ICSE Exam Pattern 2026: Council of Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) released the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE exam pattern 2026. The exam pattern outlines the overall exam structure. Students preparing for ICSE board exam must go through the ICSE 10th exam pattern. Besides, they should also solve as many ICSE question papers of previous years’ for better preparation. Read below for more details on ICSE exam pattern.
- Overview of ICSE 10th Exam Pattern 2026
- ICSE Exam Pattern 2026: Subject wise weightage
- Marking Scheme for ICSE Exams
- ICSE Exam Sections and Important Topics
- FAQs on ICSE Exam Pattern 2026
Overview of ICSE 10th Exam Pattern 2026
The overview of ICSE Exam Pattern 2026 is given below.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name of Exam |
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education |
| Conducting Body |
Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) |
| Frequency of Conduct |
Once a year |
| Exam Level |
Matriculate |
| Exam Duration |
3 hours |
| Mode of Examination |
Offline (Pen and Paper) |
| Official Website |
cisce.org |
| Subjects Covered |
English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Second Language, Computer Applications, Commercial Studies, and others |
| Type of Questions |
Objective, Short Answer, and Long Answer |
| Marking Scheme |
80 marks for Theory and 20 marks for internal assessment |
| Passing Criteria |
Minimum 33% marks in each subject |
Also read: Quick prep tips to score above 90% in CISCE 10th, 12th exams
Commonly asked questions
Students must note that in order to pass ICSE Board Exams 2026, students must score a minimum of 35 per cent in aggregate and per subject to pass. The official websites reads, “STATEMENT OF MARKS will be issued to all students who appeared for the examination. The pass marks for each subject is 35%.”
ICSE 2026 exam pattern for Group-III subjects like Physical Education and Fashion Designing has 6-mark questions.
- The total marks allotted to these questions are 24.
- Such questions test the students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- The questions will be based on practical and theoretical knowledge.
- Students are advised to allocate sufficient time to answer these questions.
- The questions will be from the entire syllabus, and candidates must be familiar with all the topics.
- It is essential to answer all parts of the question to score maximum marks.
- The questions will evaluate the students' understanding, application, and analysis of the subject.
ICSE Exam Pattern 2026: Subject wise weightage
The subject-wise weightage as per ICSE exam pattern is given below.
| Groups | Subjects |
|---|---|
| Group-I – 80% exam + 20% internal assessment | History Civics Geography English Second Language |
| Group-II – 80% exam + 20% internal assessment | Physics Mathematics |
| Group-III – 50% external exam + 50% internal exam | Performing Arts Computer Applications Commercial Applications Economic Applications Arts Yoga Cookery Physical Education Fashion Designing Environmental Applications Technical Drawing Applications Home Science Modern foreign language |
Also Read: ICSE specimen question papers 2026
Commonly asked questions
Students must remember to carry the ICSE 10th admit card 2026 along with the important stationery like pens, pencils, ruler, geometry box etc. It is important that they do not forget the ICSE admit card 2026 Class 10 or they will not be allowed to write the exam.
The Ministry of Education plans to conduct all national and state board exams including ICSE board exam twice a year from the session 2025-26. Both the terms will be conducted offline or in pen and paper format. However, there is a possibility that term 1 exams will objective in nature while Term 2 exam will be subjective in nature.
The Board will release an official notification regarding the same very soon on the official website.
Students must note the subject-wise ICSE passing marks in ICSE. To acquire the pass certificate, students must score at least 35% in 5 subjects out of 6 and achieve an aggregate mark of 33% as the passing marks out of 100 in ICSE. The ICSE passing marks out of 80 is 26.
Marking Scheme for ICSE Exams
The marking scheme of ICSE (CISCE Class 10) is given below:
- Group 1 is Compulsory for all
- Students may select any 2 subjects from group 2 and any 1 subject from group 3.
Group 1
| Subject Name |
Percentage Marks - External Exams (%) |
Percentage Marks-Internal Exams (%) |
|---|---|---|
| English |
80 |
20 |
| Second Language |
80 |
20 |
| History, Civics & Geography |
80 |
20 |
| Environmental Science |
80 |
20 |
Group 2:
| Subject Name |
Percentage Marks-External Exams (%) |
Percentage Marks-Internal Exams (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics |
80 |
20 |
| Science |
80 |
20 |
| Economics |
80 |
20 |
| Commercial Studies |
80 |
20 |
| Technical Drawing |
80 |
20 |
| A modern Foreign Language |
80 |
20 |
| Classical Language |
80 |
20 |
| Computer Science |
80 |
20 |
| Environmental Science |
80 |
20 |
| Agricultural Science |
80 |
20 |
Group 3
| Subject Name |
Percentage Marks-External Exams (%) |
Percentage Marks-Internal Exams (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Applications |
50 |
50 |
| Economic Applications |
50 |
50 |
| Commercial Applications |
50 |
50 |
| Art |
50 |
50 |
| Performing Arts |
50 |
50 |
| Home Science |
50 |
50 |
| Cookery |
50 |
50 |
| Fashion Designing |
50 |
50 |
| Physical Education |
50 |
50 |
| Yoga |
50 |
50 |
| Technical Drawing Applications |
50 |
50 |
| Environmental Applications |
50 |
50 |
| A Modern Foreign Language |
50 |
50 |
Commonly asked questions
Students must note the subject-wise ICSE passing marks in ICSE. To acquire the pass certificate, students must score at least 35% in 5 subjects out of 6 and achieve an aggregate mark of 33% as the passing marks out of 100 in ICSE. The ICSE passing marks out of 80 is 26.
Yes, the books prescribed by the CISCE includes all the topics mentioned in the ICSE syllabus. Students must go throtugh these books thoroughly before picking up ay other reference book.
ICSE Exam Sections and Important Topics
ICSE exam is divided into three groups. There are compulsory and optional subjects. The sections of the exam are given below.
| Groups | Subjects |
|---|---|
| Group I (Compulsory) | English, Second Language, and History/Civics/Geography |
| Group II (Optional) | Students must select at least two from Mathematics, Science, Economics, and Commercial Studies |
| Group III (Optional) | Applied subjects like Computer Applications, Physical Education, or Art |
Section-Wise Important Topics
1. Science
- Physics: Work, Energy and Power, Light (Refraction, Lenses), Sound, Current Electricity.
- Chemistry: Periodic Table, Chemical Bonding, Acid, Bases & Salts, Mole Concept, and Organic Chemistry.
- Biology: Cell Division, Plant Physiology (Photosynthesis), Human Anatomy (Circulatory, Excretory, and Nervous systems).
2. Mathematics
- Section A (40 Marks): Basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry.
- Section B (40 Marks): Mensuration, Trigonometry (Heights and Distances), Ratio and Proportion, Matrices, and Circles.
3. History, Civics & Geography
- Civics: The Union Legislature, The Union Executive, and The Judiciary.
- History: The Indian National Movement (1857-1947), The First and Second World Wars, and the United Nations.
- Geography: Map work (Topographical sheets), Location & Extent of India, Climate, Soil Resources, and Natural Vegetation.
4. English
- English Language (Paper 1): Compositions (Narrative, Descriptive, Argumentative), letter writing, and unseen comprehension.
- English Literature (Paper 2): Critical analysis of prose and poetry.
FAQs on ICSE Exam Pattern 2026
Students can check the FAQs on ICSE exam pattern 2026 below:
There is no information about ICSE 10th exams going digital this year. In case this happens, the board will inform if any changes are made in the ICSE exam pattern.
The Council will conduct ICSE exams 2026 in pen and paper format from February 17 and March 30, 2026. Students must go through the detailed ICSE syllabus and exam pattern to know the topics, units to study and to know the marking scheme, the difficulty level and more.
ICSE Class 10 result 2026 was released online on the official website cisce.org. The results can also be checked via SMS and DigiLocker app. To check the ICSE result 2026 via SMS, students need to send a message in the format-
Students need to type ICSE to 09248082883.
Students must note that they will need to collect the original marksheet from school after a few days of the announcement of the result.
Yes, the online ICSE report card is valid. You may also go to Digilocker and extract your ICSE 10th result 2026 from there. It is electronically signed and valid as the original hard copy.
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ICSE Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 months ago
ICSE gives 80% weightage to theory exam and 25% to internal assessments for more subjects (Groups I & II). Students must pass with at least 33% per subject and 35% in subjects with practicals.
J
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 months ago
After ICSE result is out, students must check details carefully. In case of any error, they must report to examination authority. Students who are not satisfied with their results can apply for re-evaluation and re-checking. If any student fails in one or two subjects, they can apply for the compart
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 months ago
A score above 90% is considered outstanding. A score between 80 to 90% is excellent. Score between 75 to 80% is also good.
C
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 months ago
ICSE 10th result comprises student name, UID, index number, subject-wise marks, total marks, and qualifying status. It displays results for the best five subjects. This includes English and overall percentage.
R
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 months ago
ICSE 10th result 2026 is declared online. Students need to check their results by logging with the roll number. They can also check their results through SMS, Digilocker.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Students are required to secure 35% to pass the ICSE Class 10 board exam 2026. The subjects follow an 80:20 evaluation pattern. A total of 80 marks is allotted to the external board exam and 20 to the internal assessment.
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 months ago
ICSE 10th result 2026 was announced on April 30. The result was announced online. Students could check it by logging with the required details.
S
Contributor-Level 8
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What is the marking scheme of ICSE? How are scores calculated?