ICSE Class 10 Cookery Syllabus 2026-27

Part 1: Theory Syllabus (100 Marks)

The theory paper is built around seven units, moving from everyday food choices to the science and safety of running a kitchen.

Unit 1: Seasonal Foods and Convenience Foods

●       Choosing and costing seasonal foods, since in-season produce tends to be richer in nutrients and lower in cost, along with cheaper substitutes for expensive items such as green leafy vegetables and amla.

●       Hygienic purchase and storage of perishable, semi-perishable and non-perishable foods, and the merits and demerits of shopping at supermarkets, wholesalers, retail shops or street vendors.

●       Intelligent use of convenience foods, tinned, packed, frozen and processed, including reading labels for shelf life, manufacture and expiry dates, and recognising quality marks such as ISI, FPO and Agmark.

Unit 2: Meal Planning and Balanced Diets

●       Objectives of meal planning based on the five food groups suggested by ICMR, factoring in age, gender, occupation, health status and seasonal variation.

●       Psychological aspects of food planning, covering likes and dislikes, food fads, and cultural or traditional influences, along with planning for festivals and unexpected guests.

●       Planning balanced meals by ICMR nutrient allowances for pre-school children, school going children, adolescents, the elderly, and pregnant or lactating women.

Unit 3: Therapeutic Diets

●       Definition of diet therapy, and the four types of therapeutic diet, liquid, semi-liquid, solid and soft.

●       Obesity, its causes, and the role of diet, exercise and diet counselling in managing it.

●       Planning meals for invalids and convalescents with conditions such as fever, anaemia, diarrhoea, hypertension and diabetes, adapted to the patient's likes, dislikes and cultural habits.

Unit 4: Food Preservation and Storage

●       Causes of food spoilage, including micro-organisms, enzymes and insects, and the underlying principles of food preservation.

●       Home based preservation methods, refrigeration, deep freezing, dehydration, pickling, salting, and preparing squashes, juices and jams.

●       Commercial preservation methods, canning, pasteurisation and cold storage.

Unit 5: Kitchen Planning

●       Kitchen layouts including one wall, two wall, U-shaped, broken U-shaped, L-shaped and modular kitchens, and the four main work centres, preparation, cooking, washing and serving.

●       Factors in planning a kitchen, lighting, water supply, ventilation, flooring and storage, along with work simplification techniques.

●       Safety in the kitchen, covering flooring and wall materials, avoiding sharp counter edges, and safe storage of sharp instruments like knives.

Unit 6: Kitchen Hygiene

●       Personal hygiene of food handlers and rules for maintaining a hygienic kitchen.

●       Food sanitation and diseases linked to poor sanitation such as diarrhoea, cholera and dysentery.

●       Routine kitchen cleaning schedules, proper disposal of solid and liquid waste, and controlling household pests such as cockroaches, ants, lizards and rodents.

Unit 7: Kitchen Equipment

●       Selection and care of basic cooking equipment, including pressure cookers, microwave ovens, non-stick cookware and microwave-proof cookware.

●       Choosing serving equipment based on cost, safety, durability and aesthetics.

●       Table setting and table service, covering the three main styles, formal, informal and buffet.

Part 2: Internal Assessment (100 Marks)

Candidates complete a minimum of five practical oriented assignments through the year, assessed either through continuous assessment or periodical tests, followed by a mandatory Final Test where the external examiner evaluates the planning and preparation of an actual meal.

Suggested assignment areas

●       Use and care of kitchen equipment and utensils.

●       Core cooking processes: boiling, frying, steaming, baking, grilling and stewing.

●       Planning and preparing meals for different people and occasions.

●       Baking bread, cakes and patties, and making chapatis and naans.

●       Preparing salads, pickles, juices, puddings, sweets, biscuits, squashes and jams.

●       Nutritive and healthy cooking, applying the balanced diet and food group concepts from theory.

Marking and evaluation

Assignments are assessed independently by the subject teacher and an external examiner, each contributing 50 marks, against criteria including Planning, Efficiency, Manipulation and Quality Produced, each scored up to 4 marks at the top grade.

How to Prepare for ICSE Class 10 Cookery

●       Remember the 100 plus 100 marking scheme, since it means practical consistency through the year matters as much as last minute theory revision.

●       Build one table listing all quality marks, ISI, FPO and Agmark, with what each certifies, since this is a frequently tested detail.

●       For meal planning, learn the five ICMR food groups and practise applying them to different age groups, pre-school children, adolescents, the elderly, and pregnant or lactating women, rather than memorising the groups in isolation.

●       For therapeutic diets, prepare a short note on each condition, fever, anaemia, diarrhoea, hypertension and diabetes, covering what the diet should avoid and what it should include.

●       For kitchen planning, sketch each layout, one wall, two wall, U-shaped, broken U-shaped and L-shaped, and label the four work centres clearly.

●       For the practical component, rotate your five assignments across different cooking processes and cuisines to demonstrate range, and treat the Final Test meal preparation as a dress rehearsal for the real exam day.

Why Trust This Syllabus Guide

This page is compiled and maintained by the Future Topper editorial team and reviewed by Nimish Chhabra, co-founder of Future Topper, an ICSE and ISC study material platform built specifically around board-aligned, syllabus-mapped content for Indian students. The structure and topics listed here are mapped against the official CISCE curriculum for Cookery, and the page is checked periodically to reflect any changes the council issues.

For the legally binding version of the syllabus, always cross check the latest circular published directly by CISCE at cisce.org. This page is intended as a study companion, not a replacement for the official document.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cookery marked on the standard 80 plus 20 ICSE pattern?

No. Cookery follows a 100 plus 100 scheme, 100 marks for theory and 100 for internal assessment, since it is a Group III elective subject.

How many practical assignments are required in Class 10?

Five practical oriented assignments as prescribed by the teacher, in addition to the mandatory Final Test.

What happens in the Final Test?

The candidate is tested by the external examiner on the planning and preparation of an actual meal, separate from the five course work assignments.

Who evaluates the internal assessment?

Both the subject teacher (50 marks) and an external examiner (50 marks), who assess independently. The external examiner may be from the same school but must not teach Cookery to that class.

What are the four work centres in kitchen planning?

Preparation, cooking, washing and serving, the four centres used to plan an efficient kitchen layout.

What food quality marks should students know for the theory paper?

ISI, FPO and Agmark, the three quality marks named directly in the syllabus for judging packaged and convenience foods.

Which illnesses are covered under therapeutic diet planning?

Fever, anaemia, diarrhoea, hypertension and diabetes, along with general planning for invalids and convalescents.

What are the three types of table service in the syllabus?

Formal, informal and buffet service.