ICSE vs ISC - Which is Better ?

ICSE vs ISC - Which is Better ?

Garima SihagUpdated on 11 Aug 2025, 05:59 PM IST

The terms ICSE and ISC represent two different exams of the same educational board. ICSE stands for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, which is the board examination for Class 10. ISC, on the other hand, stands for the Indian School Certificate, which is the board examination for Class 12. Both are administered by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE).

This Story also Contains

  1. Difference between ICSE and ISC
  2. ICSE Vs ISC: Curriculum and Subjects
  3. ICSE Vs ISC: Examination and Grading System
  4. ICSE vs ISC: Recognition and Higher Studies
ICSE vs ISC - Which is Better ?
ICSE vs ISC

Students who take the ICSE examination in Class 10 will then progress to the ISC program for Class 11 and 12, both under the CISCE board. The ICSE curriculum is designed to establish a broad academic foundation, while the ISC curriculum allows students to specialise in their chosen streams.

Difference between ICSE and ISC

Feature

ICSE

ISC

Class

10th

12th

Focus

Strong foundation across subjects

Depth in chosen stream (Science, Commerce, Arts)

Streams

No streams, fixed subjects with electives

Students choose specific streams/subjects

Compulsory Subjects

English + second language + others

English is compulsory

Marking Scheme

Percentile-based (subject-wise)

Subject-wise, with a focus on core subjects

Use

Mandatory for admission into Class 11

Used for college/university admissions

ICSE Vs ISC: Curriculum and Subjects

  • ICSE (Class 10): The ICSE curriculum focuses on a broad range of subjects. Students are required to study a variety of subjects across different groups, including English, a second language, History, Civics, Geography, Mathematics, and Science. The curriculum also gives importance to English literature, often including classic plays by authors like Shakespeare.

  • ISC (Class 12): At this level, students choose a stream (Science, Commerce, or Humanities) and select a combination of subjects. English is a compulsory subject, and students can choose from a wide array of elective subjects. The ISC curriculum is designed to develop in-depth critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills. It is often seen as a good foundation for higher education, both in India and abroad

ICSE Vs ISC: Examination and Grading System

  • Assessment: Both ICSE and ISC focus on internal assessments, which are integrated with the final external board examinations. This often includes practical work, projects, and assignments. For some subjects in ICSE, the internal assessment can make up to 50% of the total marks.

  • Grading: Both examinations use a nine-point grading scale for external exams, where grades 1 and 2 represent "Very Good" and grades 8 and 9 indicate failure. Internal assessments are often graded on a letter scale (A to E). To pass, a student must secure a minimum of 35% in each subject

ICSE vs ISC: Recognition and Higher Studies

  • Both ICSE and ISC are widely recognised and accepted by universities in India and internationally.

  • The ISC certificate is considered equivalent to a Class 12 board certificate from any other Indian board (like CBSE) and is accepted for admission into undergraduate programs at Indian colleges.

  • For students aspiring to study abroad, particularly in the UK, the ICSE certificate (Class 10) is often considered equivalent to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), and the ISC certificate (Class 12) can be regarded as equivalent to Scottish Highers.

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Questions related to ICSE 10th

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to ICSE 10th ?

If you have completed your class 11 in the commerce stream from ICSE school, then the easiest option for you is to continue class 12th in the same school, as it avoids extra paperwork and adjustment challenges. However, if you wish to change your board, like CBSE , then you will need a transfer certificate, Class 11th marksheet and a migration certificate.

Hello Rohan,

Don’t worry. If your father’s title and birth month are correct in the registration form, then there will be no problem in your board exams or entry to the exam centre.

The school ID card is only for school use, it is not checked in the exam centre. What matters is the details in your ICSE registration and admit card.

Still, you can inform your school to correct the ID card for future records.

Hope it helps !

Hello

A minor typo like writing "ICSC" instead of "ICSE" in your IB ACIO application form is generally not a serious issue, especially since you've already contacted the helpdesk and taken the right step to correct it. If the rest of your details like your marks, year, and roll number, are accurate and verifiable, such a small error is unlikely to lead to disqualification. However, keep any official documents and your helpdesk communication safe for future reference, especially during document verification.

we are providing a guide for ICSE Class 10 exam preparation. Inculcating these ICSE 10th preparation.
you can referr to this link :
https://school.careers360.com/boards/cisce/icse-10th-preparation-tips

Yes, if you have qualified your class 10th from the ICSE board , and class 12th from the BOSSE board, then you are definitely eligible to take admission in college. The admission process generally depends on the eligibility criteria of the colleges. Most of the reputed colleges require students to qualify their class 10 and 12 from any recognised board with a specific passing percentage. You can connect with the colleges or universities to understand the admission process to know more.