CBSE vs ICSE for Class 4 to 10

Who runs each board

CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) is run by the central government and largely uses NCERT textbooks. ICSE is run by CISCE, a private national board, and uses textbooks from a range of publishers.

Syllabus depth

CBSE is focused and structured, with a strong link to national entrance exams. ICSE is broader and more detailed, especially in English, Science and Social Studies, with more emphasis on writing and projects.

English

ICSE gives English more weight, with separate language and literature papers. CBSE English is lighter in literature but now asks more reading-comprehension and application questions.

Assessments and NEP

Both boards are moving towards the competency-based questions NEP 2020 asks for: case studies, data and real-life application. A student who understands concepts does well on either board.

How Stoodant teaches each board

Stoodant classes follow your child's own board and class, and move one chapter ahead of school. Teachers adjust depth for ICSE and focus on NCERT and competency practice for CBSE. Whatever the board, we teach concepts first and connect them to the real world.

Our teachers are a new generation of educators: doctors and medical students, a UPSC Prelims qualifier, a CAT qualifier, a psychology graduate and school toppers. They bring real experience from medicine, civil services, management and research into every class.

Keep reading

• Online tuition fees for Class 4 to 10: what you should get for your money

  What online tuition for Class 4 to 10 costs in India, what you should expect for the money, and Stoodant's live small-batch fees from ₹2,999 a month with a free demo class.

• Class 10 boards: the 3-month plan our teachers use

  A clear 3-month Class 10 board exam plan for CBSE and ICSE from Stoodant's teachers: finishing the syllabus, competency-based practice, smart revision and exam-day habits.

• Competency-based questions: teaching students to think, not memorise

  What competency-based and case-study questions are in Class 9 and 10, why memorising fails on them, and how Stoodant's NEP-ready teaching builds real understanding.