Beginner's Guide for ICSE Education

Beginner's Guide to ICSE Education

 

icse

  1. Introduction

The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) examination is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of school education in India. The examination is designed to provide a course of general education as per the New Education Policy 1986 (India) through the medium of English. Private candidates are not permitted to appear for this examination.

Previously called the Senior Cambridge, it was adopted for Indian requirements. The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) is the examination conducted by the Council for Class 10 and the Indian School Certificate (ISC) is the examination for Class 12.

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, the governing body for ICSE was established, in 1958 by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate with the assistance of the Inter-State Board for Anglo-Indian education. In 1973, the Council was listed in the Delhi School Education Act 1973, as a body conducting "public" examinations.

The Work of the Council : The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination conducts three examinations, namely, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE - Year 10); The Indian School Certificate (ISC - Year 12) and the Certificate in Vocational Education (CVE - Year 12). The subject choices and syllabuses prescribed for these examinations are varied and aimed at nurturing the unique gifts of individual pupils.

The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education examination is a school examination and the standard as per the same is a course of ten years duration (Classes I-X).

  1. About Just Indian Schools

Just Indian Schools is an online information service provider for schools in India. It aims to provide information on all Indian schools in India, starting from Play Schools, Kindergarten Schools, Primary Schools, High Schools, and Higher Secondary Schools affiliated to different Board patterns like (CBSE, ICSE, State Board, Matriculation etc).

JustIndianSchools.com was launched with the aim of making life easy for parents by providing in-depth, true, relevant and unbiased information about all schools in India

Ambarish Verma, Proprietor of eduFYI, the parent company of JustIndianSchools.com says, “Our aim is to provide information about schools and encourage experience sharing so that parents are able to make wise and informed decision. We are all a part of a fast paced world and it’s imperative to ensure that our children receive well-rounded education. As compared to the monotonous syllabus and teaching aids used in traditional methods of teaching, Indian schools appear to be a breath of fresh air for the new age learner’’.

JustIndianSchools.com will be coming up with information directory services and would be adding different service verticals. JustIndianSchools.com plans to cover all Indian schools in India in the near future.

  1. Affiliations

The ICSE board is moderated and designed by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of school education in India, for grade 10.

The governing council for ICSE was established in 1958 by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate and was registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 on 19 December, 1967.

  1. ICSE Assessment

Following are the conditions for the entry into ICSE curriculum:

  1. Entry to the examination, in the case of candidates who are being admitted for the first time, is restricted to candidates with a minimum of 75% attendance of the working days during each year of the two year course at schools affiliated to the Council and registered for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Examination.
  2. In all the subjects other than science and computers, students must submit compulsory course-work assignments. In group’s I and II (given below), they count for 20% of the student's performance in the subject; in group III, the assignments count for 50% of the performance. In science and computers, students are tested on their lab work.
  3. Subjects with more than one paper,the marks in the subject are calculated by taking the average of all papers in the subject. Overall, students have to study 11 subjects.

Subjects of Examination:

Part I: Compulsory- Internal Examination or Internal Assessment

Candidates for the examination are required to have completed satisfactorily, courses in:

(a) A third language from at least Class V to Class VIII (Internal Examination).

(b) Art (Internal Assessment).

(c) Socially Useful Productive Work and Community Service (Internal Assessment).

(d) Physical Education.

(e) Education in Moral and Spiritual Values.

(f)  Environmental Education (as per syllabus prescribed).

GROUP I: (Compulsory)

1. English 80% 20%

2. A Second Language 80% 20%

3. History, Civics 80% 20% and Geography

4. Environmental Education 80% 20%

GROUP II: (Any two of the following subjects)

5. Mathematics 80% 20%

6. Science 80% 20% (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)

7. Economics 80% 20%

8. Commercial Studies 80% 20%

9. Technical Drawing 80% 20%

10. A Modern Foreign 80% 20%Language

11. A Classical Language 80% 20%

12. Computer Science 80% 20%

13. Environmental Science 80% 20%

14. Agricultural Science 80% 20%

GROUP III: (Any one of the following subjects)

15. Computer Applications 50% 50%

16. Economic Applications 50% 50%

17. Commercial Applications 50% 50%

18. Art 50% 50%

19. Performing Arts 50% 50%

20. Home Science 50% 50%

21. Cookery 50% 50%

22. Fashion Designing 50% 50%

23. Physical Education 50% 50%

24. Yoga 50% 50%

25. Technical Drawing Applications 50% 50%

26. Environmental Applications 50% 50%

27. A Modern Foreign Language 50% 50%

  1. Comparison between ICSE Board and other programme’s like CBSE and other boards

  1. The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and the ICSE have a different syllabus, education pattern, exams and other aspects.
  2. While talking about the syllabus, the CBSE has a more scientific approach. The whole syllabus is divided into several units. In each unit, is also specified the number of periods that are needed for completion. The syllabus also includes the amount of marks in each unit. The ICSE does not have such a scientific approach.
  3. The ICSE syllabus is considered to be more elaborate and heavy as compared to the CBSE. While the ICSE has two papers on English, the CBSE has only one paper.
  4. Another difference seen is that Environmental Education is compulsory with ICSE. On the contrary, it is not so with the CBSE.
  5. In terms of the exam pattern, the entrance examinations follow the CBSE. So the students of ICSE curriculum have to put an extra mile when taking competitive exams.
  6. The CBSE Board allows regular students and private students to take the exams. On the other hand, ICSE will not allow students who have not been studying in ICSE affiliated schools to take exams
  7. Different boards differ in the way they test students; SSC exams are content based, the CBSE exams are application based, and the ICSE exams are knowledge, understanding, application and skill-set based.
  8. CBSE students also seem to have an edge over other students when it comes to taking the UPSC administrative service examinations, such as the IAS and the IPS. However, when it comes to taking up entrance exams outside of India, for example SAT and TOEFL, teachers seem to recommend the ICSE syllabus over CBSE. In the ICSE syllabus, there’s a clear emphasis on English and its literature.
  9. Most CBSE students say that they find it harder to switch to ICSE at higher levels, whereas ICSE students are able make the shift easily.

  1. Parents Concerns: Why should one choose ICSE curriculum for their children

  1. Firstly, the basic facts of a subject are learned, then more details are introduced, in this way ICSE curriculum follows a very spiral approach.
  2. Under the ICSE board, projects are an integral part of the curriculum, which helps develop analytical skills in a student.
  3. ICSE board offers its students strong concepts since the syllabus encourages students to address a topic in detail and research it thoroughly.
  4. Shifting to other boards from an ICSE curriculum is easier.
  5. 20% of all subjects will be based on internal assessment. The student should be continually assessed in class. Schools can place an appeal if they feel students haven’t received marks in the Board examinations as per the expectations. In a specific subject schools can ask for re-evaluation of any six papers from the batch and receive a point by point explanation from the examiner.
  6. The board’s Council doesn’t select text books, just texts, except for languages. The board’s Council sets the syllabus, and principals would decide text books based on the above. Also no student should have to use text books of the next year unless the current year’s is finished.
  7. The Council’s law is that project work is to be done in school. Projects are judged by another teacher of the same discipline. Activities like debate, or original poetry can be added for project evaluation.
  8. From 2005, students have options of choosing one subject from a group of skill-based subjects for the final exam. Such as art, dance, physical education, yoga, cookery, 50 per cent of which will be assessed by an outside examiner these, are some of the initiatives by the board.
  9. In case of systems being misused by schools, parents should approach the school head first. Write the complaint to the Head and keep copies. If there is no response over a period of time, you can write to the council.

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