part. Our post on the CBSE section-wise answer book rule has the details.

How SST answers are marked

• Long answers are marked one mark per point. The 2026 scheme says "any five points", lists seven or more acceptable ones and adds "any other relevant point".
• Source-based questions split 1 + 1 + 2, and most answers can be built from the passage. The flood question, for example, asked for precautions with drinking water, food and leaving home during a flood warning.
• Short answers follow the same rule: three relevant points for 3 marks, two for 2.
• Examiners can give marks for a correct answer that is not in the scheme, especially in competency-based questions.

One 2026 answer shows why the newest marking scheme matters. For the rural employment question in Set 1, CBSE's scheme lists MGNREGA 2005, with its 100 days of guaranteed work, and also the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, which it says guarantees 125 days. Older solutions won't mention the 2025 Act.

Which SST past papers to practise first

• The three 2026 sets and the 2026-27 sample paper, timed at three hours and written in four sections.
• 2025 and 2024 next. They are the most recent papers before 2026, but they are not split by subject, so add the sections yourself.
• 2023 and 2020 for more practice, and 2022 for chapter work, since that year's exam was term-wise and shorter.
• Do the map on the outline map every time, and label each place as well as marking it.

For the full run of board questions, Gradehunt's 10 Years Solved Papers (PYQ) for CBSE Class 10 sorts the Social Science board questions from the 2016 to 2026 exams by chapter, with the year on each question and the marks for each point shown.

We also have solved past papers for Class 10 Science, Maths and English.