The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Thursday released specimen question papers for some subjects for ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) 2026 and Classes IX and XI for the current academic year.

The council introduced two new subjects — modern English and applied mathematics — for students appearing for ISC 2027.

The current Class XI students had to choose between math and applied math, besides between English and modern English.

The council has said that approximately 40 per cent weightage will be ascribed to analytical and application-based questions in ICSE and ISC 2026.

“In continuance of our efforts to foster strong teaching-learning practices that align with the imperatives of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP), CISCE is releasing the specimen question papers and answer keys in select subjects for ICSE Year 2026, ISC Year 2026, ICSE (Class IX) academic year 2025-2026 and ISC (Class XI) academic year 2025-2026 examinations...the weightage ascribed to the questions assessing competencies such as application, analysis, interpretation and evaluation is approximately 40 per cent for the year 2026 examination,” the council said in a circular sent to school heads on Thursday.

The CISCE has been increasing the share of critical thinking questions every
year.

For ICSE 2026, the council has released specimen question papers for English language (letter writing, notice and email writing), history and civics, geography, math, physics, chemistry, biology, basic data entry operator, dietetic aide, cashier, early years physical activity facilitator, and auto service technician.

For ISC 2026, sociology, business studies, mathematics, mass media & communication have been released, and more will be done next week, the council has said.

For the current Class XI, the council has released the papers for modern English and applied math, which are new subjects this year, and elective English and mathematics, where the syllabus has been revised.

Mathematics will be offered to students who want to pursue pure science, math, engineering, and architecture at the undergraduate level, and applied math will be appropriate for those keen on humanities, commerce, and finance, the council had said earlier.

Both AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics are new subjects in Class XI, and their specimen papers will be released in August, the council said.

The CISCE has said that the specimen question papers have been designed to help all stakeholders to understand the structure of the question papers and should be used as “a practice tool”.

“The intent is to provide a realistic purview of the format of the board examination question paper and familiarise the teaching-learning community with the number of sections and questions, types of questions, marks allocated, choices offered, and competencies assessed in the subject.”

“Please note that the question papers for the board examination may not necessarily replicate the specimen question papers as individual questions may vary,” the circular stated.

The specimen papers will come in handy for teachers who will prepare question papers for mid-term exams in September, said principals. “The teachers will be asked to refer to the specimen papers... especially for new subjects or those with the revised syllabi,” said Mousumi Saha, principal, National English School.