CHENNAI: In a major education policy move, the Tamil Nadu government has issued a Government Order (G.O.) to cancel the 11th standard public examinations starting from the academic year 2025-2026.
Students in the 11th standard will now follow the examination procedure that was in place before 2017-2018, before the introduction of 11th standard board exams designed to standardize the syllabus across schools.
However, the Director of Government Examinations will continue to conduct 11th standard exams only for students who fail.
This applies only to exceptional cases, such as: Students who were already under the old system and did not pass their previous Class 11 exams; Repeaters or those reappearing for Class 11; Students from schools that are still completing the prior syllabus during the transition to the new system and, For these students, a board-level Class 11 exam will still be conducted, and they are required to pass in order to be promoted to Class 12.
This system will remain in place for the next five years until March 2030, according to Tamil Nadu government noification.
Additionally, from the 2025-26 academic year, mark certificates issued to students will include only Class 12 marks, rather than integrated marks for Classes 11 and 12, simplifying the evaluation process.
The cancellation of the 11th standard board exams comes in response to long-standing demands from schools and teachers’ associations.
The G.O. formalizes the implementation of the State Education Policy announced in August 2025, reflecting the government’s effort to streamline school examinations and reduce academic pressure on students.
The policy noted: “Board examinations will be restructured. Only Classes 10 and 12 will have board exams, while Class 11 will serve as a preparatory year with continuous internal assessments focused on skills and readiness. Board exams will evaluate understanding, problem-solving and creativity, aiming to reduce stress while maintaining academic rigour.”
The cancellation of the 11th standard public exams had been a long-pending demand of various schools and teachers’ associations. The government order has been issued to operationalise the State’s announcement to cancel the exam when the State Education Policy was released in August, 2025.
