– Baishali Mukherjee

Changes are afoot in the upcoming ICSE and ISC board exams to increase subject matter proficiency. According to the developments in the recent conference of the Association of ISC Schools, under the CISCE board, in Bhubaneswar, competency-based questions may account for 25% of the total questions in 2025, 40%, in 2026 and 50% by 2027. Changes are being incorporated to discourage rote learning which till now was the key medium to score well in the board exams. Henceforth, those with higher proficiency in the subjects and having the ability to think critically, will be able to perform better. The trend was noticed in this year’s question pattern as well. 

Participating in the conference, Joseph Emmanuel, Secretary of CISCE, said, “In the coming days, the examination process and curriculum will align more closely with the National Education Policy, with some changes being introduced as well.”

According to the academia, questions will not be straightforward but rather indirect. However, students need not panic unnecessarily, as sample questions have been provided on the board’s website. By practicing them, the students will get a clear idea of the question patterns. Additionally, there will be separate assessments for students in Classes 3, 5, and 8. For Classes 5 and 8, questions will be based on English, Mathematics, and Science. These assessments will help determine a student’s preferences and potential areas of study for higher education.

In West Bengal, the state education departments have instructed schools to prepare holistic report cards starting next year. Aligning with this directive, principals of schools under the CISCE board in the state have also agreed to create holistic report cards for their students. Until now, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics were offered as subjects in Classes 9 and 10. Based on their growing demand, these subjects will also be introduced as separate courses for Classes 11 and 12 from next year.

Also read: ICSE exams to start on February 18 and ISC on February 13