ISC 12th Exam Pattern 2025: Check New Pattern and Marking Scheme Here

Sushmita Sundas
Sushmita Sundas

Updated on - Oct 9, 2024

Latest Updates for ISC

  • 09 October 2024 :

    The ISC 12th exam pattern will have 25 percent increase in the competency based questions. 

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) has introducted Robotics and Artificial Intelligence subject in the ISC 12th board exam 2025. The ISC 12th exam pattern 2025 will have more competency based questions. Students have to go through the revised exam pattern while preparing for the board exam. 

ISC 12th exam pattern 2025 contains a detailed representation of question patterns, subject criteria, ISC marks distribution 2025, types of questions, and other details of ISC 12th syllabus 2024-25. Students are required to appear in six subjects for the ISC board examination and qualify with 40% marks in each subject to qualify for the exam. 

ISC 12th Specimen Paper ISC 12th Books 2025

ISC 12th Exam Pattern 2025: Highlights

Each paper in the ISC 12th exams will be conducted for 100 marks. Check out the major highlights of the ISC 12th 2025 exam pattern below. 

ISC 12th Exam Pattern Highlights 2025
Particulars Details
Name of the exam  Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE)
Mode of exam  Offline 
Exam dates 21st Feb 2025 Onwards (tentative)
Exam duration  3 hours 
Shift 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM (tentative)
Total Marks 80 theory + 20 practicals
Question pattern Multiple Choice Questions
Long Type Questions
Short Type Questions
Passing marks 40% in each subject
Negative marking No negative marking
Official website cisce.org

Also Read: ISC Marks Calculation

ISC Class 12th 2025 Exam Pattern: Marks Distribution

English is a compulsory subject for all stream students. Moreover, along with that, students must opt for three, four, or five elective subjects. The detailed-wise marks distribution of the ISC class 12th exams are tabulated below. 

ISC 12th Exam Pattern 2025 Marks Distribution
Subjects Duration Paper Marks
English 3 hours English Language 100
Literature in English 100
History 3 hours Theory 80
Project Work 20
Geography 3 hours Theory 70
Practical and Project Work 30
Economics 3 hours Theory 80
Project Work 20
Commerce 3 hours Theory 80
Project Work 20
Accounts 3 hours Theory 80
Project Work 20
Maths 3 hours Theory 80
Project Work 20
Physics 3 hours Theory 70
Practical 15
Project Work 10
Practical File 5
Chemistry 3 hours Theory 70
Practical 15
Project Work 10
Practical File 5
Biology 3 hours Theory 70
Practical 15
Project Work 10
Practical File 5

ISC 12th Exam Pattern 2025: Subject-Wise Marks Distribution

Students who are preparing for the upcoming board exams must follow the exam pattern to understand the chapter-wise weightage. The detailed information is provided below for the student's reference. 

ISC Class 12th English Exam Pattern 2025

English is a compulsory subject for all stream students. The paper will be conducted for 100 marks, out of which 80 is for the theory and 20 is for the practical.

ISC 12th English Exam Pattern 2025
Sections Details
English Theory Paper
Section 1 (20 marks) Students need to write a composition which should comprise 400-450 words.
Section-2 (15 marks) Students need to write an article, review, or report on a given point.
Section-3 (15 marks) This section will include short questions and grammar & structure-based questions
Section-4 (20 marks) This section will include unseen passages in which questions need to be read and give answers
English Practical Paper
Section 1 (10 marks) This section will include listening and speaking skills
Section 2 (10 marks) In this section, an examiner will visit the school to test students’ assessment

ISC Class 12th History Exam Pattern 2025

The ISC 12th History paper will be conducted for 100 marks, out of which 80 marks will be for theory and 20 marks will be for practical.

ISC 12th History Exam Pattern 2025
Parts Details
History Theory Paper
Part-1 It includes short questions related to fundamental factual knowledge and understanding of the Syllabus
Part-2 It will comprise 5 long questions each question will have weightage of 12 marks
History Practical Paper
Part-1 Students have to undergo a project that might include a case study, a local history, a Field visit, or a book review and film review

ISC Class 12th Business Studies Exam Pattern 2025

The Business Studies paper will be conducted for 100 marks, out of which 80 marks will be conducted for theory and 20 marks will be for projects. 

ISC 12th Business Studies Exam Pattern 2025
Sections Details
Business Studies Theory Paper
Section 1 (20 marks) It includes short questions related to fundamental factual knowledge and understanding of the Syllabus
Section 2 (60 marks) It will consist of 8 questions and students need to answer any 5 questions, each question will comprise 12 marks
Business Studies Practical Paper
Section 1 Students need to make a project on any topic given by the teacher which will be assessed by the teacher and will comprise 20 marks

ISC Class 12th Maths Exam Pattern 2025

The maths syllabus will comprise 3 sections wherein section A is compulsory for all the students; students can choose any one between section B and section C and attempt the questions. 

ISC 12th Maths Exam Pattern 2025
Units Total Weightage
Section A: 80 Marks
Sets and Functions 22 Marks
Algebra 34 Marks
Coordinate Geometry 8 marks
Calculus 8 marks
Statistics & Probability 8 marks
Section B: 20 marks
Conic Section 12 marks
Introduction to Three-Dimensional Geometry 4 marks
Mathematical Reasoning 4 marks
Section C: 20 Marks
Statistics 6 marks 
Correlation Analysis 6 marks
Index Numbers & Moving Averages 8 marks
Total: 100

ISC Class 12th Physics Exam Pattern 2025

The Physics subject will be conducted for 100 marks, of which 70 marks will be for theory, and 30 marks will be for practical exams. 

ISC 12th Physics Exam Pattern 2025
Units Total Weightage
Physical World and Measurement 23 Marks
Light, Sound, and Heat
Laws of Motion
Force, Energy, and Power 17 Marks
The motion of the System of Particles and the Rigid Body
Gravitation
Properties of Bulk Matter 20 marks
Electricity and Magnesium
Oscillations and Waves 10 marks
Total 70 marks

ISC 12th Exam Pattern 2025: Group-Wise Distribution

The ISC 12th exam pattern 2025 is different for all subjects. The subjects are divided into different groups. The marks are divided into internal and external examinations. The following are group-wise marking allocations under the ISC 12th 2025 Exam Pattern.

ISC 2025 Group-wise Marks Distribution
Group Subjects
Group I (80% marks external exam + 20% marks internal exam) History, Civics, Geography, English, Second Language (one/two)
Group II (80% marks external exam + 20% marks internal exam) Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Mathematics, Commercial Studies, Economics, Environmental Science, A Classical Language, A Modern Foreign Language
Group III (50% marks external exam + 50 % marks internal exam) Arts, Performing Arts, Computer Applications, Economic Applications, Commercial Applications, Fashion Designing, Physical Education, Yoga, Cookery, Home Science, A Modern Foreign Language, Technical Drawing Applications, Environmental Applications

Below are some ISC 12th exam pattern 2025 details regarding the group and the subjects, as the three groups have different marking patterns. 

Exam Pattern

ISC 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for Group I Subjects

Group I consists of all compulsory subjects such as English, History, Civics, Geography, and a second language. Each of these subjects has a total mark of 80, which has been divided into 40 marks for each semester. 

ISC Group I Subjects Question Pattern
Subject Question Pattern / Analysis Duration

English I

English I includes composition, letters, unseen passages, and grammar.

Semester I will be MCQ-based.

In Semester II, there will be three sections: Composition, Directed Writing, and Proposal Writing.

2 hours 

English II

English II is the literature part which includes questions from drama, prose, and poetry.

"The Tempest" by William Shakespeare (Act III), Echoes: A Collection of ISC Short Stories (To Build a Fire – Jack London, The Story of an Hour – Kate Chopin), Reverie: A Collection of ISC Poems (The Duckling Thrush – Thomas Hardy, Birches – Robert Frost, Crossing the Bar – Alfred, Lord Tennyson), The Singing Lesson – Katherine Mansfield, The Sound Machine – Roald Dahl, B. Wordsworth – V.S Naipaul), Reverie: A Collection of ISC Poems (Dover Beach – Matthew Arnold, We are the Music Makers – Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy).

2 hours

History & Civics

Towards Independence and Partition: the Last Phase (1935- 1947), Establishment and development of Indian Democracy (1964- 1966), Challenges to Indian Democracy  (1964- 1977), Changing face of the Indian Democracy (1977- 1986), India’s Foreign Policy, Movements for Women’s Rights 

World War II, De-colonisation – in Asia (China), Cold War 1945-91 – Origin, Course, End and Impact, Protest Movements, Middle East: Israeli-Palestine conflict (1916-1993)

2.5 hours

Geography

Long answer-type questions including sketches, diagrams, charts, and graphs. Resources of India and their Utilisation (Agriculture: Types, development and problems; Fishing in India, Japan and Bangladesh; Sources of Energy), Infrastructural Resources (Complete unit)Industries (Complete unit), Regional Economic Development (Complete unit), Map Work (Related to the given topics) 2 hours

Second Language

The section includes language skills- Comprehension and Grammar.

In the Literature paper: The section includes questions from prescribed textbooks. Composition and Grammar will come from this section. In the Literature paper: The section includes questions from prescribed textbooks.

2 hours

ISC 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for Group II Subjects

Group II contains 7 subjects in which students have to choose any 2 subjects. As per the ISC 12th exam pattern, the subjects will be of a total of 80 marks, and the exam duration will vary from 2 to 3 hours. 

ISC Group II Subjects Question Pattern
Subject Question Pattern Duration
Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) There will be short and long answer-type questions. 2 hours for each paper
Environmental Science The paper will consist of short and long answer questions.  2 hours
Mathematics There will be short and long answer-type questions and will carry 40 marks. 2.5 hours
Economics There will be short and long answer-type questions. 2 hours
Classical Language Questions will come from Grammar, Sentence Translation, Poems, Short Stories, and Chapters of the prescribed Novel/Drama. 2 hours
Modern Foreign Language The paper will be 40 marks and in the Language portion, comprehension and translation will be there. Whereas, in the Literature paper, questions will be from the prescribed textbook, Novel/Drama.  3 hours

ISC 12th Exam Pattern for Group III Subjects

From group III, students have to choose only one subject. The total mark is 100. The exam duration varies from 2 hours to 3 hours, depending on the subject. 

ISC Group III Question Pattern
Subject Question Pattern Duration
Commercial Applications Section A: Compulsory short questions Section B: Detailed answer type questions with a choice 2 hours
Economic Applications Section A: Compulsory short questions Section B: detailed answer type questions with a choice 2 hours
Computer Applications Section A: Compulsory short questions of 40 marks, Section B: detailed answer type questions of 60 marks with choice 2 hours
Environmental Applications Section A: Compulsory short questions, Section B: detailed answer type questions with choice. 2 hours
Home Science Section A: Compulsory short questions, Section B: detailed answer type questions with a choice of 4 questions that must be answered 2 hours
Art There are 4 papers out of which a candidate must attempt two based on drawing/painting from still life, drawing/ painting from nature, Applied Art, Original Imaginative Composition in Colour 3 hours
Performing Arts Section A: Vocal Music Section B: Instrumental Music Section C: Tabla 2 hours
Fashion Designing Section A: Compulsory short questions Section B: detailed answer type questions with a choice of 4 questions must be answered 2 hours
Cookery Section A: Compulsory short questions, Section B: detailed answer type questions with a choice of 4 questions that must be answered 2 hours
Modern Foreign Language 5 questions based on Unseen comprehension, Translation into the English language, Grammar, Letter and Composition 2 hours
Technical Drawing Applications Section A: 3 out of 5 questions Section B: 2 out of 3 questions must be answered 3 hours
Physical Education Section A: questions based on health, hygiene, and first aid Section B: Questions based on rules, skills, and methods of fitness training for any two team games - Cricket, football, Handball, Hockey, Basketball, Volleyball, softball. 2 hours
Yoga Section A: Compulsory questions of 40 marks Section B, C, and D: There will be an option to attempt two questions with 20 marks from each section. 2 hours

ISC 12th 2025 Exam Pattern: Passing Criteria

To receive a pass certificate for the ISC 12th exam 2025, all students must achieve at least 40% of the possible points. All applicants must select English as one of their elective subjects from the ISC syllabus 2023-24 and the other required subjects.

ISC 12th Grading System 2025

Students have to secure seven, the minimum passing grade, to get the passing certificate. Only Grades 1 to 7 are recorded on certificates. The interpretation of the grades is as follows:

External Examination

The external examination is mostly based on assignments, practical assessments, project work, Viva voce, team activity, etc.  

ISC 12th Grading System External Examination
Grade Standard
1 - 2 Very Good
3 - 5 Credit
6 - 7 Pass
8 - 9 Fail

Internal Examination

The internal assessment is calculated based on the performance of Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW) and Community Service. Grade A is the highest, and Grade E is the lowest. 

ISC 12th Grading System Internal Examination
Grade Standard
A Very Good
B Good
C Satisfactory
D Fair
E Fail

ISC Class 12th Project Work Exam Pattern 2025

Most of the subjects under the ISC Class 12 exam comprise project work and practical assessment, which carries 20 to 30 marks. The project work under the ISC 12th 2025 exam pattern is given below for various subjects. 

  • English
  • Indian Languages
  • Classical Languages
  • Modern Foreign Languages
  • Elective English
  • Mathematics
  • Electricity and Electronics
  • Engineering Science
  • Geometrical and Mechanical Drawing
  • Geometrical and Building Drawing

FAQs on ISC Exam Pattern

Q: When will the board conduct the ISC 12th exam 2025?

Q: With the ISC 12th exam pattern 2025 set by the board, what are the passing marks?

Q: How many marks are allotted for the internal assessment per the ISC 12th exam pattern 2025?

Q: What is the average time allotted for each exam paper per the ISC 12th exam pattern 2025?

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