How is ICSE Board different from CBSE?

In India, schools are categorised majorly according to the Boards or educational bodies they are affiliated to. Apart from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE Board) and State Boards existing in almost all states, CISCE is a popular board that provides education based on the Cambridge University curriculum. The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations was formed in the year 1956 during a conference of the Inter State Board for Anglo Indian Education. The idea was to introduce a curriculum that would be similar to that followed internationally. The ICSE exam is certificate exam for students of Class 10 whereas ISC is that for Class 12 students. The CISCE is a non-governmental association and currently holds three examinations in India, namely:

  • ICSE (Indian Certificate for Secondary Education) for class 10
  • ISC (Indian Standard Certificate) for class 12
  • CVE (Certificate in Vocational Education)
There are different debates and discussions among parents, teachers and educationists as to which is more ideal a board for students in India nowadays. Owing to differences in the course material and study pattern in schools affiliated to ICSE and other Boards, there are a certain differences that students would notice and experience in their academic routine, when studying in ICSE affiliated schools.

Some Points of Difference between ICSE Schools and others

  • The Board is a non-governmental organisation, hence, the annual calendar and the exam schedules might differ in ICSE and other Boards. However, only a minor difference of dates exists.
  • ICSE students are exposed to an environment where all subjects are given equal weightage. A lot of importance is given to languages and other art. Most will agree that a more balanced and broad knowledge base is inculcated in ICSE Schools. CBSE Board on the other hand, pays specific attention to Maths and the Sciences, laying more stress on logic and rationality of the subjects.
  • As a result of the above statement, students studying in ICSE board schools may have to deal with greater amounts of syllabus. CBSE students have relatively lesser course to deal with.
  • It is believed that students from ICSE find competitive exams like TOEFL, GRE and GMAT easier, since their syllabus covers a good part of the syllabus of these exams. Also, since good amount of attention is paid to development of languages, students find the language part in exams easier to comprehend.

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