Short & Simple | Best CBSE / IB / ICSE Schools in Chennai…! | A Short & Simple Approach

IGCSE / IB / ISC-ICSE / CBSE / State Board:

IGCSE and IB are international boards. They have less emphasis on rote learning.

The IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) tends to be more theoretical.

In contrast, IB (International Baccalaureate) emphasizes a lot on developing the research abilities of students. There is a lot of focus on practical and project work. IB students are required to be holistic; as participation in extracurricular activities that involve physical, creative, humanitarian work, personal projects and Extended Essays (EE). These boards are better suited for candidates aspiring to study abroad after high school. They might not be suitable for those wishing to appear for competitive examinations in India. In the past, IB students have also faced difficulty in the admission process to universities in India. This is one aspect that parents and students might need to investigate.

The ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education - till 10th Standard) curriculum is more comprehensive till Class 10, with significantly higher standards in English. There is also quite a bit of focus on practical and project work. Students must appear for separate examinations in History/Geography and Physics/Chemistry/Biology, unlike CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) where these are clubbed in single papers for Social Studies and Science. In Class 11 and 12, the ISC (Indian School Certificate) syllabus is quite similar to that of CBSE. The Science syllabus, in particular, is completely aligned with NCERT. While choosing between CBSE and ICSE, it is the school which counts. ISC-ICSE schools are often somewhat on the upscale side, have better facilities for sports and extra-curricular activities and are more expensive for that reason. For those in transferable jobs, CBSE is a safer bet, as there will generally be no problem finding another CBSE school in a new city or town.

State board (Each State has its Educational Boards) schools cater to a vast socio-economic spectrum. The syllabus at the level of grade 11 and 12 is similar to that of the ISC and CBSE, but the questions are generally numerous notches below those of the central boards.

The comparison between various boards is often an overblown issue and the main thing which matters is the school and the approach followed by it towards academics, extra-curricular activities and sports.

Find an IB World School -
https://www.ibo.org/programmes/find-a...

Find a Cambridge school -
https://www.cambridgeinternational.or...

CBSE Online School Affiliation & Monitoring System - http://cbseaff.nic.in/cbse_aff/schdir...

Locate ISC-ICSE Council Affiliated School -
https://www.cisce.org/locate-search.a...