A common worry that plagues Indian parents today is finding the right school for their kids. Most parents are now familiar with education systems around the world and want to provide their kids with the right skills and expertise to make a good living in the future. Luckily, they have a wide range of options available for school boards- CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, and IB. The choice of the board parents select for their kids can make a huge impact on the knowledge children gain. In the Indian education system, ICSE and CBSE are extremely popular boards that are governed by local authorities. However, IGCSE and IB boards, which are governed by foreign bodies, are also gaining popularity, especially in tier 1 cities. It is basically the method, structure, and approach toward education that governs the effectiveness of each of these boards. Continue reading to find out the features of the boards to make an informed decision in tandem with the aspirations that you have for your kids.
IGCSE (The International General Certificate of Secondary Education) is a curriculum that is administered by the University of Cambridge International Examinations.
It is designed to have holistic development in children like the development of analytical, creative, and inquisitive thinking.
In India, IGCSE subject choices are wide so teachers help students to make the correct choice. With this curriculum, students get the advantage in preparing for higher levels like AS and A Level, IB Programme.
The curriculum is the perfect mixture of local and global contexts making sure that students get a broad perspective of the world. Students also get to select between the core (basic) and extended (rigorous) curriculum providing a wide range of subjects where assessments are designed to evaluate students’ knowledge.
The curriculum holds international recognition by top colleges and universities helping the student to pursue higher education abroad.
What Is CBSE Board?
CBSE (The Central Board of Secondary Education) is the most popular national curriculum governed by the Government of India and follows the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research) syllabus that is well structured, controlled, and predictable.
CBSE curriculum is delivered in English and Hindi across India. They follow the traditional approach in the assimilation of knowledge where they’re evaluated on their ability to understand, memorize and recall concepts in exams.
Also, their assessment to a certain extent has a practical understanding of the student. CBSE board is one of the most affordable boards and is one of the main reasons for being preferred by most parents.
Main Differences Between IGCSE And CBSE
One size doesn’t fit all. Nowadays, parents selecting a curriculum is quite a task. It depends on a lot of factors- aspirations that you and your kid have, whether your children want to pursue a degree abroad or they wish to join the civil services in India, or have an interest in creative subjects such as art, music, humanities and not to forget the most important factor- the affordability of the course for you as a parent.
Subject Offerings
CBSE
English is a mandatory subject, and in the higher grades subjects are grouped as a combination and divided into three “streams”.
IGCSE
The course provides over 70 different subjects with no fixed combinations. English is the only medium of delivery, and the mandatory aspect of each subject is to gain a global perspective and learn global research.
Focus and Approach
CBSE
The main focus is on the accumulation of knowledge, building key skills, etc with the main emphasis on Mathematics and Science. The curriculum aims at helping students build their skills and knowledge in Mathematics and Science for their future studies.
IGCSE
The course gives equal attention on all subjects like Science, Mathematics, Commerce, and Humanities. It aims at providing candidates with an analytical approach to all subjects to dig deeper and understand the subject on their own.
Concept Complexity and Detail
CBSE
The concepts are designed for the students to gain basic knowledge. The syllabus doesn’t give advanced knowledge on the subjects. It is designed to help students achieve good scores and also aims at being fair to students with different intelligence levels.
IGCSE
The course is very intense and demanding as it requires students to submit an assessment in relation to every topic covered throughout the year.
Assessment
CBSE
The syllabus is application-based and the assessment is done in order to check students’ ability to understand, memorize, and grasp the concepts.
IGCSE
The assessment is done to check the practical application of the skills and knowledge gained.
Textbooks and Reference Books
CBSE
CBSE curriculum syllabus follows NCERT textbooks to facilitate learning on all the subjects.
IGCSE
IGCSE curriculum syllabus in India doesn’t follow any books. Students have to read from a wide range of books in order to understand the concept and have a better grasp.
The Medium of Instruction
CBSE
As CBSE is an Indian Board, the medium of instruction accepted is English and Hindi.
IGCSE
IGCSE is an internationally recognized curriculum, and thus the medium of instruction is only English.
Examinations
CBSE
The most important exams considered are Class X and Class XII.
IGCSE
IGCSE school board conducts Cambridge Primary and Secondary exams.
Suitability
CBSE
If you are someone who has transferable jobs then CBSE is the best as being one of the popular Indian curriculum, a student can easily get admission or transfer to any of the CBSE schools. It is also suitable for students who plan to take the IIT-JEE exams, NIT, or AIIMS examinations.
IGCSE
It is suitable for students who want to pursue IB Curriculum in Class 11 & Class 12.
Some Pros and Cons of CBSE and IGCSE
After understanding the difference between CBSE and IGCSE, a little more information, especially the pros and cons, will help parents make the decision.
Here are the pros and cons of CBSE:
Pros of CBSE
- Helps in developing holistic individuals.
- Student-friendly.
- Recognized by the government of India.
- Students have to appear for 1 exam/subject which relieves them from exam stress.
- Students can prepare for exams privately.
- Children can’t fail a class until 8th grade.
- Board exams are optional in 10th grade and mandatory in 12th grade.
- The fees are affordable.
Cons of CBSE:
- Don’t have enough subjects to select.
- Focuses more on theoretical knowledge.
- Student’s ability is judged on exam scores.
- Extracurricular activities are part of the curriculum.
And, here are the pros and cons of the IGCSE board:
Pros of IGCSE:
- Wide variety of subjects to choose from.
- Refer to multiple books to gain more knowledge.
- Best board to pursue further studies abroad.
- Encourages knowledge-oriented learning.
- Chance of resitting an exam if they aren’t satisfied by the grades. Request to recheck and a copy of their answer sheets is allowed.
- Higher chance of good job opportunities.
- Develop skill sets that help them to adjust anywhere in any situation.
Cons of IGCSE:
- Expensive fees.
- The medium of language is English only.
- Requires a lot of effort as it is extremely rigorous.
Both the curriculum may be different, but the education provided by these boards are robust and solid. These help students gain good elementary education quality required to pursue further studies without any obstructions.
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