NEB Class 11 & 12 Subjects by Stream: Codes, Credit Hours, Marks

The Grade 11 and 12 level, popularly called plus two (+2), is Nepal's upper-secondary stage, administered by the National Examinations Board (NEB) using courses written by the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) under the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The current course is the CDC 'new curriculum', which was phased in from 2076 BS (2019 AD) in Grade 11 and 2077 BS (2020 AD) in Grade 12, replacing the old Higher Secondary Education Board syllabus. It introduced a credit-hour structure and a letter-grade (GPA) system in place of the earlier percentage marking.

Regardless of stream, a student takes six subjects in each grade: three compulsory subjects and three optional (elective) subjects. The optional subjects are what define a student's stream, so choosing Physics, Chemistry and Biology places a student in Science, while Accountancy, Business Studies and Economics defines a Management student. Most subjects run across both grades as a two-year course, so Grade 11 Physics (Phy. 101) continues as Grade 12 Physics (Phy. 102).

Every subject is assigned credit hours, where one credit hour equals 32 annual working (teaching) hours. Most subjects are worth 5 credit hours (160 hours a year); the compulsory languages are lighter, with English at 4 credit hours (128 hours) and Nepali at 3 credit hours. A full six-subject load therefore comes to roughly 27 credit hours per grade. NEB offers the curriculum through several faculties or streams: Science, Management, Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, and Law, each with its own menu of optional subjects.

Three subjects are compulsory for every plus-two student and appear in both grades. Nepali carries the codes Nep. 001 (Grade 11) and Nep. 002 (Grade 12); English is Eng. 003 and Eng. 004; and Social Studies & Life Skills is Sol. 005 and Sol. 006. English is worth 4 credit hours, Nepali 3 credit hours, and Social Studies & Life Skills 5 credit hours. Each is marked out of 100, usually 75 marks in the external NEB board examination plus 25 marks of school-based internal assessment.

There is one important flexibility in the compulsory group. Science and Management students frequently replace Social Studies & Life Skills with compulsory Mathematics (Mat. 007 in Grade 11, Mat. 008 in Grade 12), also worth 5 credit hours. This is how a Science student can end up studying four science-track subjects (for example compulsory Mathematics plus optional Physics, Chemistry and Biology). Colleges set which compulsory combination they offer, so students should confirm at admission.

Almost every NEB subject is graded out of 100 full marks. The standard split is 75 marks for the external theory examination set and marked by NEB, plus 25 marks of internal assessment or practical work conducted by the college through the year. For laboratory sciences such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology, that 25-mark portion is a formal practical examination; for non-lab subjects such as Accountancy, Economics, Business Studies and the social sciences it is internal assessment covering tests, assignments and project work.

Computer Science is the main exception to the 75+25 rule: it is weighted 50 marks theory and 50 marks practical, reflecting its heavy hands-on programming and application component. In all cases a student must pass the theory and the internal/practical components; scoring in one cannot fully rescue a failure in the other.

Results use an eight-band letter-grade scale with a 4.0 grade-point (GPA) maximum rather than a single percentage. The minimum pass is 35 per cent (the lowest passing band, grade point 1.6); marks below 35 are recorded as Non-Graded (NG) and require a grade-increment examination. There is no aggregate 'division' as in the old system: each subject earns its own grade, and these combine into a Grade Point Average.

The Science stream is built around Physics, Chemistry and either Biology or Mathematics/Computer Science, taken alongside compulsory English, Nepali and (usually) Mathematics. Two common tracks exist: the biological track (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) that feeds medicine, agriculture, forestry and life-science degrees, and the physical track (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics or Computer Science) that feeds engineering, IT and physical-science degrees. Many colleges also let strong students carry all four of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics.

Physics (Phy. 101/102) and Chemistry (Che. 301/302) are each 5 credit hours with a 75-mark theory paper and a 25-mark practical. Biology (Bio. 201/202) is delivered as two halves, Botany and Zoology, together worth 5 credit hours and split 75 theory + 25 practical. Optional Mathematics for Science (Mat. 401/402) is distinct from compulsory Mathematics. Computer Science (Com. 427/428) is 5 credit hours, organised into eight units and marked 50 theory + 50 practical.

The Management stream centres on business and commerce and is usually taken with compulsory English, Nepali and Social Studies & Life Skills (some colleges substitute compulsory Mathematics). Accountancy and one of Economics or Business Studies form the core, with a third optional chosen from Business Mathematics, Computer Science, Marketing, Hotel Management or Economics. It is a popular route into BBA, BBS, BBM, BHM, chartered-accountancy foundations and commerce degrees.

Management subjects are mostly theory-heavy, marked 75 in the external exam plus 25 internal assessment, and each is 5 credit hours. Accountancy is coded Acc. 103 (Grade 11) and Acc. 104 (Grade 12); Business Studies is Bus. 215/216; Economics is Eco. 303/304; Business Mathematics is Bmt. 405/406; Marketing is Mar. 307/308; and Hotel Management is Hom. 439/440. Where Computer Science is offered inside Management, it keeps its own 50+50 practical weighting.

The Humanities and Social Sciences stream offers the widest choice of optional subjects for students heading toward social science, journalism, public service, law and the arts. Common electives include Sociology (Soc. 211/212), Political Science (Pol. 219/220), History (His. 121/122), Geography (Geo. 205/206) and Psychology (Psy. 119/120), alongside subjects such as Mass Communication, Rural Development, Major English, Major Nepali and Fine Arts offered by particular colleges. Each is 5 credit hours and marked 75 theory + 25 internal assessment.

The Education stream is designed for future teachers and pairs Education & Development (Edd. 203/204) with subjects such as Psychology and a teaching subject, again under the 5 credit hours and 75+25 pattern. Law is offered as a plus-two option by some colleges, built on legal-studies electives taken with humanities subjects like Sociology and Economics; it introduces the Nepali legal system ahead of a BA LLB. Because the exact Law and Education electives on offer vary by college and are periodically updated by CDC, students should confirm the current subject list and codes on the official NEB registration form.

Each NEB subject has an official CDC course structure that lists its units and their teaching-hour weighting across Grade 11 and Grade 12. Physics moves from mechanics, heat and waves in Grade 11 to electricity and magnetism, modern physics and electronics in Grade 12. Chemistry is organised into General/Physical, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry in both grades, and Biology splits every unit between Botany (plant biology, ecology, genetics) and Zoology (animal biology, human physiology), each contributing half the marks.

Computer Science follows an eight-unit structure covering the computer system, number systems and Boolean logic, software and operating systems, application packages, programming concepts, web technology, multimedia, and information security and cyber law, with substantial credit given to lab work. Accountancy builds from accounting principles, journal and ledger, and financial statements in Grade 11 to company accounts, cost and management accounting in Grade 12. Because CDC revises unit weightings from time to time, and NEB has re-coded some subjects (for example Computer Science, previously listed as Com. 331/332), always cross-check the current syllabus PDF on the CDC website before printing notes or registering.

Subject codes matter most at two moments: NEB registration in Grade 11, and when reading a grade-sheet or applying for equivalence. On the registration form each subject is entered by its code, so a wrong code can misclassify a subject. Codes follow a short prefix plus number pattern (Phy. for Physics, Acc. for Accounting, Bus. for Business Studies), with the Grade 12 code normally one higher than the Grade 11 code, for example Eco. 303 becoming Eco. 304.

When choosing a stream, students should weigh the degree they want next, their strengths and the mark scheme. Science demands strong Mathematics and laboratory work; Management rewards numeracy and business interest; Humanities offers breadth for law, media and public service; Education suits future teachers. Because a small number of codes and unit weightings have changed between curriculum revisions, treat the codes in this directory as a working reference and confirm the final list against the current CDC syllabus and the NEB registration portal.