Difference between various boards available to select.... ICSE, CBSE, IGCSE,IB. CBSE: The Central Board of Secondary Education is an eminent board of school education in India. The CBSE prepares the syllabus for classes 9 to 12 in schools affiliated with it. It conducts two major examinations every year, the All India Secondary School Examination (AISSE) for class 10 and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) for class 12, which is a school-leaving examination. Many private schools within and outside India are afiilicated to CBSE. The medium for education prescribed by CBSE is either English or Hindi. For class 10, students have to study 5 sujects for 500 marks. The CBSE also conducts the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), which is a common entrance examination conducted on all-India basis for admission to engineering and architecture/planning programmes in the country. Similarly Pre-medical and Pre-dental Tests AIPMT (PMT/PDT) are conducted for medical and dental colleges. 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. 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. Private candidates are not permitted to appear for this examination. In all subjects other than science and computers, students must submit compulsory course-work assignments. In groups I and II, they count for 20% of the students performance in the subject; in group III, the assignments count for 50% of the performance. In science and computers, students are tested on their lab work. In subjects with more than one paper, the mark in the subject is calculated by taking the average of all papers in the subject. Overall, students have to study 11 subjects. IGCSE: The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is designed as a 2-yr curriculum programme leading to a certificate internationally recognised as an equivalent of the British GCSE and International GCE O Level examinations. The IGCSE provides a foundation for high-level courses, such as the North American Advanced Placement Test (APT), International Baccalaureate (IB); GCE A levels and the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), which has been designed as a pre-university course of study progressive from IGCSE. The AICE and the IGCSE together constitute a fully-integrated curriculam for students in their last four years of secondary education. The IGCSE and the AICE are administered by the University of Cambridge, England. It covers subjects from a variety of areas, including languages, Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Creative, Technical and Vocational. Most OGCSE subjects offer a choice of core or extended papers in Cambridge, and foundation or higher papers in Edexcel. This is designed to make IGCSE suitable for students with varying levels of ability. In some subjects, IGCSE can be taken with or without coursework, making it suitable for schools with less specialised staff. The IGCSE allows teaching to be placed in a localised context, making it relevant in different regions. It is intended to be suitable for students whose first language may not be English and this is acknowledged throughout the examination progress. Council for Indian Certificate of Secondary Education The subjects that are offered are divided into three groups. Group I includes Compulsory Subjects - English, History, Civics & Geography, and Indian Language, Group II which includes any two from Mathematics, Science, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Agricultural Science, Commercial Studies, Technical Drawing, A Modern Foreign Language, A Classical Language and Economics, and Group III has any one from Computer Applications, Economic Applications, Commercial Applications, Art, Performing Arts, Home Science, Cookery, Fashion Designing, Physical Education, Technical Drawing Applications, Yoga, and Environmental Applications. All subjects have components of internal assessment, that are carried out by schools, on the basis of assignments/project work, practicals and coursework. There is 20% weightage for internal assessment in group I and II and 50% weightage for group III. In subjects where there are more than one paper(E.g., Science), the marks obtained in the subject are calculated by taking the average of all the papers in the subject. Candidates appearing for the examination have to study six subjects, with anywhere from 1 to 3 papers in each subject. For subject HC&G the paper 1 consists of History & Civics and paper 2 consists of Geography. Science consists of 3 papers each for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. This makes for a total of 8-11 papers, depending on the subjects. The syllabus followed by the ICSE board is more comprehensive and complete, encompassing all fields with equal importance. ICSE has more balanced Syllabus for childs overall growth Students who are interested in careers in the lines of management and humanities will find the curriculum followed under ICSE to be more interesting and challenging, not to mention fruitful. Certification under the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education board will be recognized around the world, particularly by foreign schools and universities when compared to the central boards local margin. Due to the emphasis laid on English in ICSE, students from this board may hold a slight edge over other students in exams like TOEFL. Syllabus followed by the ICSE board is more comprehensive and complete, which gives all fields with equal importance. (like - science, maths, language, arts, home science, agriculture, fashion design,cookery). By choosing ICSE you are giving opportunity for your child to work on his overall growth. ICSE prefers to give more practical knowledge and teach better analytical skills Compare to CBSE, ICSE is more towards giving practical knowledge to the students. They taught their syllabus theoretical a well as practical. This gives students effective understanding of subject and learn better analytical skills. In ICSE student has more Subjects Flexibility. ICSE is having advantage here. Students in ICSE can choose different subjects. They could select vocational courses as per their interest. In CBSE students have to follow more pure academic subjects. ICSE prefers more student Assessments. In ICSE (internal) assessments are very important. More practical tests are conducted with all the subjects and scores. ICSE gives more preference to lab work it is more practical oriented. The way ICSE syllabus, its subjects and teaching methodology is designed it will be more helpful for students who wants to pursue their carriers in management streams. ICSE certificate will be recognised around the world. Certificate given by ICSE to the students will be recognized more around the world as compare to CBSE. Overall syllabus (like languages) of ICSE will give slight upper hand in english to their students. This will help them some exams which are based on english. Cons: Students may find the syllabus to be too extensive for their liking, as an average student practising under an ICSE board will face thirteen subjects/examinations during the sixth grade, when compared to the six subjects faced by the students counterpart in a CBSE affiliated school. Although an ICSE syllabus can facilitate deeper understanding and better life skills and analytical skills, pursuing further education may prove to be a problem due to a lack of leniency in evaluating papers after an ISC examination. IGCSE offers a wider range of subjects. It has set high academic standards. Practical approach to teaching and learning. Assessment not limited to conventional written papers. Variety of tests are included e.g. oral and listening tests. There is an eight-point grading scale, from A+ to G, with A+ being the highest. Curriculum is balanced. Flexible course of study. Most subjects offer a choice between core curriculum and extended curriculum. The final evaluation process in the Board is carried out taking into consideration the written tests, course work, projects, assignments and laboratory works. How does this help the students? Students of all ability levels have the freedom to choose subjects that are right for them. This presents a wonderful chance to get good scores. The core curriculum is an overview of the subject. Curriculum vs Extended Curriculum The curriculum is suitable for students who are expected to achieve grades C to G .The extended curriculum is, sort of, a specialisation in that subject. It is more challenging and designed for students who are expected to achieve grades A+ to C. There are five Subject Groups in IGCSE with several subjects to choose from, in each group: Group 1: Languages (First Language, Second Language, Foreign Language, etc) Group 2: Humanities and Social Sciences (Geography, English Literature, History, etc) Group 3: Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc) Group 4: Mathematics (Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, etc) Group 5: Creative, Technical & Vocational (Accounting, Business Studies, Computer Studies, Music, etc) For each subject, the certificate merely indicates the grades scored, and not pass or fail. Five scores of C or higher indicates a students readiness to pursue +2 level qualifications, like the Class 12 CBSE, IB Diploma, Advanced Placement Diploma (US), etc. IGCSE develops and encourages vital educational skills, including oral skills, investigative skills, problem solving, team work, recall of knowledge, and initiative. IGCSE students can take advantage of the Cambridge Checkpoint, a diagnostic service comprising of standardised tests that highlights students strengths and weaknesses in key curriculum areas. The assessment is aimed at a wide ability range of students, with an eight-point grading scale, from A+ to G, with A+ being the highest. IGCSE is a balanced curriculum and a flexible course of study. Most subjects offer a choice between core curriculum and extended curriculum. This gives students of all ability levels the freedom to choose subjects that are right for them and, thereby, the opportunity to score good grades. The core curriculum is an overview of the subject and is suitable for students who are expected to achieve grades C to G. The extended curriculum is, sort of, a specialisation in that subject. It is more challenging and designed for students who are expected to achieve grades A+ to C. What is the International Certificate of Education (ICE) that is awarded to some IGCSE students? The ICE is more prestigious than the standard IGCSE. Instead of the five papers needed to obtain the IGCSE, if a student attempts and passes seven or more papers, s/he is awarded the ICE. The seven subjects must be as follows: Two subjects from the language group One from each of the other four groups One more from any of the five groups Parents have to choose the board for their children based up on what future you aspires for your child. Parents always have concern with quality of education. You should identify the best school for your child who will give him quality education. Which means for you selecting right school should be on priority instead of selecting right board for your child. Both these boards share an equal amount of pros and cons, and choosing the right board will entirely depend on the kind of future you envision for your children. The quality of education provided under both boards is excellent, so all youll need to do is assess your childrens strengths and gauge the right board for them. However, youll need to keep in mind that more than the board of education involved; the quality of education that your children are receiving should be your primary concern. This is why it is more important to choose a very good school, regardless of the board of education it falls under. Opting for a CBSE school has its own share of pros, and the biggest advantage is that all major competitive examinations in India are based on the CBSE syllabus. These examinations include the Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE), the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and the All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT). Amit M Shah 09323728375
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 09:19:22 +0000
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