Download the PDF of the ICSE Class 10 Environmental Science Syllabus for the year 2025-26 right here.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has released the syllabus for ICSE Class 10 Environmental Science for the academic year 2025-26. This comprehensive syllabus aims to foster a deep understanding and appreciation for the environment among students, promoting sustainable living and ecological balance.
The syllabus covers a wide range of topics, including:
- Fundamentals of Ecology and Environment: Students will learn basic concepts and interrelationships between organisms and their environment.
- Natural Resources: Detailed study of soil, water, air, forests, and minerals with a focus on conservation and sustainable use.
- Pollution and Its Management: Understanding various types of pollution (air, water, soil, noise) and their effects, as well as pollution control measures.
- Waste Management: Students will learn about methods of waste disposal and the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling waste.
- Biodiversity and Conservation: Importance of biodiversity, threats, and measures to conserve wildlife and natural habitats.
- Human Population and Environment: Impact of population growth on resources and environment, population control measures.
- Environmental Laws and Policies: Basic understanding of environmental protection laws and policies.
- Practical and Project Work: Application-based learning through practicals and projects related to the environment.
The exam format typically involves two sections: Section A with compulsory short answer questions covering the whole syllabus, and Section B with six questions from which students answer four, totaling 80 marks for the written exam plus 20 marks for internal assessment.
The syllabus also includes topics such as:
- Managing the urban environment, including urbanization, planning environmental improvement, rural development to counter migration, development of secondary cities to counter migration, community participation, and contribution of private enterprises.
- Food topics like sustainable agriculture, new crop strains, integrated pest management, genetically modified organisms, conservation tillage farming, trickle drip irrigation, new organic fertilizers, and gene banks.
- Energy topics including fossil fuels used to produce electricity, nuclear energy, and a sustainable energy future.
- Managing soil and land, including conserving soil, land reforms, integrated rural development, role of women and community in conservation, combating deforestation, managing forest grazing, alternatives to timber, and gene banks.
- Environment and development, including global environmental pollution, economic development and environmental degradation, international trade, role of multinational corporations, and the debt trap.
- Addressing population, including the link between the growing population and environmental degradation, the demographic transition, and strategies for controlling the growth of the population.
- Controlling air pollution, including reducing pollution from domestic cooking, measures for controlling industrial air pollution, and vehicle emission control.
Three assignments are required as part of the syllabus:
- Conducting a field study of human interaction on the natural environment and writing a project report (1500 words).
- Preparing an original study/essay (2000 words) on an area of the prescribed curriculum, demonstrating appreciation or concern for environmental issues.
- Creating a functional model to support the above study/essay.
The ICSE Class 10 Environmental Science Syllabus for the 2025-26 academic year encourages students to think critically about environmental issues and to develop practical solutions for a sustainable future. By fostering a sense of global interdependence, international cooperation, and the role of non-governmental organisations, technology that sustains, and the concept of alternate technology, the syllabus aims to prepare students for a future where they can contribute to a more sustainable and balanced world.
[1] For the authoritative version of the syllabus, please refer to the ICSE board's official website. [2] The exact detailed list of chapter titles or thematic units is not explicitly laid out in the publicly available sources, but the syllabus PDF from the ICSE board for 2025-26 provides the authoritative version.
- By studying environmental science, students will delve into topics such as managing the urban environment, sustainable agriculture, energy management, soil and land conservation, and addressing population in the context of environmental degradation.
- The lifestyle section of the syllabus, which covers topics like sustainable agriculture and energy management, aims to provide students with practical solutions for living a more eco-friendly and sustainable life at home and in their communities.
- In the education and self-development segment of the syllabus, students will learn about the interplay of development, economy, and the environment, promoting a global understanding of environmental issues and the role of international cooperation and nongovernmental organizations in creating a more balanced world.
