Confused about which education board would better suit your child?
Look no further because this article will speak to you about the four major education boards and curricula offered in the Indian schools i.e. CBSE, CISCE, IB, and Cambridge International. We will be comparing each board system comprehensively which will help you make the right choice and decide for your child’s future.
At the end of this article, you will also have a profound idea of how these curricula stack up against each other and which one could be a better fit for your child, so don’t forget to read the article till the end.
Although we are not going to bore you with the basics today, if you have no idea about the four education boards of India, make sure to visit our previous blog “Education Boards in India – Every Student’s Guide Book”, so that this article can be understood much better.
Now we will be using some standard criteria to make objective comparisons among these four curricula which can be an easy reference as well as aid in quick decision making on your part.
We are also going to provide subject-wise differences in all four boards so you can see the subject options that students have in each board system.
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CBSE |
CISCE | IB |
Cambridge |
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| Year Of Establishment |
1962 |
1958 | 1968 |
1858 |
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| Number of Schools in India |
Over 21,270 |
Over 2300 | Over 190 |
Over 420 |
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| Class 9th and 10th Exam or Certificate |
AISSE |
ICSE | MYP |
IGCSE or ‘O’ Level |
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| Class 11th and 12th Exam or Certificate |
AISSCE |
ISC | IB Diploma |
A Level (AS and A2) |
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| Cost Factor |
Lowest, since government schools included |
Higher but comparable to CBSE | Highest since charges approx. INR 30,00,000 for affiliation |
Lower than IB |
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| Student Suitability |
Science & Maths focussed theory-based curriculum and is for students who are more focused on the annual exams and college entrance exams |
For students who wish to study different subject combinations beyond Maths and Science | For students who wish to be all-rounders i.e. have equal exposure and knowledge of all subjects |
For students who desire to specialize in a chosen domain i.e. focus on certain subjects where the student’s interests or aptitude apply |
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| School Infrastructure |
Facilities as per School location and preference |
Facilities as per School location and preference | Physical + Virtual learning environments including studios, laboratories, IT facilities, library, and counseling resources |
Physical + Virtual learning environments including studios, laboratories, IT facilities, library, and counseling resources |
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| Pedagogy |
The focus of teachers is to prepare students for the year-end examinations, however, students are encouraged to share learnings from the textual material taught. |
The focus of teachers is more on concepts and their application while having an equal focus on all subjects. Internal assessments are important and more emphasis is laid on lab work. | Teachers can design their curriculum and come up with the best methods to deliver including a cross-functional approach. |
Teachers are not required to design their curriculum. It is more syllabus-driven and focussed more on the result of the examination. |
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| Subject Choice Flexibility |
Scholastic and Co-Scholastic areas are defined. Subject choices provided in pre-decided Streams – Medical, Non-Medical, Commerce, Humanities |
3 compulsory subjects in 9th & 10th (2 languages + History, Civics & Geography) and English compulsory in 11th & 12th. The remaining subjects are chosen from school electives. | Students have to choose subjects from 6 subject groups (2 languages, science, mathematics, Individuals & Societies, Arts) |
Greater flexibility to choose a subject combination from 5 subject groups (Health and Social education, Social, Environmental, Learning, Intelligence) |
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| Difficulty Level |
Basic and Advanced levels introduced in Mathematics. To be applied to other subjects soon. |
Difficult curriculum since the high focus on internal assessments and more subjects than other boards | The flexibility is given to study standard and advanced level of a course |
Higher flexibility is given to the student in choosing the difficulty level of a subject |
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| Focus On Extracurricular Activities (ECA) |
Yoga, Sports, and other extracurriculars have been introduced to ensure the holistic development of a student but not emphasized. |
Higher emphasis on ECA | No emphasis on ECA |
No emphasis on ECA |
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CBSE |
CISCE | IB |
Cambridge |
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| 9th-10th Grade
How Subjects Are Chosen? |
Five subjects + Art Education + Health & Physical Education + Option for 6th Elective or Vocational Subject |
Group 1 Subjects Compulsory
+ 2 subjects from Group 2 + 1 subject from Group 3 + SUPW + Community Service |
One subject to be chosen from SIX Subject Groups
+ Interdisciplinary unit involving at least two subject groups + Long-term Project |
2 languages + 1 subject from FIVE subject groups. IGCSE offers core + extended with 70 subject options. GCE ‘O’ Level offers only Core with 40 subject options for lower difficulty levels. |
| 9th-10th Grade
Subject Options |
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Group1:
Group 2: Maths, Science, Economics and other theory subjects Group 3: Application-based subjects |
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| 11th-12th Grade
How Subjects Are Chosen? |
Subjects Options given according to the chosen STREAM + Co-Scholastic |
English
+ 5 Elective Subjects + SUPW + Community Service |
One subject to be chosen from SIX Subject Groups
+ Theory of Knowledge (TOK) + Extended Essay (EA) + Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) |
6 subjects to be chosen from FOUR subject groups |
| 11th – 12th Grade
Subject Options |
MEDICAL (PCB + English + 5th Elective) NON-MEDICAL (PCM + English + 5th Elective) COMMERCE (Economics + Business Studies + Accountancy + English) HUMANITIES (History + Political Science + Sociology + English + 5th Elective) |
Group of different subjects in fields of
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Total option of 55 subjects |
I hope this article gave you an extensive insight into the education boards provided in Indian schools. This article is aimed to assist you in informed decision-making regarding your child’s education and the board you choose for them. We have not been able to list down all the subject options provided under each of these boards. If you are interested to know more about your subject choices in 9th and 11th grade, no matter which board you study in, we are here to help you gain solid information about the same. You can contact us for Subject Selection through the “Book Counseling Session” button for wider knowledge-based consultation.
