The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is an educational board at the national level with approximately 21,500 schools worldwide. The Union Government of India administers the CBSE. All the schools under CBSE follow the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) curriculum. To score high marks in biology, students must follow the CBSE Biology Class 9 Syllabus. This article is going to focus on CBSE Biology Class 9 Syllabus 2021.
In the CBSE Biology Class 9 Syllabus, students will study the subject of science as a whole. The exam patterns in CBSE for classes 9 to 12 have been revised for 2021-2022. Although the syllabus remains unchanged, the type and pattern of questions in the theory paper have been modified. The NCERT Biology Class 9 Syllabus 2021 is divided into units where the disciplines of Biology, Physics, and Chemistry are distinct. The exam takes place in two terms carrying 80 marks (40+40) for theory and 20 marks (10+10) for internal assessment in total. In term I, the portion of biology contains the maximum marks (18 marks), whereas it is 8 marks for term II.
CBSE Biology Class 9 Syllabus along with Marks Weightage:
| Terms | Units | Marks |
| Term I | Unit I: Matter-Its Nature and Behaviour | 09 |
| Unit II: Organization in the Living World | 18 | |
| Unit III: Motion, Force, and Work | 13 | |
| Total Theory Marks (Term I) | 40 | |
| Term II | Unit I: Matter-Its Nature and Behaviour | 18 |
| Unit II: Organization in the Living World | 08 | |
| Unit III: Motion, Force, and Work | 14 | |
| Total Theory Marks (Term II) | 40 |
The above table summarizes the CBSE Class 9 Science Theory Syllabus. Each term carries 40 marks, in which the unit of Biology is Unit II. It has 18 marks for Term I, which is the highest among all three units. For Term II, Unit II has eight marks. The total allotted to the CBSE Class 9 Science theory paper is 80 marks (Term I- 40 marks and Term II- 40 marks).
Theory Syllabus of Class IX CBSE Biology
| Term I | Unit II: Organization in the Living World | |
| Chapters and Sub-topics | Marks | |
| The Fundamental Unit of Life Cell as a Basic Unit of Life; Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells; Multicellular Organisms; Cell Membrane and Cell Wall; Cell Organelles and Cell Inclusions; Chloroplast; Mitochondria; Vacuoles; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Golgi apparatus; Nucleus; Chromosomes- Structure and Number | 18 | |
| Tissues Structure and functions of animal tissues (only four types of tissues in animals); Structure and functions of plant tissues (only Meristematic and Permanent tissues in plants) | ||
| Term II | Why do we fall ill Health and Diseases; Health and its Failure; Infectious and Non-infectious diseases; Causes and Manifestation of Infectious and Non-infectious diseases; Diseases Caused by Microbes (Virus, Bacteria, and Protozoans) and their Prevention; Principles of Treatment and Prevention; Pulse Polio Programmes | 08 |
For theory exams, students must focus more on the unit of Biology for Term I, as it carries the maximum marks. There are two chapters included in the CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus. The first one is ‘The Fundamental Unit of Life’ and the second is ‘Tissues.’ These two chapters together carry 18 marks in Term I. There is a single chapter included in Term II for the theory paper of Biology. The chapter ‘Tissues’ has eight marks. Therefore, in Term II, there are only eight marks allotted for the unit of Biology.
CBSE Class IX Biology Syllabus for Internal Assessment
The CBSE suggests only one unit for the internal assessment of students. It is also mentioned that the portion of the unit is not to be assessed in the annual examination. The unit and the topics under it are tabulated below:
| Unit IV: Our Environment | ||
| Chapter: Natural Resources Physical resources: Air, Water, and Soil; Air for respiration, for combustion, for moderating temperatures; movements of air and its role in bringing rains across India; Air, water and soil pollution (brief introduction); Holes in the ozone layer and the probable damages. Biogeochemical cycles in nature: Water Cycle; Oxygen Cycle; Carbon Cycle; Nitrogen Cycle | Term I | Term II |
| 10 Marks | 10 Marks |
Students are supposed to make a brief note on any topic from this unit based on which they will be scored for their Internal Assessment. The credits obtained from the internal assessment will be added to students’ final results. Along with this, practicals are also included in the curriculum.
CBSE Class IX Biology Practical Syllabus
| Term I | ||
| Unit II | Chapter 5: The Fundamental Unit of Life | Preparation of temporarily stained amounts of plant and animal cells and record the observations and draw their labelled diagrams: Onion peel Human cheek cells |
| Chapter 6: Tissues | Identification of the following plant tissues from prepared slides and draw their labelled diagrams Parenchyma tissueCollenchyma tissueSclerenchyma tissue Identification of the following animal tissues from prepared slides and draw their labelled diagrams Striped Muscle FibersSmooth Muscle FibersCardiac Muscle FibersNerve Cells |
Practicals are also a part of the Internal Assessment. Students are supposed to undertake the practicals mentioned in the CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus for the assessment. The practicals from Biology are only included in Term I. there is no practical from Biology in Term II. students are supposed to prepare mounted slides of plant cells from onion peel and animal cells from mouth cheek cells. They also have to identify various types of plant and animal tissues from prepared slides provided to them during the practical examination. Apart from this, students should be well versed with the scientific diagrams, as the assessment will also depend on the drawings they submit. The diagrams should be adequately and clearly labelled.
Frequently Asked Questions of CBSE Class 9 Biology
1. What topics are included in the CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus 2021?
The chapters included in the CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus 2021 are 1. The Fundamental Unit of Life: Cell, its various types, and organelles: prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, multicellular organisms; cell membrane and cell wall, cell organelles and cell inclusions; chloroplast, mitochondria, vacuoles, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus; nucleus, chromosomes – basic structure, number and 2. Tissues: Structure and functions of animal and plant tissues.
2. Which are the essential topics in the CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus?
The CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus is designed so that the maximum marks are carried in the unit of Biology in Term I. While in Term II, most of the marks are divided among Physics and Chemistry. In Term I, chapters, viz. The Fundamental Unit of Life: Cell and Tissue are the most important chapters. While in Term II, the chapter named ‘Why do we fall ill’ is essential.
3. What is the marks weightage for chapters of the CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus?
Each term of the CBSE science exam carries 40 marks. In the first term, Biology carries the maximum weightage of marks, carrying 18 marks. The chapters included in the first term are 1.The Fundamental Unit of Life: Cell and 2. Tissue. So both these chapters together carry 18 marks. While in the second term, only one chapter named ‘Why do we fall ill’ is included and has eight marks.
4. What is the evaluation pattern in the CBSE Class 9 Biology exam?
The students of class 9 in the CBSE appear for the Science exam, which is divided into three disciplines, viz. Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Students are evaluated based on the Theory exam of 80 marks and the Internal Assessment of 20 marks. Each term carries 40 marks of theoretical and 10 marks of practical assessment.
5. What is included in the practical of the CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus?
The practical syllabus has been kept very simple in the CBSE Class 9 Biology Syllabus 2021. Students have 1. Prepare temporarily stained amounts of plant and animal cells and record the observations and draw their labelled diagrams. Identify plant and animal tissues from prepared slides and draw their labelled diagrams.