ISC · Class 11 · 2026–27
ISC Class 11, 2026–27 fewer subjects, much deeper
Your child begins the two-year course for the Indian School Certificate. Here is what CISCE has published, what to ask your school, and how to choose subjects that will still make sense in Class 12.
Class 11 starts the ISC course. The Indian School Certificate examination comes at the end of Class 12, and it is run by CISCE, the same council behind ICSE. This is the year your child chooses subjects for two years and studies fewer of them in much more depth. Many students also begin to think about entrance exams for engineering, medicine, law or design. CISCE's regulations set the subject rules; we have not yet read the edition for the 2028 ISC examination, so confirm the details with your school. One habit matters more than any choice: understand each idea before the next one is built on it.
The jump from Class 10 to Class 11 surprises many families. A method that worked for ten subjects, such as memorising notes the night before, often stops working when one chapter of Physics takes three weeks.
Class 11 at a glance
- Board exam
- ISC at the end of Class 12, in 2028 for this batch
- Class 11 exams
- Set by your school
- Entrance exams
- Set by other bodies, not by CISCE
Checked on 2 October 2026 against CISCE's own documents.
What this year asks
We read only CISCE's own regulations. Where they could not settle a question for 2028, we say so below the list.
ICSE is the Class 10 examination and ISC, the Indian School Certificate, is the Class 12 examination. Both are conducted by CISCE.
ICSE Regulations for Examination Year 2028 (CISCE, January 2026)
The ISC regulations list more than thirty elective subjects, from Physics and Accounts to Psychology, Legal Studies, Biotechnology and Hospitality Management.
ISC Regulations 2026 (CISCE), the newest edition we could read
CISCE publishes its regulations and subject syllabuses on its own website, cisce.org.
Subjects CISCE lists for ISC
Your school decides which subjects and combinations it can offer. This is the wider list.
English
Language and literature at a higher level, with argument and analysis in writing.
Physics
Much more problem solving than in Class 10, with mathematics used at every step.
Chemistry
Physical, inorganic and organic chemistry, each asking for reasons as well as facts.
Mathematics
A big step in abstraction, and the language that Physics, Chemistry and Economics now use.
Biology
Living systems studied in far more depth than in Class 10, with diagrams and reasoning.
Accounts, Commerce and Business Studies
How businesses record, plan and decide, with accounts worked by hand.
Economics
How markets and people make choices, with graphs and data as the main tools.
History, Political Science, Geography, Sociology, Psychology
Humanities electives that ask for argument, evidence and long-form writing.
Computer Science
Programming and logic, with problems solved in code.
Other electives
Languages, Legal Studies, Biotechnology, Art, Music, Physical Education, Mass Media and more.
What the questions will ask
How many subjects your child takes, which are compulsory, and how internal assessment is weighted are all set by CISCE's ISC regulations. We have not yet read the edition that applies to the 2028 examination, so we do not state those rules here; your school will have them.
What changes for certain is the kind of question. Class 11 problems are longer and chain several ideas together: a Physics question may need trigonometry, and an Economics question may need a graph your child draws themselves. Recall still matters, but it is only the first step of most answers.
One topic, six kinds of question demand and price
One Economics idea, how buyers respond to a change in price, asked six ways.
Remember
State the law of demand.
Understand
Explain why the demand curve for most goods slopes downward.
Apply
A notebook's price rises from ₹40 to ₹50 and sales fall from 100 to 80 a week. Calculate the price elasticity of demand.
Analyse
When petrol prices rose, people bought almost the same amount; when one biscuit brand raised its price, its sales fell sharply. What explains the difference?
Evaluate
A cinema plans to raise prices for weekday afternoon shows to earn more. Using elasticity, judge whether the plan is sound.
Create
Design a short survey to estimate how students at your school would respond to a 20% rise in canteen prices.
Ideas this year rests on
ISC Class 11 assumes Class 10 was understood. These come up again almost at once.
- Algebra and the graphs of straight lines, used in Mathematics, Physics and Economics alike.
- Percentages and ratios, the basis of elasticity, accounts and chemistry calculations.
- Class 10 ideas of force, motion and energy, for students taking Physics.
- Chemical equations and the mole idea, for students taking Chemistry or Biology.
- Writing an argument with a claim, evidence and a conclusion.
How SelfEnabler practises this
In Class 11 a gap in one chapter shows up three chapters later. A SelfEnabler check climbs from recall to using the idea and finding the pattern, so you and your child can see where understanding stops, topic by topic, before the gap compounds.
Each lesson asks a question first, teaches, then checks and asks your child to reflect on what changed. AI Guru explains a topic from the approved lesson material as often as needed. When a topic is "not yet", a person steps in to help.
See how a lesson works
For parents: what to watch this year
Subjects chosen by label or by friends
Sign: the choice is "science because everyone does". Action: read each subject's ISC syllabus on cisce.org together and ask which topics your child actually wants to study.
The Class 10 method stops working
Sign: marks fall although hours of study rise. Action: once a week, ask your child to explain one idea to you without notes.
Entrance coaching crowds out school
Sign: school work is skipped for test series. Action: look at how the entrance syllabus overlaps with ISC, and plan the two together.
Questions parents ask about ISC Class 11
Is ISC Class 11 tough?
It is a big step from Class 10: fewer subjects, much more depth, and longer problems. Students who understood Class 10 rather than memorised it usually settle faster.
Are the ISC and CBSE Class 11 syllabuses the same?
No. They are written by different boards in different documents. Compare a subject's ISC syllabus on cisce.org with CBSE's on cbseacademic.nic.in before deciding.
How many subjects does an ISC student take?
CISCE's ISC regulations set the number and which subjects are compulsory. We have not yet read the edition for the 2028 examination, so ask your school for the rules it follows.
Is there a board exam in Class 11?
No. The ISC examination is at the end of Class 12. Class 11 exams are set by your school.
What should my child study for JEE or NEET?
JEE Main and NEET (UG) are conducted by the National Testing Agency, not CISCE, with their own syllabuses. Our JEE and NEET foundation page lists their units.
More from ICSE and ISC
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