ICSE Boards 2019: Chandigarh students find Physics, ISC Math exams ‘tricky, unexpected’

The students of Class 10 of the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board appeared in the physics exam and the Class 12 students of the Indian School Certificate (ISC) board appeared for the mathematics exam conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE), here on Tuesday. 

The students of both the classes said the paper was difficult, so much so that they were not able to complete the paper in the stipulated time. Teachers too felt the same.  

Rohit Rana, a physics teacher for Class 10 at Strawberry Fields High School, said, “The physics paper this year wasn’t straight forward at all. It comprised mostly conceptual questions which were really tricky. Students had studied from last year’s sample papers where the questions were direct and easy, unlike the unexpected, tricky ones this year.” 

Change in pattern of science exam

This is the first time when Class 10 students are appearing for separate exams for the three branches of science, physics, chemistry and biology. Each exam is of 80 marks and the rest of the 20 marks out of 100 are designated for practicals.

“Naturally, a jolt was expected; students should have been prepared for the difficulty level,” said a teacher who did not wish to be named.

Rohit said, “As a teacher, I appreciate that the paper was based on concepts, that is how a paper for science should be set. But the students were not prepared for it.”

“I think the board’s decision to separately test the branches of science will help students see where their performance is good and where it lacks; earlier, they used to get a combined result. The present pattern will help them choose their stream wisely in Class 11,” he said. 

Suresh Kumar Saini, a math teacher of Class 12, said, “Most of the students said the paper was tricky and lengthy. The students found the questions challenging, especially ones related to differential equations and integration.”