The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) is a non-governmental national level education board in India, established in 1958. It was established with the intent to replace the overseas Cambridge School Certificate Examination with an all-India examination. The board conducts three national level examinations:

• Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) examination equivalent to class X examination.
• Indian School Certificate (ISC) examination equivalent to class XII examination.
• Certificate of Vocational Education (CVE) examination equivalent to class XII examinations.

The Indian School Certificate (ISC) examination is conducted every year after a two-year course beyond the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) examination or equivalent. For the two-year course students must study English compulsorily and three, four or five elective subjects. In total, thirty subjects are available in ISC. Students may select the subjects according to their chosen stream. In general, each stream has four compulsory subjects, and students also need to choose one optional subject from the available subjects in the school. Subjects get classified under four streams:

• Medical
• Non-Medical
• Commerce
• Humanities

However, the streams and subjects available may vary from school to school. Some schools may only have three streams: Science, Commerce, and Humanities. In such schools, Biology may get available as the optional subject in the Science stream with English, Maths, Physics, and Chemistry as compulsory subjects.

Besides this, students should also compulsorily participate in Socially Useful Productive Work and Community Work and must get passing grades.

Syllabus of Biology for the first year of the ISC (class XI) examination

ISC first year examination or class XI consists of two papers:

1. Paper I: Theory (70 marks)
2. Paper-II: Practical Work, Project file and Project (30 Marks)

Structure of Paper I for Class XI ISC Biology

Paper I consists of two parts: Part I having 20 questions, and Part II having 17 questions. Part II further gets divided into three sections:

• Section A has seven(7) questions of 2 marks each
• Section B having seven(7) questions of 3 marks each
• Section C having three(3) questions of 5 marks each

Parts	Number of Questions	Marks for each Question
I	20	1
II	Section A – 7 questions Section B – 7 questions Section C – 3 questions	2 3 5

Internal choices are available for two questions of Section A and Section B; for all three questions of Section C.

The total time allowed to complete Paper I: Theory is 3 hours.

Units and their weightage of marks in ISC Paper I Class XI Biology

S. No.	Units	Weightage of marks
1	Diversity of Living Organisms	9
2	Structural Organization of Animals and Plants	11
3	Cell: Structure and Function	15
4	Plant Physiology	17
5	Human Physiology	18

Syllabus for ISC Class 11 Biology Paper I: Theory

Unit 1: Diversity of Living Organisms

1. The Living World
2. Three domains of life
3. Taxonomic terms and systematics
4. Concept of species
5. Major taxonomic hierarchies
6. Museums, herbariums, zoological and botanical gardens

1. Biological classification
2. Five kingdom classification
3. Salient features of the kingdom of Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia
4. Lichens, Viruses, and Viroids

1. Plant Kingdom
2. Algae (characteristics, examples, and economic importance)
3. Bryophyta
4. Pteridophyta
5. Gymnosperm
6. Angiosperm
7. Comparison of life cycle patterns of different plant groups.

1. Animal Kingdom
2. Non-Chordata (characteristics and examples)
3. Chordata (sub-classification, characteristics, and examples)

Unit 2: Structural Organisation in Animals and Plants

1. Morphology of flowering plants
2. Morphology of flower
3. Structure of a typical flower
4. Types of inflorescence
5. Anatomy of flowering plants
6. Plant Tissues
7. The internal structure of root, stem, and leaf
8. Cellular diagrams of T.S of roots and stem
9. Cellular diagrams of V.S of monocot and dicot leaves
10. Secondary growth in dicot system
11. Structural organization in Animals
12. Morphology, anatomy, and functions of different systems of cockroach

Unit 3: Cell: Structure and function

1. Cell: the unit of life
2. Structure of eukaryotic cells
3. Cell envelope
4. Cell membrane and cell wall
5. Cell organelles – ultrastructure and function
6. Endomembrane systems
7. Mitochondria, ribosomes, plastids, and microbodies
8. Cytoskeleton, cilia, flagella, and centrioles
9. Nucleus, nuclear membrane, chromatin, and nucleolus
10. Biomolecules
11. Amino Acids and Proteins (structure, essential and non-essential amino acids and function)
12. Carbohydrates (classification and function)
13. Lipids and fats (classification, structure, and functions)
14. Enzymes (properties, nomenclature, and classification; factors affecting enzyme activity)
15. Cell cycle and cell division
16. Definition of C-value
17. Different stages of cell cycle
18. Different stages of meiosis with diagrams
19. Significance of meiosis

Unit 4: Plant Physiology

1. Transport in plants
2. Plant-water relations
3. Water potential
4. Long-distance transport of water
5. Absorption, apoplast, symplast, transpirational pull, root pressure, and guttation
6. Transpiration
7. Opening and closing of stomata
8. Uptake and translocation of mineral nutrients
9. Phloem transport
10. Mass flow hypothesis
11. Mineral nutrition
12. Essential minerals, micro, and macronutrients and their functions
13. Deficiency symptoms
14. Mineral toxicity
15. Elementary idea of microphonics
16. Nitrogen cycle
17. Biological nitrogen fixation
18. Photosynthesis in plants
19. Definition
20. Site of photosynthesis
21. Photochemical and biosynthetic phases of photosynthesis
22. Cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation
23. Chemiosmotic hypothesis
24. Photorespiration
25. C3 and c4 pathways
26. Factors affecting photosynthesis
27. Respiration in plants
28. Cellular respiration – glycolysis and fermentation
29. TCA cycle and electron transport system
30. Energy relations – number of ATP molecules generated
31. Amphibolic pathways
32. Respiratory quotient
33. Plant growth and development
34. Seed germination
35. Phases of plant growth
36. Differentiation, dedifferentiation, and redifferentiation
37. Growth regulators: auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, ethylene, ABA
38. Seed dormancy
39. Vernalisation
40. Photoperiodism

Unit 5: Human Physiology

1. Digestion and absorption
2. Alimentary canal and digestive glands
3. Role of digestive enzymes
4. Peristalsis, digestion, absorption, and assimilation of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats
5. Calorific values of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats
6. Egestion
7. Nutritional and digestive disorders
8. Breathing and exchange of gases
9. Respiratory system in humans
10. Mechanism of breathing and its mechanism
11. Disorders related to respiration
12. Body fluids and circulation
13. Human circulatory system
14. Structure of the human heart
15. Cardiac cycle, cardiac output, and ECG
16. Double circulation
17. Regulation of cardiac activity
18. Disorders of the circulatory system
19. Excretory Products and their elimination
20. Modes of excretion – ammonotelism, ureotelism, uricotelism
21. Human excretory system – structure and function
22. Urine formation and osmoregulation
23. Regulation of kidney function
24. Renin, angiotensin
25. Atrial natriuretic factor
26. Role of erythropoietin
27. Disorders of the excretory system – uremia, renal failure, renal calculi, nephritis
28. Dialysis and artificial kidney  
29. Locomotion and movement
30. Contractile proteins and muscle contraction
31. Skeletal system and its functions
32. Joints
33. Disorders of the muscular and skeletal system
34. Neural control and coordination
35. Neuron and nerves
36. The nervous system in humans – central nervous system
37. Peripheral nervous system
38. Visceral nervous system
39. Generation and conduction of nerve impulse
40. Sensory perception
41. Sense organs
42. Elementary structure and function of eyes and ears
43. Chemical Coordination and integration
44. Endocrine glands and hormones
45. Human endocrine system – hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas, gonads
46. Mechanism of hormone action
47. Role of hormones as messengers and regulators
48. Hypo and hyperactivity and related disorders
49. Dwarfism, acromegaly, cretinism, goiter, exophthalmic goiter, diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, Grave’s disease, and Addison’s disease

Syllabus for ISC Class 11 Biology Paper II: Practical and Project Work

Biology Practical Work For ISC XI

The practical work contributes 15 marks, and the duration is 3 hours.

1. Scientific techniques
2. To study parts of a dissecting microscope.
3. To study parts of a compound microscope.
4. Physiology
5. Food test: test for starch, glucose, sucrose, protein, and fats
6. To study the effects of heat on the permeability of beetroot cells.
7. Separation of plant pigments from leaves through chromatography
8. Demonstration of plasmolysis
9. Morphology
10. Morphology and modification of roots stems and leaves
11. Preparation of temporary slides Mucor/Rhizopus
12. Make labeled diagrams and mark observations
13. Cytology
14. Preparation and study of temporary slides of onion peel
15. Study stages of mitosis in onion root tips
16. T.S of monocot and dicot stem
17. T.S of monocot and dicot root
18. Draw and label all parts as seen from the low power microscope
19. Spotting
20. Identification of stained preparation of:
21. Mammalian blood cells
22. Bacteria
23. Spirogyra
24. Amoeba
25. Yeast
26. Identification of specimens of following, draw, label, and at least two visible characteristics as observed under the microscope in three minutes:
27. Liverworts
28. Moss
29. Fern
30. Pinus
31. Mushroom
32. Monocot plant – bamboo
33. Dicot plant – petunia
34. Sponge
35. Hydra
36. Tapeworm
37. Leech
38. Silkworm
39. Rohu fish
40. Comment on experimental set up studied in physiology, identity, draw a labeled diagram, and write observation and inference within three minutes:
41. Osmosis
42. Transpiration
43. Photosynthesis
44. Transpiration pull

Biology Project Work for ISC XI

Anyone project related to :

1. Experiment on any aspect of plant/animal life
2. Any aspect of the environment
3. Diabetes
4. Endocrine disorders
5. Yeast fermentation and production of alcohol or any other commercial dependant on plant/animal life or their products
6. Culture of earthworms, protozoans, molds
7. Setting up of an aquarium