CBSE or ICSE - What to choose?
If you are seeking admissions for your child in Indian schools, you are likely to ponder over the syllabuses to choose from. The present system of education in India offers students various options for their Class X examination. There are state, national and international boards like the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), Indian Certificate for Secondary Education (ICSE), Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), National Open School (NOS), International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate (IB). In this post, I will list what people have to say about the CBSE and the ICSE syllabuses. Since the time Sivabalan, an r2blore reader, listed a few points about the CBSE and ICSE syllabuses, I was on the look out for different views on the subject on the internet and from people who knew enough to compare. (There will be a separate post about ICGSE later.)
Here are some of the points that I have collected. I am including Sivabalan’s initial list here too.
Please do list out your thoughts on the subject too in the comments.
CBSE
- CBSE syllabus stresses less on academic/theoretical stuff and more on Math and Science. And everybody seems to mostly concur with this point.
- The CBSE system of teaching hones the children towards thinking/problem solving methodology.
- Most of the Indian competitive exams are based on the CBSE syllabus.
- Typically, parents in transferable jobs prefer CBSE because of its national curriculum. And you have many Kendriya Vidyalayas and other private CBSE schools all over India.
One of my friends who chose CBSE for her daughter has this to say, “I went to a CBSE board school, and so I knew it was a nice syllabus. Also, our neighbor’s daughters were doing ICSE and were always studying cos of the heavy syllabus; very detailed and loads to learn.”
ICSE
- The syllabus is compatible amongst the common wealth countries. So with the ICSE, it is easier to relocate to some of the other countries in the middle of a school year.
- People also seem to recommend ICSE syllabus if the child may go abroad for under-grad education.
- The ICSE syllabus is heavier on languages and apparently not as much on Math and Science.
- Syllabus may not be the best background for the Indian competitive/entrance exams.
- ICSE offers more atypical courses like home science, agriculture, fashion design, cookery etc. The exposure to atypical courses may help a child see beyond the obvious career choices.
One of my neighbors who consciously chose the ICSE syllabus for her 2 daughters says, “We chose ICSE because of its tougher standards. And if and when the girls move to CBSE or state syllabus in the 9th/10th, they will find those easy then!“
Comparisons between ICSE and CBSE
- ICSE provides a good overall development; the focus on literature is good. The CBSE concentrates more on Math and Science, which gives that slight edge for the engineering competitive exams.
- It is said that the ICSE syllabus is more extensive, and that the CBSE is more intensive. To elaborate, in the CBSE system of teaching, there are more objective kind of questions, which prepares students for national level competitive exams. ICSE is more liberal and gives a good choice of subjects. One can opt out of math and science in ICSE, not so in CBSE. The ICSE course develops thinking and analytical skills in a student because it is extensive.
- The CBSE folks may find it tough to switch to ICSE at higher levels, but apparently ICSE guys can easily switch to CBSE.
“In ICSE projects on various subjects are an integral part. Also, there’s a clear emphasis on English literature whereas in CBSE, English is functional, communication-based “ says the Principal, Sri Kumaran’s Children’s Home. Kumaran’s offers ICSE and CBSE syllabuses to its students.
_______________________________
CBSE: The Central Board of Secondary Education is an eminent board of school education in India.The CBSE prepares the syllabus for students from Lower Kindergarten (L.K.G) to Class 12, for schools affiliated with it. It conducts India’s 2 wide board examinations: the All India Secondary School Examination for Class 10 and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12, which is a school-leaving examination. It also prescribes the syllabuses for these examinations, whose scores are necessary to gain admission in higher study institutes. Many private schools through the country affiliate themselves with the CBSE. The medium for education prescribed by CBSE is either English or Hindi. There are many Indian school in different countries that are also affiliated to CBSE.
CBSE All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12 is widely recognized internationally for direct admission to university undergraduate courses.
CBSE also conducts the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) which is a common entrance examination on all-India basis for admission to engineering and architecture/planning programs in the country. Similarly Pre-medical and Pre-dental Tests AIPMT (PMT/PDT) are conducted for medical and dental colleges after the 10+2 exams.
CBSE is considered as a premier board in India as it incorporates modern learning techniques in its syllabi besides close to 5119 schools are affiliated to the board which are located all over India and abroad.
ICSE: The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) examination is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations for class 10, i.e., grade 10. It has been designed to provide an examination in a course of general education, in accordance with the recommendations of the New Education Policy 1986 (India), through the medium of English. The examination allows secure suitable representation of Governments responsible for schools (which are affiliated to it) in their States/Territories. Private candidates are not permitted to appear for this examination.
In all subjects other than Science and Computers, students must submit compulsory coursework assignments. In groups I and II they count for 20% of the student’s performance in the subject; in group III the assignments count for 50%. In Science and Computers, students are tested on their lab work.
In subjects where there is more than one paper, the mark in the subject is calculated by taking the average of all papers in the subject.
Filed under: Indian schools, India, Math, Science, Central Board of Secondary Education, Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, CBSE, ICSE, school, Children, bangalore schools, parents, syllabus, students, Bangalore
[…] Click here to continue reading. […]
Man Chitra, you are doing a tremendous job here… ever think of an Education Portal (info +++)?
My son goes to a CBSE school and I have a nephew who studies ICSE .. both in the same class…. ICSE is definitely more extensive in terms of portions… plus languages seem to be tougher…
At the end of the day, if one had to choose one over the other its very tough… I mean can you decide in Kindergarten that your kid needs to go to an IIT or do something else?
These days, decisions for schools need to be made not on syllabus (both CBSE and ICSE have their good points) but on convinience in terms of commute… I have a neighbour whose 8 year old commutes 1.5 hours EACH WAY.. just because the parents were fixated on a school and the syllabus..
My 2 cents
Thanks Vijay!
I know what you mean. A lot of people seem to want to make an educated choice. And my efforts are just to help them get some info. And preferably first hand from parents like yourself.
I would think your last 2 sentences will help somebody out there make certain decisions.
Thanks again!
hey,this really had me thinking :)when my kid joined school, i did’nt even consider this as an issue.i was looking more along the lines of the school being good.the previous school my kid went to , was cbse,but the teachers were really not upto the mark.kid too was not happy.when we changed the school ,it just happened to be icse.school is good ,kid is happy .i guess i should just leave it at that
i had a query though.one of my friend said that the child could always change to cbse (those interested in iits)and to sslc (for those interested in cet)for the 11th and 12th and that most kids do that.does this work ???
Hi Chitra,
Thanks for that informative post!. I am planning to R2I in Feb 2009. My son will be ready to join 1st standard next year. I hear that getting admission in to good schools(Kumaran’s, NPS, Venkat International) is very hard!!. Can you give me some pointers in that regard? Also I don’t want to send my son to the really expensive international schools(Aditi, NAFL, etc). But I understand transition from US schools with low teacher-student ratio to regular schools in India where there are atleast 40 students per class can be challenging. So I am looking for good CBSE schools where the student to teacher ratio is low (which is within the city limits preferably.). Do you know of any?
I am a frequent visitor to your blog and find lots of useful information here!. Keep up the good work !
- Lakshmi.
Hi Chitra,
Wonderful post. Well researched and very well balanced. Although not in India right now, I will have to make a comparison across the systems eventually, am bookmarking the post for future use.
Do you have any insights into the IB system?
You are doing a great job with this blog..I keep coming back for more..
best
Chandan
Dear Chitra
Thanks for this very extensive review.
I am probably confusing both syllabi but I feel that there is 1 or 2 issues at stake about languages also.
Some friends excluded one of the 2 syllabi as it included compulsorily hindi (CBSE probably ?). Since they are from South, they do not speak hindi and do not feel at ease with having their child studying it. This is to consider for non hindi speaking families.
Plus 1 of the 2 can include in an easier way (ICSE ?) non-Indian languages, which is also of importance in case of international relocation (Spanish or French rather than a second Indian language).
But these remarks may not be relevant anylonger with the mushrooming of private schools offering a large choice of languages.
All the best
@Lakshmi: Depends on where you reside… also transition at the 1st Grade level is not difficult… until Grade 5 teachers really ensure that the kids confidence gets build up (read not very strict in terms of marks etc)… its only after that it gets more competative… There are other good schools (local) in addition to the ones you mentioned… Aurobindo Memorial in Bsk 2nd Stage, Carmel School in Padmanabhanagar….However you are right, on an average, the Student Teacher Ratio is between 35-40 to 1.
cbse - competetively boring study exercise
icse - intense curriculum strenuous & exhaustive
sslc - study simple lovable curriculum
before starting school hunting, i asked my 2-yr-old son to pronounce CBSE, ICSE or SSLC. he uttered ‘S-S-L-C’ without any effort. that was how we chose which curriculum he would study!
jokes apart, very useful article, chitra. appreciate your efforts in getting the inputs.
Hi Chitra,
First my compliments on the writeup. I myself did a CBSE course, and largely for the same reason that it will help in higher studies, I put my son too in the same stream. But I didn’t know that ICSE is easier on maths and science. I found 11th and 12th tougher than 9th and 10th. My son has appeared for his 10th, and now, maybe for the right reasons, he wants to avoid CBSE, and instead take the local pre-university course. Your writeup will be an invaluable guide to parents.
PRADEEP
Wow Chitra, as someone said you should start a portal!
Am from an ICSE bakground and biased towards it. In fact for 11th and 12th did ISC-which is the natural continuation from ICSE rather than the state board., but offered by very few schools. It’s true that now (not in my day) one can choose to opt out of math and science. But one can always choose not to opt out-and certainly at the ISC level the math and science was pretty intensive and all my classmates who did it were able to hold their own against students from CBSE backgrounds. Languages are certainly strong at ICSE level, I did English, Hindi and French (literature and language) though I believe the standards have gone down.
Chitra
really your posts on schools in bangalore. and now on CBSE Vs ICSE are really very useful for parents who are planning to admit their child and are in dilema if they read these posts they can decide easily on what is needed based on their focus.
wonderful work and inputs from people who are exposed in these curriculam is very good.
vijay
agree people choose the schools of their choice and ignore the amount of stress they put on their own children. you choose the sylabus and choose the school which is good though not best in the vicinity which is 3 to 4 kms then it will be good for both
bellur
nimma mamuli hassya illiyu bandide and nivu maganannu SSLC hakiddu cheenagi bimbisiddiri
all the best
looking forward for other curriculams which are not familiar to me.
continue good work madam hats off to your efforts
Hi there:
Your post is really informative.
I will be r2i in Jul 2008 from Canada and curious on following for my currently in grade 8th (going to grade 9th) son.
1) Currently he has taken French as second language and likes to continue the same going forward. So, which education system (ICSE/CBSE/IB) offers alternate choices for second language?
Thanks
Regards,
Sushil
Shilpa, yeah, I kind of went with your kind of logic too. A school that we liked, it just so happened that the syllabus taught there was CBSE. As far as your question is concerned, if you mean moving from ICSE, yes that is what people agree upon. People do opt for ICSE in the beginning and then change to state or CBSE depending on the entrance exams they are aiming for.
Lakshmi, there are quite a few CBSE schools where the no.of students per class is under 30. And when the childrn are young, there are 2 teachers for the 30 students, so the ratio is 1 adult:!5 students, which works very well. One of them I know of is NPS, Koramangala. NPS, Indiranagar and Rajajinagar have a slightly more number of students per class. NPS is also starting a branch in HSR layout and I am sure their student to teacher ratio is going to be pretty good one. If I am not wrong, DPS maintains low no.of students per class too. The NPSes and the DPSes are on the expensive side, but def not as expensive as the international schools. Hope this helps.
Chandan, over a period of time, I will be covering about other syllabuses as well - IGCSE and IB. Thanks for appreciating.
Thanks for the participation, Anjali.
I don’t know if the Hindi thing is compulsory in CBSE schools. Will have to check on that.
Thanks Vijay.
RK,LOL Thanks for dropping by.
Thanks for your valuable words, Pradeep.
Thanks Mumbaigirl.
Also, I have noted down your points. I will ask around and check what the state is like today. Thanks again. 
Thank you Mr. Praneshachar.
Very kind of you.
Sushil, if I am not wrong all 3 of them (ICSE/CBSE/IB) offer French as a second language. It just depends on the school. I know NPS (CBSE) offers French, and I think Frank Anthony’s (ICSE) offers French. In IB, I am sure all schools offer multiple foreign languages as second languages. So, it should not be much of a hurdle. All the best.
Hi Chitra,
I am looking for a good school for my kids going in grade 8 and 4 in June 2008.We are relocating from Canada in June 2008.Your valuable comments and responce will be appriciated.We are moving specially for better education for kids,but with so many schools around and so many syllbus hard to choose right one,in such case your suggestion will be helpful to us.
Thanks
“ICSE syllabus is heavier on languages and apparently not as much on Math and Science.” - Not true. I did ICSE till 10th and CBSE in 11/12th. Most of the Math stuff I learnt in 11th was already covered by ICSE in 10th. And the strong PCM fundamentals I got in 8th-10th helped me prepare for and clear the JEE. I strongly reccomend ICSE.
Hi Chitra ! Thanks for all the info on CBSE & ICSE. I reside in Dubai. Like all , i too was in dilemma which curiculum to go for my daughter in near future .she is just 2yrs 7 months now. In dubai , there’s only one school which has ICse curiculum, ie Dubai Modern School. this just for info.
I have a query though, u said “Most of the Indian competitive exams are based on the CBSE syllabus.” CBSE also conducts the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) which is a common entrance examination on all-India basis for admission to engineering and architecture/planning programs in the country. Similarly Pre-medical and Pre-dental Tests AIPMT (PMT/PDT) are conducted for medical and dental colleges after the 10+2 exams
please confirm to me that if any student wants to go for Engineering, architecture or medical they need to switch to cbse syllabus even though thy are doing icse board?
what type of competative exams (like engineering, architecture, dental) icse passed student can give ?
Also , which entrance exams can a ICSE student give ? will it be easy for icse student to go for studies abroad ?
Hi Sulakshana
None of the entrance exam restrict students based on the board. So you can study any board ( CBSE,ICSE,State board) and will be eligible to write all of the entrance exams conducted by any institution / for any course in India.
The point was, some of the entrance exams conducted by certain boards are based on CBSE syllabus. This gives a edge for CBSE students over other board in cracking the exams. (Pls note again : Students of ICSE/State board are allowed to take these exams..If an ICSE student is prepared for the exam he still can pass through it with ease)
Hi Chitra,
Thank you so much for your excellent job! Every bit of your website if useful, I can’t thank you enough for doing such a favor for would-be movers.
My kids will be joining Indus International school for their 3rd and 5th grades soon & we’d be moving to B’lore in July. I’d like to know if there are different blog sites available for Indus International / Greenwood / Inventure academy etc. I’m very interested in hearing parents’ input about those schools. Please suggest me, if you are aware of any.
Thanks a lot!
Could you please find out for me if possible - when the NPS-HSR school is going to open-
We are not clear on the date of the reopen- We are travelling far just to join my kid there.
I thank you so much in advance …
Also will the NPS-HSR going to be ICSE or CBSE based..
Thanks
Sriram
Hi Deepa, what is a good school will depend largely on what your parameters are. Since your kids are older and have been going to school in Canada, international schools that have IGCSE syllabus will work well. Most of the schools that teach the IGCSE syllabus are really good and parents are happy with them. So, international schools are something that you can look into.
Thanks ‘name’ for your valuable feedback.
Sulakshana, the entrace exams are the same, just that the exams are based on the CBSE syllabus. I am sure kids who do ICSE can do well in these entrance exams. Hope this clarifies.
Thanks Sivabalan.
Amrutha, I have heard good things about all 3 schools. All of them are new and are the ‘new-age’ schools that encourage an all round development of the kids. That said, if I were you, I would probably pick ‘Indus’ over the other 2. This is just from talking to different people. But I must stress that all 3 have a satisfied customer base in the parents.
Sriram, the NPS-HSR is open for the 08-09 academic year. I know this because they did the admission process for the school in the end of ‘07. And it is a CBSE school, like the other NPSes. All the best!
Hi,
Could anyone make a comparision between National Hill view public school (CBSE) and New Baldwins school(ICSE). can anyone say about fee structure of NHVPS how much they keep increasing every year.
cheers!
Be it ICSE or CBSE, a solid preparation is important, more tests, teaching, practicing. ! site that does all this has come to my perview. Its called Extramarks. Chk it on http://www.extramarks.com/
Hi Chitra,
Great bits of info on your site. We’re planning to return to India from the UK next year. Kids will be going into Grade 5 and Grade 2. Would appreciate your opinion on a few poinst:
1. For kids that have grown up abroad (and of the age of my kids - 9 and 7), how feasible/sensible would it be to put them in the ‘normal’ Indian schools immediately, say NPS/DPS/Bethany/Baldwins etc? Would kids be able to cope with the mode of teaching, school atmosphere in these schools or should one consider a softer landing ground with new age/international schools?
2. Of the top grade international schools, what’s the main difference between indus and TISB (Is it the stress on academics) and which is better (have read views both for and against the two schools .. indus -management issues, too much focus on extra-curricular but friendlier towards parents; TISB - great acads, intl version of NPS, but v. arrogant towards parents and v. v. strict, read some stories about expelling kids at the smallest pretext, doesn’t allow mixing/friendships betwn girls and boys in senior school)
3. Which is better, greenwood or inventure? (again have heard about greenwood- good facilities but standard mode of teaching, mgmt issues; inventure - good facilities, not stressed atmosphere, but lack of discipline, not very acads oriented)
4. Any feedback on the following schools? Deens academy, Innisfree, BRIGADE, Prayag, Neev (Indranagar), TREAMIS, Ebenezer International.
A suggestion: Just like you’ve written a useful and comprehensive piece on CBSE vs. ICSE, a similar description of IGCSE and IB too would be very useful. Plus, explaining as to when do these syllabusses actually kick in - std 6 or 8 or 9?
cheers and thanks
Rekha
Hi Chitra,
Awesome …. excellent work
I myself am still in the dilemma of CBSE vs ICSE … but my 2 pence worth thought is as follows :
The child should have a good balance of curricular and extra curricular activities. With the kind of load (most parents of ICSE say this) that ICSE children face, I wonder if they would have time for extra-curricular. I myself studied in CBSE and I do agree that the syllabi is pretty much balanced.
Any other views ?
Cheers,
Sandeep (A Dad searching for CBSE school near whitefield area)
P.S : Pls let me know of any CBSE school around whitefield.
hi chitra, can i know which is the tough course either ISC or CBSE? and also which has more value outside the country?