IGCSE vs ICSE: The Difference Between IGCSE and ICSE Board

Education plays a vital role in the development of a nation.
In India, our education system is composed of three divisions namely Primary, Secondary and Senior Secondary. Each of these levels plays a vital role in the growth and development of a child.
IGCSE and ICSE are considered among the top boards offering education that are vital in shaping a child’s role in building a better world.

ICSE Overview

The full form of ICSE is the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education.
ICSE full form in Hindi is “माध्यमिक शिक्षा के भारतीय प्रमाण पत्र”.

ICSE is an examination conducted and managed by the CISCE(Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations). CISCE is a non-governmental, private board that has been established to conduct examinations in the course of general education.

• It follows a school education of a period of 10 years, i.e. class Ist to class Xth.
• The ICSE has been established on the suggestions made by the New Education Policy, 1986 with the medium being English.
• Private Candidates are not allowed to appear for the ICSE examinations.
• The ICSE supports a vast syllabi that contains multiple mandatory subjects, and various optional subjects to choose from.
• ICSE follows an application based training approach.
• It emphasises more on the practical training along with the theoretical notions.
• The board prepares its students for multiple competitive exams.
• The board has been recognised at the international and the national level.

IGCSE Overview

The full form of IGCSE is the International General Certificate of Secondary Education.
IGCSE full form in Hindi is इंटरनेशनल जनरल सर्टिफिकेट ऑफ सेकेंडरी एजुकेशन

Developed by the University of Cambridge Assessment International Education(CAIE), it is recognised in the United Kingdom.

• The two boards that offer the IGCSE are Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge Assessment Internal Education.
• The IGCSE has been recognised by the Higher Education Department, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and the Government of India.
• It brings forth a collection of 70 subjects and 30 languages.
• It is an internationally recognised and accepted qualification for the age group of 14 to 16 years children.
• The IGCSE is a program of 2 years, commencincing at the onset of class IXth.
• IGCSE does not prescribe any stringent syllabus, and thus allows a global perspective.
• Students can select from the set of books for the subjects of their choice.
• Over 10,000 schools in plus 160 countries recognise the IGCSE.
• IGCSE is offered in more than 500 schools across India.
• The IGCSE dispenses its examinations in the months of February, May and October.
• IGCSE qualifies a student on the basis of individual subjects, i.e. they receive an IGCSE qualification for each subject undertaken by them.
• Alongwith the written papers, a candidate is also assessed on verbal and listening tests.
• Students are marked on an eight point grading scale, from A+ to G.

IGCSE vs ICSE: Difference Between IGCSE and ICSE Board

The two boards of education, i.e. the IGCSE and the ICSE offer a multitude of advantages and are different to each other in many aspects. Based on certain notions, they can be differentiated as follows:

• Meaning of IGCSE and ICSE: IGCSE stands for International General Certificate of Secondary Education. Developed by the University of Cambridge Assessment International Education(CAIE), has been recognized by the Higher Education Department, the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Government of India.
  
  ICSE stands for Indian Certificate of Secondary Education. ICSE is an examination conducted and managed by the CISCE(Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations). ICSE has been established on the suggestions made by the New Education Policy, 1986 with the medium being English.
• IGCSE vs ICSE Boards: The ICSE is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations(CISCE) while the IGCSE is an English Language-based examination established by the University of Cambridge Assessment International Education(CAIE).
• Recognition of IGCSE vs ICSE Board: IGCSE is an international standard curriculum while ICSE is a national level exam offered in India.
• Subjects in IGCSE vs ICSE Board: ICSE  requires students to opt for a combination of 6 subjects, wherein the subject of English language is mandatory, along with the Socially Useful Productive Work.
  The IGCSE allows a student to opt for a minimum of 5 subjects with the maximum being 14. 
• Private Students in IGCSE vs ICSE Board: Private students are not allowed to appear and sit for the ICSE exams while the IGCSE is flexible about it.
• Linguistic Support in IGCSE vs ICSE Board: ICSE is mainly focussed on the English Language while the IGCSE includes students from different language backgrounds by allowing them to choose from a combination of more than 30 languages.
• Assessment difference in IGCSE vs ICSE Board: The ICSE marks its students as per its rule of giving 80% weightage to the external assessment and 20% to the internal. While the marking scheme for the IGCSE is taken based on the maximum marks secured in 5 subjects out of 6, where it is necessary to consider the marks of English Language.
• Grading difference in IGCSE vs ICSE Board: ICSE awards its grades in terms of numbers, from 1 to 9, where 1 is considered the highest and point above 8 implies that the student has failed the exam. Whereas, the IGCSE grades its students on a scale of A to G, where A is taken as the highest grade and G, the lowest.
• Course Duration difference in IGCSE vs ICSE Board: The duration of the course for ICSE is 2 years, that includes classes IXth and Xth. Cambridge IGCSE spans a time period of 2 years 
• Curriculum difference in IGCSE vs ICSE Board: ICSE curriculum is comprehensive and complete,that puts equal emphasis on different subjects including Mathematics, Arts , Home Science and more. The IGCSE provides its students with an opportunity to choose subjects and courses based on their interest including courses on Science, Mathematics, Languages and Humanities.
• Skill Development difference in IGCSE vs ICSE Board: The ICSE improves analytical skills of its students. The IGCSE imparts learning and investigative skills to students.
• Existence of IGCSE vs ICSE Board: The ICSE board has been in existence since 1986 while the IGCSE board was formed in 1988.

Every board and examination has its pros and cons, but it is necessary to know and analyze the skills and interests of a child before deciding the suitable board of examination for him. Children wish to pursue higher studies, in the nation as well as abroad. They should be guided well before making this important decision.

IGCSE vs ICSE: Comparison Table

Also Read:

• What is IGCSE Board – Full form & Advantages of IGCSE Board
• What is ICSE Board – Full form & Advantages of ICSE Board
• What is CBSE Board – Full form, History & Advantages of CBSE Board
• CBSE vs ICSE: What Is the Difference Between CBSE and ICSE Board?