Official syllabus
CBSE Class XI Economics Syllabus 2026 – 27
Explore the official topics, exam pattern and source PDF in one place.
Overview
Purpose: Economics develops economic reasoning, sensitivity to national economic issues, competence with analytical tools and the ability to examine differing viewpoints logically as citizens, workers and consumers.
Class XI focus: The course combines Statistics for Economics—collection, organisation, presentation and interpretation of data—with Introductory Microeconomics covering consumer equilibrium and demand, producer behaviour and supply, and market price determination. Project work connects these tools with real economic situations.
Full syllabus
Rationale and Objectives instruction
Rationale
Economics is one of the social sciences, which has great influence on every human being. As economic life and the economy go through changes, the need to ground education in children’s own experience becomes essential. While doing so, it is imperative to provide them opportunities to acquire analytical skills to observe and understand the economic realities.
At senior secondary stage, the learners are in a position to understand abstract ideas, exercise the power of thinking and to develop their own perception. It is at this stage, the learners are exposed to the rigour of the discipline of economics in a systematic way.
The economics courses are introduced in such a way that in the initial stage, the learners are introduced to the economic realities that the nation is facing today along with some basic statistical tools to understand these broader economic realities. In the later stage, the learners are introduced to economics as a theory of abstraction.
The economics courses also contain many projects and activities. These will provide opportunities for the learners to explore various economic issues both from their day-to-day life and also from issues, which are broader and invisible in nature. The academic skills that they learn in these courses would help to develop the projects and activities. The syllabus is also expected to provide opportunities to use information and communication technologies to facilitate their learning process.
Objectives:
- Understanding of some basic economic concepts and development of economic reasoning which the learners can apply in their day-to-day life as citizens, workers and consumers.
- Realisation of learners’ role in nation building and sensitivity to the economic issues that the nation is facing today.
- Equipment with basic tools of economics and statistics to analyse economic issues. This is pertinent for even those who may not pursue this course beyond senior secondary stage.
- Development of understanding that there can be more than one view on any economic issue and necessary skills to argue logically with reasoning.
Course Structure instruction
CLASS – XI (2026-27)
Theory: 80 Marks 3 Hours
Project: 20 Marks
| Units | Marks |
|---|---|
| Part A Statistics for Economics | |
| Introduction Collection, Organisation and Presentation of Data |
15 |
| Statistical Tools and Interpretation | 25 |
| Total | 40 |
| Part B Introductory Microeconomics | |
| Introduction | 04 |
| Consumer's Equilibrium and Demand | 14 |
| Producer Behaviour and Supply | 14 |
| Forms of Market and Price Determination under perfect competition with simple applications | 08 |
| Total | 40 |
| Part C Project Work | 20 |
Part A: Statistics for Economics instruction
In this course, the learners are expected to acquire skills in collection, organisation and presentation of quantitative and qualitative information pertaining to various simple economic aspects systematically. It also intends to provide some basic statistical tools to analyse, and interpret any economic information and draw appropriate inferences. In this process, the learners are also expected to understand the behaviour of various economic data.
Unit 1: Introduction unit
What is Economics?
Meaning, scope, functions and importance of statistics in Economics
Unit 2: Collection, Organisation and Presentation of data unit
Collection of data - sources of data - primary and secondary; how basic data is collected with concepts of Sampling; methods of collecting data; some important sources of secondary data: Census of India and National Sample Survey Organisation.
Organisation of Data: Meaning and types of variables; Frequency Distribution.
Presentation of Data: Tabular Presentation and Diagrammatic Presentation of Data: (i) Geometric forms (bar diagrams and pie diagrams), (ii) Frequency diagrams (histogram, polygon and Ogive) and (iii) Arithmetic line graphs (time series graph).
Unit 3: Statistical Tools and Interpretation unit
For all the numerical problems and solutions, the appropriate economic interpretation may be attempted. This means, the students need to solve the problems and provide interpretation for the results derived.
Measures of Central Tendency- Arithmetic mean, Median and Mode
Correlation – meaning and properties, scatter diagram; measures of correlation - Karl Pearson's method (two variables ungrouped data) Spearman's rank correlation (Non-Repeated Ranks and Repeated Ranks).
Introduction to Index Numbers - meaning, types - Wholesale Price Index, Consumer Price Index and index of industrial production, uses of index numbers; Inflation and Index Numbers, Simple Aggregative Method.
Unit 4: Introduction unit
Part B: Introductory Microeconomics
Meaning of microeconomics and macroeconomics; positive and normative economics
What is an economy? Central problems of an economy: what, how and for whom to produce; concepts of Production Possibility Frontier and Opportunity Cost.
Unit 5: Consumer's Equilibrium and Demand unit
Consumer's equilibrium - meaning of Utility, Marginal Utility, Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, conditions of consumer's equilibrium using marginal utility analysis.
Indifference curve analysis of consumer's equilibrium-the consumer's budget (budget set and budget line), preferences of the consumer (indifference curve, indifference map) and conditions of consumer's equilibrium.
Demand, market demand, determinants of demand, demand schedule, demand curve and its slope, movement along and shifts in the demand curve; price elasticity of demand - factors affecting price elasticity of demand; measurement of price elasticity of demand – percentage-change method and total expenditure method.
Unit 6: Producer Behaviour and Supply unit
Meaning of Production Function – Short-Run and Long-Run
Total Product, Average Product and Marginal Product.
Returns to a Factor
Cost – Short run costs - Total Cost, Total Fixed Cost, Total Variable Cost; Average Cost; Average Fixed Cost, Average Variable Cost and Marginal Cost - meaning and their relationships.
Revenue – Total Revenue, Average Revenue and Marginal Revenue - meaning and their relationship.
Producer's Equilibrium - meaning and its conditions in terms of Marginal Revenue-Marginal Cost.
Supply, market supply, determinants of supply, supply schedule, supply curve and its slope, movements along and shifts in supply curve, price elasticity of supply; measurement of price elasticity of supply - percentage-change method.
Unit 7: Perfect Competition - Price Determination and simple applications. unit
Perfect competition - Features; Determination of market equilibrium and effects of shifts in demand and supply. (Short Run Only)
Simple Applications of Demand and Supply: Price ceiling, Price floor.
Marks & examination pattern
| Assessment | Marks | Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| Theory | 80.00 | |
| Project | 20.00 | |
| Suggested Question Paper Design | 80.00 |
Theory
- Duration
- 3 hours
Theory: 80 Marks; 3 Hours
Project
Project: 20 Marks
Suggested Question Paper Design
- Duration
- 3 hours
Remembering and Understanding: 32 marks, 40%. Applying: 24 marks, 30%. Analysing, Evaluating and Creating: 24 marks, 30%. Total: 80 marks, 100%.
Paper pattern and choice
March 2026 Examination
Practical & Projects
Project in Economics
Guidelines as given in Class XII curriculum
Guidelines for Project Work in Economics (Class XI and XII)
The objectives of the project work are to enable learners to:
- probe deeper into theoretical concepts learnt in classes XI and XII
- analyse and evaluate real world economic scenarios using theoretical constructs and arguments
- demonstrate the learning of economic theory
- follow up aspects of economics in which learners have interest
- develop the communication skills to argue logically
The expectations of the project work are that:
- learners will complete only ONE project in each academic session
- project should be of 3,500-4,000 words (excluding diagrams & graphs), preferably hand-written
- it will be an independent, self-directed piece of study
Role of the teacher:
The teacher plays a critical role in developing thinking skills of the learners. A teacher should:
- help each learner select the topic based on recently published extracts from the news media, government policies, RBI bulletin, NITI Aayog reports, IMF/World Bank reports etc., after detailed discussions and deliberations of the topic
- play the role of a facilitator and supervisor to monitor the project work of the learner through periodic discussions
- guide the research work in terms of sources for the relevant data
- educate learner about plagiarism and the importance of quoting the source of the information to ensure authenticity of research work
- prepare the learner for the presentation of the project work
- arrange a presentation of the project file
Scope of the project:
Learners may work upon the following lines as a suggested flow chart:
Choose a title/topic
Collection of the research material/data
Organization of material/data
Present material/data
Analysing the material/data for conclusion
Draw the relevant conclusion
Presentation of the Project Work
Expected Checklist:
- Introduction of topic/title
- Identifying the causes, consequences and/or remedies
- Various stakeholders and effect on each of them
- Advantages and disadvantages of situations or issues identified
- Short-term and long-term implications of economic strategies suggested in the course of research
- Validity, reliability, appropriateness and relevance of data used for research work and for presentation in the project file
- Presentation and writing that is succinct and coherent in project file
- Citation of the materials referred to, in the file in footnotes, resources section, bibliography etc.
Mode of presentation/submission of the Project:
At the end of the stipulated term, each learner will present the research work in the Project File to the External and Internal examiner. The questions should be asked from the Research Work/ Project File of the learner. The Internal Examiner should ensure that the study submitted by the learner is his/her own original work. In case of any doubt, authenticity should be checked and verified.
Marking Scheme:
Marks are suggested to be given as –
| S. No. | Heading | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Relevance of the topic | 3 |
| 2. | Knowledge Content/Research Work | 6 |
| 3. | Presentation Technique | 3 |
| 4. | Viva-voce | 8 |
| Total | 20 Marks |
Suggestive List of Projects:
Class XI
- Effect on PPC due to various government policies
- Invisible Hand (Adam Smith)
- Opportunity Cost as an Economic Tool (taking real life situations)
- Effect of Price Change on a Substitute Good (taking prices from real life visiting local market)
- Effect on Equilibrium Prices in Local Market (taking real life situation or recent news)
- Effect of Price Change on a Complementary Good (taking prices from real life visiting local market)
- Solar Energy, a Cost-Effective Comparison with Conventional Energy Sources
- Bumper Production- Boon or Bane for the Farmer
- Any other newspaper article and its evaluation on basis of economic principles
- Any other topic
Prescribed Books
- Statistics for Economics, NCERT
- Indian Economic Development, NCERT
- Introductory Microeconomics, NCERT
- Macroeconomics, NCERT
- Supplementary Reading Material in Economics, CBSE
Note: The above publications are also available in Hindi Medium.