Syllabus options: State Board vs ICSE vs CBSE vs IGCSE.

Syllabus options: State Board vs ICSE vs CBSE vs IGCSE.

First let me outline the structure of syllabus options. In Bangalore, from LKG to 10th Grade, there are four options :

• State Board
• ICSE - Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
• CBSE - Central Board of Secondary Education
• IGCSE - International General Certificate of Secondary Education

For 11th and 12th Grade, there are the also five options with some changes: 

• State Board is mainly called PUC - Pre - University Course
• ICSE becomes ISC (Short for CISCE - Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations
• CBSE
• IGCSE - International General Certificate of Secondary Education
• IB -  International Baccalaureate

I realize that IB is also there for LKG to 10th Grade, but in Bangalore, most schools teach IGCSE from LKG to 10th, then IB for 11th and 12th.

There are massive differences between LKG to 10th and 11th to 12th Grade, since the real preparation for college starts in 11th Grade. This differences involving entrance exams, coaching centers and other things which aren't related to Board studies, are highlighted in a later post, High School Years.

Since I have been in ICSE for 5 years and ISC for 2 years, I can elaborate most on them. However I have interacted with people from various boards and so I'll go over their pros and cons based on this experience: 

State Board: 

PROS: School fees are very low. As state syllabus gives preference for local issues, it is convenient for those students who want to write state-level entrance examinations. Exams are easier. Some schools heavily focus on entrance exams. *

CONS: Schools are run by government and aren’t usually in good condition. No infrastructure, small play areas, shabby classrooms. The students are usually taught to follow the process of by-hearting. Basic facilities are less. Extracurricular activities are less. Syllabus is often outdated. Students find it tough to compete with CBSE Board and other Boards’ students in 12th Grade Indian entrance exams like NEET (Medical) and JEE (Engineering). Would be quite difficult to attempt SAT, ACT, and other foreign exams.

In my opinion, an NRI returnee shouldn't go for State Board. Of all the NRI returnees I know, nobody has taken this option, because there is an enormous gap between American schools and State Board schools in India. The only significant pro is the fees, but most NRI returnees can afford better schools. For me, the con that settles it, is the last point. I mentioned in an earlier post, that SAT exams were important for NRI returnees. Usually students who follow State Board don't have the best English, as compared to other Boards. Since SAT contains English, it will be more difficult for them. The final verdict for State Board is a 2/10. 
* - This isn't necessarily a pro or a con. It depends on the student; if he/she can handle these types of schools, namely, Narayana and Chaitanya Schools. More details about this in a later post, High School Years.

CBSE:

PROS: School fees are relatively low. Exams are easier than ICSE exams. CBSE schools use NCERT books, which is also what entrance exams like JEE base their exams off of. Majority of schools are CBSE schools, showing its popularity and regard.

CONS: Schools are in worse condition than ICSE or IB schools but better than State Board schools.  Books are often outdated, extra reference books may be required. Math and science are given priority, other subjects not so much. It is possible to do good in SAT, but other Boards have more advantage. A downside of the popularity is that there is more competition.

In my opinion, it isn't a bad decision to go for CBSE, and it is the most popular Board because it is successful. The majority of students going to IIT's, NIT's and top medical colleges in India are usually from CBSE. This is because of the number of people from CBSE as well as the fact that CBSE has the same syllabus as entrance exams. Subject matter is similar to ICSE, but a little lower in difficulty. So for grades 1 to 10, I feel that CBSE is an alright choice, if you're willing to settle for a slightly lower level of education, counteracted by the lower fees. However, I felt that 12th Grade CBSE has a greater difference when compared to ISC or IB 12th Grade. This topic is discussed further down in the post, because it will make more sense after reading the pros and cons of ISC and IB. The final verdict for CBSE is a 6/10.

ICSE / ISC:

PROS: Teachers and management are often better in these schools than CBSE or Government schools. Classrooms, playgrounds, and facilities are usually in good condition. Syllabus content is at a good level in ICSE and can be an advantage. Wide range of subjects, with equal importance to all. ISC suggests schools to follow NCERT books which are helpful for entrance exams. ICSE is popular among many NRI students. ISC is rather small, but this means there is less competition.

CONS: Fees are high. Less importance given to entrance exams. English is more difficult than CBSE, State Boards. No special importance given to SAT’s but ICSE students find them easier than CBSE students.

In my opinion, if you're an NRI student, wishing to pursue further studies in India itself, then ICSE is probably the best option. Although it isn't as popular as CBSE, it is still widely reputed. Compared to CBSE the exams are slightly more difficult, but ICSE has one advantage when it comes to exams: choice. For example, in 10th Grade Maths, in Section B, you are only required to attempt 4 questions out of the given 7 questions, whereas these types of choices are not provided by CBSE. However, ISC follows the CBSE pattern (less choice), but questions have greater difficulty. For NRI students pursuing engineering in India, the SAT exams are a boon, but State Boards, CBSE nor ICSE specially prepares you for SAT's. However, it is to be noted that, since the standard of education, especially English, in ICSE is higher, students from ICSE tend to do better in these exams. In all ICSE is almost a perfect option. Final verdict for ICSE is 8.5/10.

Now, ISC is for 11th and 12th Grade. There are a few facts that are important to remember here. First, the number of people in ISC is low: 80,000 in ISC compared to 11,00,000 in CBSE. This implies less competition, which is a pro. However, putting it bluntly, ISC is harder than CBSE and even ICSE. The difficulty is not about passing (which is fairly easy), its about getting high enough marks, such as 80's and 90's. If you chose the stream that's correct for you, and if you feel that you can do well enough, then ISC is a good choice. However, I've seen many people take science stream, but not been able to cope with it. If you can handle it, the next hurdle is entrance exams, which ISC doesn't cover. For this, even if you are in CBSE, it's better to go for coaching classes. I think that ISC is underrated, and that there is a good chance of scoring well here. Final verdict is 9/10 (provided you want to study further in India).

ICSE VS CBSE (LKG to 10th):

ICSE: Fees are usually higher. Less popular among all students. More popular among NRI’s. Importance given to all subjects. Syllabus is a little more difficult, but suitable for SAT exams. Scoring (especially in English) is tougher. English is of a higher level.

CBSE: Fees are usually lower. More popular among all students. Less popular among NRI’s. Importance given to Math and Science. Syllabus is easier. Scoring is easier. Basic level of English.

For 11th and 12th Grade, if you're opting for medical or engineering, regardless of whether you chose ISC or CBSE, it is better if you take a coaching class for entrance exams. However, many people think that CBSE is enough to crack exams like JEE or NEET, but in my opinion, it's very difficult to do it without coaching classes. If you decide to take CBSE, it is a good option, but I had several reasons for choosing ISC:

• I was very comfortable at the school I was at, and I didn't want to shift schools, so I decided to take ISC in the same school, which had teachers I was familiar with.
• ISC Science and Math is at a higher level than CBSE and it can be slightly more useful than CBSE, when it comes to entrance exams.
• The number of people in ISC is less compared to CBSE (in a ratio of 1:14), but this means the competition is less. 
• Since I went to Allen (a coaching centre), I learnt high levels of Physics, Chemistry and Math, which helped me do well in ISC. Since studying for Allen, was more than enough for ISC, I really only needed to study for English and Computers.
• Computers (and Biology) are not extremely difficult, and if you've done good in 10th Grade in these subjects, then it will be easy to well in 12th Grade as well.

By writing all this, I mean to say that ISC isn't a bad option. I've seen that NRI people who shift to CBSE after 10th, put more focus on entrance exams rather than SAT, which isn't a good thing. The SAT's are an important exam for engineering for NRI's, and it's like a golden ticket. If you do well in the SAT's, then you can directly go to a great college like BITS or NITS, rather than studying for the much more difficult BITSAT or JEE. Many people have this outdated view that the only way to get into a top college is to go to either to an mentally exhausting school like Narayana or Chaitanya, or go to a school teaching CBSE, which doesn't prepare you adequately for entrance exams. Rather than going for these extremes, NRI's can thrive in an intermediate option, which is ISC. That's why I think, for NRI's pursuing  engineering in India, ISC is the most viable option. 

IB/IGCSE:

These Boards are different from the previous ones, because they are based off the American System of education. There are 3 different ways I've seen people incorporate IB?IGCSE in their education:

• Study from the beginning in this Board.
• Study till 7th/8th Grade in CBSE or ICSE then shift to this Board.
• Study till 10th Grade in CBSE or ICSE then shift to this Board.

The bottom line is that students who study in these ways usually plan on going to college in America. So if you're planning to go to a college in America, then these Boards are very helpful. They are also helpful for SAT's, but don't specifically teach for them. If you decide on going to college in America and choose IB or IGCSE the only question that remains is which of the three options should you choose. IB and IGCSE are probably the most expensive ones with fees triple to other Boards like ICSE. So it's basically a battle between money and experience. The more time you spend in IB/IGCSE the more money you spend. The first option ensures an adequate time experiencing the Board along with the school, exam papers and patterns, but that many years, means a lot of money spent on fees. The second option means that you only pay for 4 years and get 4 years worth of experience. The third option means that you only study here for 2 years, but only need to pay for that long. So based on your preferences and if you can spend that much money, any one of these options may be the right one for you.