The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations is a renowned educational council in India. The commission conducts three examinations yearly, of which The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) is for class 10 examinees. The board aims to serve the nation’s children through education of extraordinary value. In the present article, the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus will be discussed. This will aid the students in knowing what’s precisely present in the reduced ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus 2021. The probable marks from each chapter will also be discussed later in this article.
The topics included in the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus are as follows: Periodic Table; Chemical Bonding; Acids, Bases & Salts; Analytical Chemistry; Mole Concept; Electrolysis; Metallurgy; Study of Compounds and Organic Chemistry. For the academic year 2021-2022, the council has reduced the syllabus by 25%. A lot of the topics have been condensed by removing some sub-topics under them. There are 100 marks allocated for chemistry in the ICSE Class 10 examination, where 80% marks are for theory, and the remaining 20% marks are for internal assessment of practical work. The theory question paper is divided into two sections, viz. Section I, carrying 40 marks, includes compulsory short questions, and Section II, also carrying 40 marks, contains six questions, out of which any four are to be attempted by the students.
Class 10 ICSE Chemistry Theory syllabus
| Chapters | Weightage of Marks |
| 1. Periodic Properties and variations of Properties – Physical and Chemical Periodic properties and the variations in groups and period atomic Number for Elements based on Periodicity | 10 |
| 2. Chemical Bonding Electrovalent bonding Covalent bounding coordinate bonding Structures of various compoundsElectron dot structure | 8 |
| 3. Study of Acids, Bases, and Salts Simple definitions of molecules and their classification along with their characteristic propertiesIonization/dissociation of ions of acids, bases, and salts with suitable examples and equations icons present in mineral acids, alkalis, and salts, and their solutions introduction to pH scale types of salts | 13 |
| 4. Analytical Chemistry The action of Ammonium Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide on a solution of salts action of caustic alkalis (NaOH, KOH) on aluminium, their oxides, and hydroxides | 4 |
| 5. Mole Concept and Stoichiometry Vapour Density and its relation to relative molecular massThe formula for molecular massDeduction of empirical and molecular formula | 14 |
| 6. Electrolysis Electrolytes and non-electrolytes Substances containing: Molecules onlyIons onlyBoth molecules and ions Definition of Electrolysis Electrolyte Electrode Anode Cathode Anion Cation Oxidation and reduction (based on loss and gain of electrons).An elementary study of the migration of Ions Applications of electrolysis | 10 |
| 7. Metallurgy Occurrence of metals in nature extraction of AluminiumDefinition, alloys of Aluminium, their properties, and uses | 7 |
| 8. Study of Compounds Hydrogen ChlorideAmmoniaNitric Acid Sulphuric Acid | 18 |
| 9. Organic Chemistry Introduction to Organic compound structure and IsomerismHomologous series: Characteristics with examples simple nomenclatureHydrocarbons: AlkanesAlkenesAlkynes | 16 |
Summary of ICSE Class X Chemistry Theory Syllabus
The ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus has nine chapters. Among these, the following topics have the maximum weightage of marks, viz. Periodic Properties and variations of Properties, with emphasis on the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, halogen groups, and inert gases; Acids, Bases, and Salts, where chemical equations are important; Mole Concept and Stoichiometry, where students need to pay special attention to the empirical formulae, the percentage composition of compounds and molecular masses of combining elements; Electrolysis; Metallurgy, Aluminium is focused mainly here; Study of Compounds, chemical reactions are important here and finally Organic Chemistry where diagrams of the structure of organic compounds are to be given special attention.
Class 10 ICSE Chemistry Practical Syllabus
The internal evaluation of practical work carries 20 marks, which is divided as follows:
| Internal Examiner OR the Subject Teacher | 10 Marks |
| External Examiner | 10 Marks |
| Total Marks Allotted | 20 |
The practicals are kept relatively simple in the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus. The council suggests the experiments related to the identification of certain gases and ions:
Gases: Hydrogen, Oxygen, Chlorine, Water vapour, Hydrogen chloride, Sulphur dioxide, Hydrogen sulfide, Carbon dioxide, Ammonia, Nitrogen dioxide.
Ions: Calcium, Copper, Zinc, Iron, Lead, and Ammonium. Also included are Nitrate, Carbonate, Chloride, Sulphide, Sulphite, and Sulphate.
A minimum of the following practicals are to be done by each student for the ICSE Board Class 10 Chemistry Practical Exam:
| Experiments / Practicals | Details |
| To observe the action of heat on Copper carbonate Zinc nitrate Copper nitrate Lead nitrate Hydrated copper sulfate | Students need to observe, identify the products formed due to the reaction and draw inferences (if required)Equations are not necessary. |
| To monitor the effect of sodium hydroxide solution or ammonium hydroxide solution on the solution of an unknown substance | The unknown solution should be a substance containing any of the following: Ca2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Pb2+, Zn2+, NH4+ |
| To determine which is an acidic and a basic compound using two tests for each | Solutions of dilute acid and alkali will be supplied to the students for the experiment. |
| To observe the effect of HCl on Copper oxide Manganese dioxide | Students need to observe, identify the products formed due to the reaction and draw an inference. |
Summary of ICSE Class X Chemistry Practical syllabus
For the academic session of 2021-2022, the practical syllabus of ICSE Class 10 Chemistry has also been shortened. The experiments have been kept minimal. It has been condensed for the students, and they don’t have to go through a vast practical syllabus to remember all the experiments. The options for the substances to be provided for performing practical work have been narrowed down. Both the internal and external examiner will individually assess the assignments submitted by the students.
Frequently Asked Questions of ICSE Chemistry Class X
1. What are the topics included in the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus?
The topics like Periodic Properties and variations of Properties; Chemical Bonding; Acids, Bases & Salts; Analytical Chemistry; Mole Concept & Stoichiometry; Electrolysis; Metallurgy; Study of Compounds and Organic Chemistry included in the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus are as follows: Both theory questions and practical experiments come from these mentioned topics.
2. What are the essential chapters from the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus?
As mentioned earlier, the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 question paper consists of two sections. Section I covers short answer-type questions from all the chapters present in the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus. Hence, equal importance should be given to all the chapters, as students need to attempt all the questions from Section I. There won’t be any option to select specific questions from Section I.
3. What is the chapter-wise marks weightage in the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus?
There is no explicit instruction on chapter-wise marks distribution by the council. From the analyses of previous years’ questions, marks distribution patterns for the academic year 2021-2022 can be comprehended. The probable chapter-wise marks weightage of the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus is summed up in the above-provided table of theory syllabus.
4. Which chapters are omitted from the new ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus 2021?
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations has decided to reduce the syllabi of all the subjects by 25% for the academic year 2021-2022, keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic situation. In the ICSE Chemistry Class 10 Syllabus, many sub-topics under a chapter have been removed. For instance, from the chapter Metallurgy, only Aluminium, its ores, and their extraction are mainly focused in the syllabus, unlike last year. Details can be found in the given theory syllabus table above.
5. What is the evaluation pattern of ICSE Chemistry Class 10?
A total of 100 marks is allotted for the subject of chemistry. The theory part carries 80 marks, and the internal evaluation of practical work has 20 marks. The theory question paper is divided into two sections. The first section consists of 40 marks, short answer-type questions, and all the questions are compulsory. The second section also carries 40 marks and contains long answer-type questions, where students need to attempt any four out of the given six. Internal and external examiners award the remaining 20 marks during the practical examination.