Maharashtra Board Books for Class 5

Maharashtra Board Class 5 Books: An Overview

Class 5 is the first year of upper primary in the state board. Until Class 4, students mostly learn through pictures, rhymes and simple activities. From Class 5, the textbook expects you to read longer lessons, write full answers and work out sums step by step. All textbooks for this class are published by Balbharati, the state textbook bureau.

Your textbook set is printed in four mediums: Marathi, Hindi, English and Urdu. If your school teaches in Marathi medium, your Marathi, Hindi, English, Mathematics and EVS books will all be in Marathi, except the English textbook, which stays in English. The subject content is the same in every medium; only the language of explanation changes.

The Class 5 syllabus is built as a bridge to Class 6. In Mathematics, for example, you move from simple tables to 4-digit multiplication such as 234 × 12, and from shapes to measuring angles and drawing figures. EVS introduces you to maps and to the human body in the same year. These are exactly the topics that return in Class 6, so a weak chapter now will slow you down later.

Balbharati revises textbooks from time to time, and the exercises in an older print may not match the current one. Before you buy a book or download a PDF, check that it is the latest edition. Your school teacher can confirm the current edition. To see how the year is planned topic by topic, read the Maharashtra Board Class 5 syllabus page.

List of Subjects for Class 5 Maharashtra Board

Class 5 has five subjects, and each one has its own separate textbook. There is no combined book for the whole year. Your total set looks like this:

• Marathi (or Urdu, if that is your medium)
• English
• Hindi
• Mathematics
• Environmental Studies (EVS), Part 1 and Part 2

EVS is the one subject that comes in two books. Part 1 is the science half: plants, animals, food, water, the human body and simple experiments. Part 2 is the social studies half: maps, directions, our community, village and city life, and early history. Some schools teach the two parts in separate terms, others alternate chapters. Either way, both books are examined, so do not treat Part 2 as optional reading.

The medium of instruction decides the language books. In Marathi medium you get Marathi, Hindi, English, Mathematics and EVS books in Marathi, but the English textbook itself stays in English. In English medium, Mathematics and EVS are in English, while the Marathi and Hindi textbooks are in their own scripts. So a Marathi medium student and an English medium student study the same Maths chapter, just printed in different languages.

So a full set is six books. If your school also runs a separate Social Studies period, ask your teacher whether it uses EVS Part 2 or an extra book [verify]. For chapter-level help, keep the Class 5 Mathematics solutions and Class 5 EVS solutions pages open while you revise.

Medium-wise Textbook Availability

The state board prints the same Class 5 textbooks in four mediums: Marathi, Hindi, English and Urdu. The subject list does not change with the medium. A Marathi medium student and an Urdu medium student both study Mathematics, EVS Part 1, EVS Part 2, and two languages other than their own, but each reads the chapters in the language their school teaches in.

What changes is only the language of the printed words. A Maths chapter on fractions explains the same method, uses the same examples and sets the same exercises in every edition. So if you shift from one medium to another, you are not behind in the subject, you only need time to get used to the new words.

One exception is worth knowing. The English textbook is printed in English for every medium, because the subject being taught is English itself. A Marathi medium student and an English medium student open the same English Balbharati. The same is broadly true of the Marathi textbook for non-Marathi mediums [verify].

Choose the medium your school actually uses for teaching and exams. Buying a Hindi medium Maths book for an English medium student creates a mismatch between the book and the classroom, and the exam paper will be in the school's medium anyway.

If your school teaches Maths in English but you think better in Marathi, keep the English textbook as your main book and use the Class 5 Mathematics solutions for chapter explanations. Do the same for science topics with the Class 5 EVS solutions.

Latest Syllabus and Textbook Structure

Every Class 5 textbook follows the same basic pattern, so once you understand one book you can navigate all of them. A chapter opens with a short introduction or a picture story, then explains the concept in small steps, and ends with exercises (swadhyay) that you are expected to solve in writing. Between the explanation and the exercises you will usually find an activity box: something to do with a partner, a diagram to label, or a small experiment to try at home. At the back of most books there is a glossary, a word list that gives the meaning of difficult terms. Use it whenever a word in a chapter confuses you.

The syllabus follows the National Curriculum Framework [verify], which means the focus is on understanding ideas and applying them rather than memorising sentences. This shows up clearly in how each subject is built.

Mathematics moves through number work (large numbers, place value), the four operations, fractions, geometry (lines, angles, shapes), measurement (length, weight, capacity, time, money) and data handling (reading tables and simple bar graphs). A typical exercise asks you to convert 3 metres 45 centimetres into centimetres, or to shade two-thirds of a given figure. Practise these with the Class 5 Mathematics solutions when a step is unclear.

Environmental Studies is deliberately mixed. Part 1 leans towards science: plants, animals, the human body, water, air, food. Part 2 leans towards social studies: maps, our community, local history, civics. A single EVS chapter can ask you to observe a plant and also draw a map of your neighbourhood, which is why the two parts are studied together. The Class 5 EVS solutions are useful for the activity-based questions.

Language textbooks (Marathi, Hindi, English) are organised around four skills: reading, writing, grammar and comprehension. Each lesson has a passage, new words, grammar drills on nouns, verbs, opposites and sentence formation, and a writing task such as a short paragraph or letter. A common exam question gives you a passage and asks two or three questions based on it, so read the passage twice before answering.

Textbooks are revised from time to time, and chapter numbers or content can change between editions. Before you buy or download, check the official Balbharati website for the current syllabus and edition list rather than relying on an old copy.

How to Download Maharashtra Board Class 5 Books PDF

The state board's textbooks are free to download as PDFs from the official Balbharati website, ebalbharati.in. Every subject, in every medium, is available there. You do not need to pay or register to read a book.

Here is the full process, step by step:

1. Open a browser on your phone, tablet or computer and go to ebalbharati.in.
2. On the home page, look for the eBooks or textbook download section. The exact menu label may differ slightly from year to year [verify].
3. Select the class: Class 5 (sometimes written as "Std. 5" or "इयत्ता पाचवी").
4. Select the medium: Marathi, Hindi, English or Urdu.
5. Select the subject: Marathi, Hindi, English, Mathematics, or Environmental Studies (Part 1 and Part 2 are listed separately).
6. Click the download link. The PDF opens in your browser or saves to your device's Downloads folder.

A practical tip: download one full set at the start of the year and keep it in a folder named "Class 5 books". Then you are not dependent on internet speed the night before an exam.

PDFs open on any device. On a phone, use the built-in PDF viewer or a free app; pinch to zoom into a diagram, and use the search option to jump to a word such as "fraction" or "numerator". You can also print individual pages if a chapter has many diagrams to label.

Be careful with PDFs from unofficial websites and WhatsApp forwards. They are often scanned from old editions, with missing pages or changed chapter numbers, and you may end up studying a topic that has been moved or removed. If a PDF does not match the printed book your school issued, trust the printed book and re-download from the official site. When a chapter's exercise is unclear, compare it with the solved steps in the Class 5 Mathematics solutions or the Class 5 EVS solutions before assuming the PDF is wrong.

Where to Buy Physical Textbooks

Most students want a printed book they can hold, underline and carry to school. Class 5 textbooks are sold at authorised bookstores and at Balbharati outlets, including the Balbharati book depot in Pune and the sales counters run by the state's textbook bureau [verify]. Your school office can usually tell you the nearest authorised seller in your area.

They are also listed on online marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart [verify]. Online is convenient when your town has no stock, but the listing may not clearly say which medium or which year's edition you are getting. Read the product description carefully before you pay.

Before buying, check two things on the cover:

• Medium: Marathi, Hindi, English or Urdu. A Marathi-medium Mathematics book is not useful to an English-medium student, even though the sums are identical.
• Edition year: printed on the cover or the first page. Textbooks are revised from time to time, so an old edition may have chapters in a different order or questions that no longer appear in the exam.

Prices are nominal and fixed by the board, so a shop charging much more than the printed price is overcharging you. Local bookshops are often the fastest option: they keep a full set in stock at the start of the academic year, and you can flip through the pages before buying. If a chapter looks confusing once you start, compare it with the solved steps in the Class 5 Mathematics solutions or the Class 5 EVS solutions before assuming the book is wrong.

Chapter-wise Guidance for Key Subjects

Every subject in Class 5 tests a different skill, so the way you read each textbook should also differ. A Mathematics chapter has to be worked out with a pencil; an EVS chapter has to be observed and discussed; a language chapter has to be read aloud and written down. Below is what to focus on in each.

Mathematics

The Mathematics textbook moves in a clear order, and each chapter depends on the one before it. The early chapters on Number Work (place value up to lakhs, comparing and ordering numbers) feed directly into Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division. If a student is shaky on multiplication tables, long division will keep going wrong no matter how much division is practised. Fix the tables first.

Fractions is the chapter where most Class 5 students lose marks. A typical question asks you to compare two fractions or convert an improper fraction into a mixed number. The mistake students make is comparing numerators only: they will say 2/5 is bigger than 3/8 because 3 is bigger than 2. The fix is to make the denominators the same before comparing. Draw the fraction as parts of a roti or a chocolate bar until the idea settles.

Measurement (length, weight, capacity, time, money) and Geometry (points, lines, angles, circles, triangles) reward neat work. In geometry, always use a ruler and a sharp pencil; a freehand circle is marked wrong even if the answer is right. Solve every exercise in the chapter on the same day you read it, and keep a rough column on the page for the working, not just the final answer. If a step in the book is unclear, compare it with the worked steps in the Class 5 Mathematics solutions.

Environmental Studies (EVS)

EVS comes in two parts, and they are two different subjects wearing one name. Part 1 is science: plants and their parts, animals and their habitats, the human body and its systems, food, water, air, and simple experiments. Part 2 is social studies: maps and directions, our community and its services, local government, and early history.

Do not treat EVS as a subject to memorise from a guide. The textbook is full of activities, and they are there for a reason. If a chapter asks you to soak a bean seed and watch it sprout, do it and note down what you see each day. If a chapter explains directions, stand in your school compound and find north. Questions in the exam often come straight from these activities: "What did you observe when...?" cannot be answered well by a student who only read the paragraph.

Diagrams carry marks in EVS. Practise labelling the parts of a plant, the water cycle, and a simple map with a key. Keep the diagrams large, with straight label lines. If a concept in Part 1 or Part 2 is confusing, the Class 5 EVS solutions explain each activity and question step by step.

Languages (Marathi, Hindi, English)

All three language textbooks test the same four things: reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. The lesson itself is only the starting point; the exercises after it are where the marks are earned.

• Reading comprehension: Read the passage twice, then read the questions. Answer in full sentences that reuse the words of the question. If the question asks "Why was the crow thirsty?", begin with "The crow was thirsty because..."
• Grammar: Each chapter introduces one or two grammar points (nouns, pronouns, tenses, opposites, synonyms). Learn the definition and then do the exercise, because the exam asks you to apply it, not recite it.
• Writing: Practise letter writing, paragraph writing, and picture description. Write a short piece every week and get it corrected.
• Vocabulary: Keep a small list of new words from each lesson with their meanings, and use two or three of them in your own sentences.

For the language subjects, the solutions pages for English, Marathi, and Hindi show how the textbook questions are meant to be answered.

One habit serves all three subjects: maintain a separate notebook for each, with dated entries and a margin for corrections. When a teacher corrects a sum or a sentence, rewrite it correctly in the margin on the same day. That single corrected line is worth more during revision than a page of fresh notes.

How to Use Textbooks Effectively for Exam Preparation

The textbook is the source the question paper is built from, so the first rule is simple: read the chapter yourself, line by line, before you look at any guide. Read with a pencil in hand. Underline the sentence that gives a definition, circle a formula, and put a small question mark beside any line you did not follow. That question mark is your homework for the next day, not something to skip.

After the first reading, close the book and write down what you remember in your own words. Then open the book and check what you missed. This gap between what you recalled and what the chapter actually says is exactly what the exam will test.

Make short notes for each chapter, but keep them genuinely short:

• Definitions: one line each, copied exactly as the textbook words it. For example, the definition of a fraction or of a map's scale must match the book.
• Formulas and rules: write them on a separate page at the front of the notebook. In Mathematics, the rule for converting an improper fraction to a mixed number belongs on that page.
• Diagrams: redraw every labelled diagram once by hand. A plant with its parts labelled, or a map with a key, is easier to remember when your own hand has drawn it.

Solve every exercise in the chapter, including the ones the teacher did not assign. Then go back to the questions at the end of the chapter and answer them in writing, without copying from the text. If an answer will not come, the worked explanations in the Class 5 Mathematics solutions and Class 5 EVS solutions show the expected steps and wording.

Use the glossary at the back of each book as a quick revision tool. Cover the meaning column with your finger and test yourself on each term; it takes five minutes and covers the vocabulary questions that appear every year.

Finally, understand before you memorise. A student who knows why 3/8 is smaller than 2/5 can answer any comparison question, even one that was not in the book. A student who has only memorised "2/5 is bigger" will get the next question wrong. Revise each chapter once a week rather than once before the exam, and the concepts stay fresh.

Study Plan for Class 5 Students

A workable week has about ten hours of self-study outside school and homework. Split it so that Mathematics, the subject where most students lose marks, gets the largest share, and every subject gets touched at least twice a week. The table below is a sample you can copy into your diary and adjust.

Do homework first, while the lesson is fresh, then move to self-study. If homework takes longer than 45 minutes on a given day, cut the self-study slot short rather than skipping sleep.

Keep Saturday for revision, not new chapters. Write one test of 20 marks from the week's work and check it yourself using the textbook. Sunday is for the topic that went wrong, for example a division sum with a remainder. Work through the Class 5 Mathematics solutions for that chapter, then attempt two similar sums unaided. If EVS diagrams are your weak spot, redraw them once and label from memory.

In the last two weeks before an exam, replace new reading with sample papers, solved under time.

Exam Pattern and Assessment

Your year is judged in two ways. Formative assessment is the marks your teacher gives during the year for classwork, oral answers, projects, activity book entries and short tests. Summative assessment is the written exam at the end of each term. The exact weightage given to each part is decided by your school, so ask your teacher for the split used in your class. [verify]

A typical question paper mixes three types of questions. Objective questions carry one mark each: fill in the blanks, true or false, match the pairs, choose the correct option. Short answers carry two or three marks and need two to four sentences. Long answers carry four or five marks and need a definition, an explanation and an example or diagram.

Here is how marks are usually given. For "Define fraction and give one example" (3 marks), the definition earns 2 marks and a correct example such as 3/4 earns 1. If you write only the example with no definition, you get 1 mark. The fix is simple: answer every part of the question, in order.

In EVS, activities and practical work may also be assessed. Keeping your activity book complete, with labelled diagrams drawn in pencil and neat observations, protects these marks. [verify]

Practise writing answers within a word limit before the exam. A two-mark answer should not run to half a page; it wastes time you need for the long answers. Solve at least one full set of Maharashtra Board Class 5 sample papers under timed conditions, and check your answers against your textbook. For chapters where you lose marks on method, work through the Class 5 Mathematics solutions and redo those sums yourself.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most marks lost in Class 5 are not lost because the topic was hard. They are lost because of a few habits that repeat across subjects. Here are the ones to watch for, with the fix for each.

• Relying on guides instead of the textbook. A guide gives you answers; it does not teach you the chapter. When the exam asks a question in different words, a guide-only student is stuck. Fix: read the textbook chapter first, then use the guide only to check your answers.
• Skipping exercises and activities. The questions at the end of each chapter are the closest thing to exam questions. If you leave them out, you never practise the actual skill being tested. Fix: finish every exercise, including the "Try this" boxes.
• Ignoring diagrams and illustrations. In EVS, a labelled diagram of a plant or a water cycle carries marks on its own. In Mathematics, a rough figure for a geometry sum prevents wrong answers. Fix: draw every diagram in pencil, label it, and redraw it once from memory.
• Cramming without understanding. Memorising "fraction means a part of a whole" gets you the definition, but not the sum "write 3/4 as a fraction of 12". Fix: after reading a concept, close the book and explain it in your own words.
• Not revising regularly. A chapter read once in July is half forgotten by the term exam. Fix: revisit each chapter for ten minutes a week, and use the glossary at the back of the book for quick recall.

If a chapter still feels shaky after these fixes, work through the Class 5 Mathematics solutions or the Class 5 EVS solutions and redo the sums and questions yourself.

Quick Revision Tips

Revision works best when it is short and active, not long and passive. Reading a chapter again feels like studying, but your brain is only recognising the words, not recalling them. The five habits below force you to pull information out of memory, which is what the exam actually asks you to do.

• Make flashcards for formulas and definitions. Write the question on one side and the answer on the other. For example, "Area of a rectangle?" on the front, "length × breadth" on the back. Carry five or six cards and run through them in spare minutes. Test yourself by covering the answer side, not by reading both sides together.
• Use mind maps for EVS. Put the main topic in the centre, say "Water", and branch out to sources, uses, pollution, and conservation. A mind map shows you how ideas connect, which helps in long-answer questions where marks are given for covering several points.
• Practise writing answers to previous questions. Write full answers to end-of-chapter questions without looking at the book, then check against the text. This trains you to write within the marks and word limit your paper expects.
• Teach a concept to someone at home. Explaining "why the shadow changes length during the day" to a parent exposes the exact point where your understanding is thin.
• Take short breaks. Study for 25 to 30 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes. A tired mind reads the same paragraph three times without absorbing it.

If a topic still feels unclear after revising this way, work through the Class 5 Mathematics solutions or the Class 5 EVS solutions and attempt the questions again on your own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I download Maharashtra Board Class 5 books PDF?

The official source is the Balbharati website (ebalbharati.in), where the state textbook bureau posts free PDFs of its books. Download the file for your medium and check the edition year printed on the first pages before you use it. Many schools also share the same PDFs with parents at the start of the year.

What are the subjects for Class 5 in Maharashtra Board?

There are five subjects, each with its own textbook: Marathi (or Urdu, depending on your medium), English, Hindi, Mathematics and Environmental Studies. EVS comes in two parts, Part 1 for science topics and Part 2 for social studies topics. No single combined book covers the whole year.

Are the Maharashtra Board Class 5 textbooks available in Marathi medium?

Yes. Balbharati prints the Class 5 set in four mediums: Marathi, Hindi, English and Urdu. In Marathi medium, all books are in Marathi except the English textbook, which stays in English. The subject content is identical across mediums, so only the language of explanation changes.

How to buy Maharashtra Board Class 5 textbooks?

Buy from a licensed Balbharati book depot or a shop that stocks state board textbooks, and ask for the current edition. School book lists usually name the exact titles. Avoid second-hand copies with old exercises, since revised editions can change questions. Your class teacher can confirm which edition your school is using this year.

Is the Maharashtra Board Class 5 syllabus the same as CBSE?

No. Both follow the same broad subjects, but the topics, textbook structure and depth differ. The state board Class 5 books are written by Balbharati as a bridge to Class 6, so chapters like 4-digit multiplication and map reading are placed to match that next year. Follow your own textbook, not a CBSE one.

How many textbooks are there for Class 5 Maharashtra Board?

You get six books in all: Marathi (or Urdu), English, Hindi, Mathematics, and EVS Part 1 and Part 2. EVS is split because it covers both science and social studies. Count your set against this list at the start of the year so a missing book does not hold up your work later.