The ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) English literature syllabus will be bifurcated from the examination year 2024, the council said in a circular to principals of schools on Wednesday.
“...the syllabus will be prescribed separately for Classes IX and X at the ICSE level and Classes XI and XII at the ISC level. However, for the ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) board examination, only the syllabus prescribed for Class X and XII respectively, will be tested,” said the note from Gerry Arathoon, chief executive and secretary, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE).
“The bifurcation of syllabi was there for all other subjects at both ICSE and ISC. Only English was not bifurcated,” Arathoon told The Telegraph.
The circular says the decision to bifurcate the English literature syllabus from the examination year 2024 was taken at a meeting of the “standing committee on examinations of the CISCE” in May.
The council in the circular has also mentioned the bifurcated syllabi for both ICSE and ISC. For example, students will study Acts I and II of The Merchant of Venice in Class IX, and Acts III, IV and V of the play in Class X.
“Only the syllabus prescribed for Class X will be tested in the ICSE board examination,” the council says.
Similarly, students will study Acts I and II of The Tempest in Class XI and Acts III, IV and V of the play in Class XII.
“Only the syllabus prescribed for Class XII will be tested in the ISC Board Examination,” the council said.
“This will ease the pressure on science students who prepare for engineering and medical entrance exams,” said a principal. “But how do you study portions of a play and not the entire play?” wondered an English teacher.