Confused regarding the best board for your child? Whether ICSE or IB is better than CBSE? Selecting the right school board is a big dilemma for Indian parents. Here is a comprehensive comparison between different school boards in India, namely-

 

CBSE vs IB vs IGCSE vs CISCE

The difference between CBSE, CISCE, IB, and IGCSE/ Cambridge can easily be recognized with the help of details provided below.

Approximate number of schools in India
CBSE	CISCE	IB	IGCSE
21000+	2000+	150+	400+

 

Pattern of Examination
CBSE	CISCE	IB	IGCSE
All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) for Class 10th and 12th	ICSE- Class 10th ISC- Class 12th	PYP, MYP & Diploma programs for up to class 5th, class 10th, and class 12th respectively.	Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Secondary, and Cambridge Advanced.

 

Features	CBSE	CISCE	IB	IGCSE
Curriculum difficulty level	Low. More scoring is possible. Less in-depth concepts.	Moderate. Rigid Scoring. Advanced level concepts.	High. Demanding curriculum. Assessment is made on multiple criteria.	High. Extremely demanding curriculum. Assessment is made on multiple criteria throughout the session.
Cost of education	Moderate	High	High	High
Focus	Mainly on learning and memorizing	Focus on application-based learning	Research-oriented and application-based learning	Focus on overall development and application-based learning
Focused curriculum	Mainly Mathematics and Science. Minimum focus on Literature, Language, and Arts.	Balanced focus on Language, Science, and Arts. Extensive focus on spoken English and language.	Extensive focus on Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Language, and Arts.	High focus on English and grading system.
Syllabus	Pre-prescribed list of textbooks.	Pre-prescribed list of textbooks.	Pre-prescribed list of textbooks and recommended readings as well.	Only recommended readings are provided.
Option to choose subjects	No option available.	Students can select subjects or courses.	Availability to select one subject each from 6 different groups.	Option to choose subjects from 70 options.
Mandatory subjects	English	English+ SUPW	Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Extended Essay (EE)	Global Perspective & Research
Availability of schools	High number of availability across India.	Moderate availability.	Available only in Tier I cities.	Available only in Tier I cities.
Suitability for parents with transferrable job	Highly suitable.	Moderately suitable.	Not suitable.	Not suitable.
Acceptability by colleges	Scores are widely accepted by colleges across India.	–	Scores are not accepted by most of the colleges in India.	Scores are not accepted by most of the colleges in India.
Availability of tuition teachers and course books	High availability.	Moderate availability.	Low availability.	Low availability.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Which is the tougher board in India?  

Both ICSE and IGCSE are tougher than CBSE.

 

Which is better apart from CBSE- IB, ICSE, or IGCSE?

IGCSE and IB have an added advantage over ICSE as former ones are international boards and accommodate students on a global level. They focus more on problem-solving techniques, practical assignments, quizzes, etc.

 

Which board is best for the future?

This depends upon your dedication to your studies. You can shine even while studying on a CBSE board.

 

Which board should I choose if I want to crack IIT?

Getting admission in IGCSE or ICSE doesn’t guarantee a seat in IIT. You should prepare well as a JEE aspirant.

 

Which board is recommended for IAS?

CBSE board is good if you want to prepare for IAS as it focuses more on objective-type questions.

 

Which board is good if I want to move outside India?

IB, ICSE, and CISCE are recommended for this purpose as they prepare a good base to clear TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, GRE, etc. But you can perform well with CBSE also if you have good language skills.

 

Can I shift from CBSE / CISCE to IB / IGCSE? 

Shifting from a CBSE/ICSE school to IB IGCSE depends upon your previous scores.