CBSE Board vs ICSE Board

When selecting a school for your child to commence their academic journey at, one of the most important aspects to consider is the curriculum. With the establishment of international schools in various cities across India, it has become harder for parents to distinguish between the various educational boards and decide which would be the right one for their child. While international curriculums like the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) have seen great acceptance amongst Indian parents and students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) remain the most popular options even today. Let’s take a closer look at each of these boards and understand what distinguishes them from each other.

Established in 1958, the ICSE is governed by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), which conducts examinations at Class 10 and 12 levels. The CBSE, on the other hand, is governed by the Union Government of India and is offered by both public and private schools across India. If you do a quick Google search for ‘best school close to me’, most of the options you’ll get in the search engine results are likely to be ICSE and CBSE schools. So, what sets them apart from each other?

In terms of the syllabus, ICSE lays more stress on management, literature and arts, whereas CBSE focuses more on traditional subjects like Science and Maths. As a result, CBSE students are more equipped to handle competitive exams like the IIT-JEE and AIPMT. Also, the syllabus and grading mechanisms of these exams are similar to those of the CBSE. So, if your child aspires to be a doctor or an engineer, you should definitely enrol him/her in the best CBSE school in Mumbai. ICSE students tend to score well at exams like the IELTS, TOEFL and scholarship exams that test aptitude, language and reasoning skills.

ICSE follows the traditional system of marking, where scores and percentages are given to students. In some cases, internal components form 50% of the grade while in others, they form 20% of the grade. CBSE, however, follows a system of grading, similar to that followed by international schools that offer the IB curriculum. Many parents and even education experts believe that giving grades instead of marks to students helps reduce the pressure on them and helps make the level of competition healthy rather than ugly.

CBSE is a more inclusive board as compared to ICSE. The medium of instruction for the former can be Hindi or English, while ICSE can be taught only in English. Also, many public schools in India offer the CBSE curriculum, which is not the case with ICSE. The best CBSE school in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata will most likely offer significant need-based and merit-based scholarships in a bid to provide education to all.

Last but not the least, the CBSE is affiliated to a much larger number of schools as compared to the ICSE. This makes it the preferred option for children whose parents have jobs that require them to move cities every few years. So, now that you have all the information you need about the ICSE and the CBSE, you can get started with your hunt for the right school for your child by typing phrases like ‘best school close to me’ in the search bar of your favourite search engine.