CBSE Class 12 History question papers for 2026, 2025, 2024 and 2023 are available below. The latest official files include the 2026 papers and their marking schemes.

The 2026 History exam was held on March 30, 2026. Paper 61/1/1 had 34 questions for 80 marks, with three hours for writing and 15 minutes for reading.

CBSE Class 12 History Question Paper 2026

The official 2026 download has 15 History papers. Their codes form five groups, with three papers in each group. Paper code 61/1/1 is used below for the detailed pattern and question analysis.

CBSE Class 12 History Paper Pattern 2026

Paper 61/1/1 divided 80 marks across five sections. The 21 one-mark questions came first. The remaining 59 marks came from written answers, source-based questions and map work.

CBSE Class 12 History Question Paper Analysis 2026

Paper 61/1/1 covered ancient, medieval, colonial and modern Indian history. It tested direct facts in Section A and asked for fuller explanations in the next four sections.

Short-answer questions

Questions 22 to 27 covered John Marshall's work in Indian archaeology, the Amravati stupa, Ibn Battuta's account of the postal system, water management at Vijayanagara, the Deccan riots of 1875 and the Government of India Act, 1935. Each answer carried three marks and had a suggested length of 60 to 80 words.

The section moved across different periods rather than staying within one part of the syllabus. Internal choices appeared in some questions, including Amravati or Puranic Hinduism and Vijayanagara's water system or Domingo Paes's account of the city.

Long-answer questions

Questions 28 to 30 carried eight marks each. The first asked about the limits of inscriptions as historical sources or the sources used for the Mauryan Empire. The second covered Mughal agriculture or the role of women in agrarian society. The third asked about the Non-Cooperation Movement or the Salt March.

These questions required a developed answer of about 300 to 350 words. The official scheme breaks each answer into clear value points and accepts another relevant point when it fits the question.

Source-based and map questions

Questions 31 to 33 used three passages: Gandhari's advice to Duryodhana, a Sufi saint refusing a royal land gift, and the views of a taluqdaar during the revolt of 1857. Each passage was followed by three short questions worth four marks in total.

Question 34 asked students to locate or identify places such as Nageshwar, Kashi and Goa or Thanjavur. Two more locations were linked to the Indian national movement. A separate text-based question was provided for visually impaired students.

The Class 12 syllabus lists the prescribed themes. The Class 12 exam pattern explains the common board-paper rules.

CBSE Class 12 History Marking Scheme 2026

The marking scheme gives the answer points and mark split for each paper code. For many three-mark questions, it lists several valid points and awards marks for any three. Eight-mark answers are divided across the main parts of the question.

The scheme also accepts a correct answer written in the student's own words. A continuing error is penalised once, and when both options are attempted, the higher score is kept. The complete scheme code must match the question-paper code.

CBSE Class 12 History Question Paper 2025

CBSE Class 12 History Question Paper 2024

CBSE Class 12 History Question Paper 2023