ICSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10

DATE & DAY

TIME

SUBJECT 

DURATION 

17th February, Tuesday 

11 am 

English Language- ENGLISH Paper 1

2 hours 

20th February, Friday

11 am 

Literature in English- ENGLISH Paper 2

2 hours 

21st February, Saturday 

9 am

Art Paper 1 (Still Life)

3 hours

23rd February, Monday

11 am

Group III: Elective- Section B

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Basic Data Entry Operator, Dietetic Aide, Cashier, Early Years Physical Activity Facilitator, Auto Service Technician 

2 hours

26th February, Thursday

11 am

Hindi 

3 hours

27th February, Friday 

9 am

Art Paper 2 (Nature Drawing/ Painting

3 hours

28th February, Saturday

9 am 

Art Paper 3 (Original Composition)

3 hours

2nd March, Monday

11 am

Mathematics 

3 hours

6th March, Friday 

11 am

Ao-Naga, Assamese, Bengali, Dzongkha, Garo, Gujarati, Kannada, Khasi, Lepcha, Mizo, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Tangkhul, Telugu, Urdu, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Persian, Modern Armenian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Tibetan

3 hours

7th March, Saturday 

9 am

Art Paper 4 (Applied Art)

3 hours 

9th March, Monday

11 am

Physics - SCIENCE Paper 1

2 hours 

11th March, Wednesday 

11 am 

Chemistry - SCIENCE Paper 2

2 hours

13th March, Friday 

11 am 

Biology - SCIENCE Paper 3 

2 hours

16th March, Monday 

11 am 

History and Civics - H.C.G. Paper 1

History and Civics (Thailand) - H.G.T. Paper 1

2 hours 

18th March, Wednesday 

11 am 

Geography - H.C.G. Paper 2

Geography (Thailand) - H.G.T. Paper 2 

2 hours

23rd March, Monday 

11 am 

Group III: Elective- Section A

Carnatic Music, Commercial Applications, Computer Applications, Cookery, Drama, Economic Applications, Environmental Applications, Fashion Designing, French, German, Hindustani Music, Home Science, Hospitality Management, Indian Dance, Mass Media and Communication, Physical Education, Spanish, Western Music, Yoga

2 hours 

Technical Drawing Applications 

3 hours 

25th March, Wednesday 

11 am 

Commercial Studies (Group II Elective)

French (Group II Elective)

2 hours 

27th March, Friday

11 am

Economics (Group II Elective)

2 hours 

30th March, Monday 

11 am

Environmental Science (Group II Elective)

2 hours

PARTICULARS 

DETAILS 

Full Name of the Examination 

Indian Certificate of Secondary Education

Short Name of the Examination 

ICSE 10th

Examination Conducting Body

CISCE: Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations 

Frequency of the Examination 

Annual 

Level of the Examination 

Matriculation 

Mode of the Examination 

Offline: Pen-and-paper based test

Official Website

https://www.cisceboard.org/ 

SUBJECT 

UNITS & TOPICS

Mathematics 

• Commercial Mathematics: Goods and Services Tax, Banking, Shares and Dividends
• Algebra: Linear Inequations, Quadratic Equations in One Variable, Ratio and Proportion, Factorization of Polynomials, Matrices, Arithmetic and Geometric Progression, Co-ordinate Geometry
• Geometry: Similarity, Loci, Circles
• Mensuration
• Trigonometry
• Statistics 
• Probability 

Physics 

• Force, Work, Power, and Energy: Turning forces concept; moment of a force; forces in equilibrium; centre of gravity, Uniform Circular Motion, Work, energy, power, and their relation with force, different types of energy, machines, and force multipliers, principle of conservation of energy.
• Light: Refraction of light, total internal reflection, lenses, and triangular prism.
• Sound: Reflection of sound waves, natural vibrations, damped vibrations, loudness, pitch, and quality of sound. 
• Electricity and Magnetism: Ohm’s law, electrical power and energy, household circuits, magnetic effect of a current.
• Heat: Calorimetry, latent heat.
• Modern Physics: Radioactivity and changes in the nucleus, nuclear fission and fusion.

Chemistry 

• Periodic Properties and variations of Properties – Physical and Chemical: Periodic Properties and variations of Properties – Physical and Chemical, Periodic Properties and variations of Properties – Physical and Chemical
• Chemical Bonding: Electrovalent Bonding, Covalent Bonding, Coordinate Bonding
• Study of Acids, Bases, and Salts: Simple definitions, Ions present in mineral acids, alkalis, and salts and their solutions, Definition of salt; types of salts, Action of dilute acids on salts, Methods of preparation of Normal salts with relevant equations
• Analytical Chemistry: Action of Ammonium Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide on solution of salts, Action of alkalis (NaOH, KOH) on certain metals, their oxides and hydroxides
• Mole Concept and Stoichiometry: Gay Lussac’s Law of Combining Volumes; Avogadro’s Law, Refer to the atomicity of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine, Vapour Density and its relation to relative molecular mass, Mole and its relation to mass, Simple calculations based on chemical equations
• Electrolysis: Electrolytes and non-electrolytes, Substances containing molecules only, ions only, both molecules and ions, Definition and explanation of electrolysis, An elementary study of the migration of ions, Applications of electrolysis
• Metallurgy: Occurrence of metals in nature, Stages involved in the extraction of metals, Extraction of Aluminium, Alloys – composition and uses
• Study of Compounds: Hydrogen Chloride, Ammonia, Nitric Acid, Sulphuric Acid
• Organic Chemistry: Introduction to Organic compounds, Structure and Isomerism, Homologous series – characteristics with examples, Simple nomenclature, Hydrocarbons: alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, Alcohols: ethanol – preparation, properties and uses, Carboxylic acids

Biology 

• Basic Biology: Cell Cycle and Cell Division, Structure of chromosomes, Genetics
• Plant Physiology: Absorption by roots, imbibition, diffusion and osmosis, Transpiration, Photosynthesis, Chemical coordination in Plants
• Human Anatomy and Physiology: Circulatory System, Excretory System, Nervous System: Structure of Neuron, Endocrine System, The Reproductive System
• Population: Population explosion in India; need for adopting control measures - population control
• Human Evolution: Basic introduction to Human evolution and Theories of evolution: Lamarck’s theory of inheritance; Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection
• Pollution: Types and sources of pollution; major pollutants, Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable wastes, Effects of pollution on climate, environment, human health, and other organisms; control measures

Literature in English

• DRAMA: Julius Caesar: William Shakespeare (Acts III, IV & V) 
• TREASURE CHEST: A Collection of ICSE Short Stories & Poems (Evergreen Publications (India) Ltd., New Delhi)
• PROSE (Short Stories): 
  • With the Photographer – Stephen Leacock
  • The Elevator – William Sleator
  • The Girl Who Can – Ama Ata Aidoo
  • The Pedestrian – Ray Bradbury
  • The Last Lesson – Alphonse Daudet

• POETRY:
  • Haunted Houses – H.W. Longfellow
  • The Glove and the Lions – Leigh Hunt
  • When Great Trees fall – Maya Angelou
  • A Considerable Speck – Robert Frost
  • The Power of Music – Sukumar Ray 

Computer Applications 

• Revision of Class IX Syllabus:(i) Introduction to Object Oriented Programming concepts, (ii) Elementary Concept of Objects and Classes, (iii) Values and Data types, (iv) Operators in Java, (v) Input in Java, (vi) Mathematical Library Methods, (vii) Conditional constructs in Java, (viii) Iterative constructs in Java, (ix) Nested for loops. 
• Class as the Basis of all Computation: Objects and Classes
• User-defined Methods: Need for methods, syntax of methods, forms of methods, method definition, method calling, method overloading, declaration of methods
• Constructors: Definition of Constructor, characteristics, types of constructors, use of constructors, and constructor overloading
• Library classes: Introduction to wrapper classes, methods of wrapper class, and their usage with respect to numeric and character data types. Autoboxing and Unboxing in wrapper classes
• Encapsulation: Access specifiers and their scope and visibility
• Arrays: Definition of an array, types of arrays, declaration, initialization, and accepting data of single and double-dimensional arrays, accessing the elements of single and double-dimensional arrays
• String handling: String class, methods of String class, implementation of String class methods, String array

History and Civics

Section A: Civics

• The Union Legislature: Meaning of the federal setup in India
• The Union Executive: The President, The Vice-President, The Prime Minister, and The Council of Ministers
• The Judiciary: The Supreme Court, The High Courts, Subordinate Courts

Section B: History

• The Indian National Movement (1857-1917): The First War of Independence, 1857, Factors leading to the growth of Nationalism, First Phase of the Indian National Movement (1885-1907)
• Mass Phase of the National Movement (1915-1947): Mahatma Gandhi, Forward Bloc (objectives), and INA, Independence and Partition of India
• The Contemporary World: The First World War, Rise of Dictatorships, The Second World War, United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement

Geography 

Part I: Map Work

• Interpretation of Topographical Maps: Locating features with the help of a four-figure or a six-figure grid reference, Definition of contour and contour interval, Interpretation of colour tints and conventional symbols, Marking directions between different locations, Identification of drainage (direction of flow and pattern) and settlement patterns, Identification of natural and man-made features
• Map of India: Mountains, Peaks and Plateaus, Plains, Desert, Rivers, Water Bodies, Passes, Latitude and Longitudes, Direction of Winds, Distribution of Minerals, Soil Distribution, Cities, Population

Part II: Geography of India

• Location, Extent, and Physical features: Position and Extent of India, The physical features of India
• Climate: Distribution of Temperature, Rainfall, winds in Summer and Winter, and factors affecting the climate of the area. Monsoon and its mechanism. Seasons: March to May – Summer; June to September – Monsoon; October to November - Retreating Monsoon. December to February – Winter
• Soil Resources: Types of soil, Soil Erosion
• Natural Vegetation: Importance of forests, Types of vegetation, Forest conservation
• Water Resources: Sources, Need for conservation and conservation practices, Irrigation
• Mineral and Energy Resources: Iron ore, Manganese, Copper, Bauxite – uses and their distribution, Conventional Sources, Hydel power, Non-conventional Sources.
• Agriculture: Indian Agriculture, Types of farming in India
• Manufacturing Industries: Importance and classification: Agro-based Industry, Mineral-based Industry
• Transport: Importance and Modes – Roadways, Railways, Airways, and Waterways Advantages and Disadvantages
• Waste Management: Impact of waste accumulation, Need for waste management, Methods of safe disposal - segregation, dumping, and composting, Need and methods for reducing, reusing, and recycling waste

Economics 

• The Productive Mechanism: Factors of production: Land, labour, capital, and entrepreneur: their impact on the production structure in an economy. 
• Theory of Demand and Supply: Meaning and concept, Elasticity of demand, and elasticity of supply
• Market: Meaning and types
• Banking in India: Money, Commercial banks: Meaning and functions, Central Bank, Monetary Policy of the Central Bank, Demonetisation, Public Finance
• Inflation: Inflation, Wholesale Price Index (WPI), Consumer Price Index (CPI), Food Basket, Stages of Inflation, Types of Inflation
• Consumer Awareness: Consumer Exploitation and Consumer awareness, Consumer Rights & Duties, Food adulteration, Technical and Administrative measures for Consumer Protection

Home Science

Part I: Theory

• Home Management: Management of household finances, space organization in the kitchen, and home furnishing
• Growth and Development during Middle Childhood: Milestones of development, role of the family, peer group, and school in middle childhood, common learning difficulties of children
• Meal Planning: Meal planning for the family, hygienic handling, and storage of food
• Selection and Care of Textiles and Clothing: Selection of fabric, selection of readymade garments, laundering of clothes
• Communication and Extension: Understanding terminology related to development, communication aids

Part II: Practical Work

Five practical-oriented assignments as prescribed by the teacher. The suggested assignments are:

• Food and Nutrition
• Human Development
• Textiles and Clothing
• Resource Management
• Communication and Extension

Physical Education 

• Human Growth and Development: Growth and Development, Factors that influence Human Growth and Development
• Physical Education: Meaning and objectives 
• Body Types: Endomorph, Mesomorph, Ectomorph
• Physical Fitness: Meaning of Physical Fitness and its importance, Components of Physical Fitness, Factors affecting Physical Fitness
• Sports Training: Meaning of Sports training, importance of sports training, and its objectives, Principles of Sports Training
• Safety in Sports: Sports-related injuries, Prevention of injuries
• Health Education: Meaning and Importance of Health Education, Nutrition, Dietary modification for Sportsperson, Meal planning guidelines for various physical activities with sample menus
• Careers in Physical Education: Various career options in Physical Education

Economic Applications 

• Demand and Supply: Basic concepts
• Factors of production: Land, Labour, Capital, and Entrepreneur
• Alternative Market Structures: Basic Concepts
• The State and Economic Development
• Money and Banking: Basic Concepts

CRITERIA 

SAMPLE PAPERS

PREVIOUS YEAR PAPERS

Purpose 

The sample papers are designed to give you an idea of the patterns that are expected in the upcoming exam. 

The ICSE Class 10 PYQs provide you with real exam questions that were used. 

Relevance to Latest Syllabus 

They always align with the latest syllabus as well as the blueprint of the exam. 

In the previous year question paper Class 10 ICSE​, you will get the syllabus of that specific year, which might differ slightly. 

Difficulty Level 

In these papers, the level is usually set to match or exceed the expected difficulty. This is done to train you for tougher questions. 

The difficulty level in the ICSE previous year question papers​ varies on the basis of the year. It gives you an authentic difficulty range. 

Question Trends

Some new question types, as well as updated formats that are expected, are introduced in the sample papers. 

The ICSE previous year question papers Class 10 with solutions PDF​ show the questions that are frequently asked, and the concepts that are commonly tested. 

Exam Practice Quality 

The sample papers are great for simulated practice with slight variations. 

The Class 10 ICSE previous year question paper​ is considered the best for real-exam experience, timing, performance evaluation, etc. 

Ideal Usage Stage 

You can solve the sample papers before the PYPs in order to build your confidence as well as adapt to the format. 

You should use the ICSE previous year question papers Class 10 PDF download​ ideally when the exams are closer. This will help you test your final readiness. 

Coverage of Concepts 

This resource makes sure to cover a wide range of topics throughout the syllabus with balanced distribution. 

In the ICSE previous year question papers Class 10​, you will see which chapters get high weightage year after year. 

Student Benefits 

With the help of the sample papers, you will be able to build your initial confidence, understand the question formats, reduce any fear of new patterns, and so on.

Through the practice of the ICSE Class 10 PYQs, you can improve your accuracy, recognize weaknesses, as well as enhance your time management techniques.