ICSE Class 10 History & Civics Syllabus 2026-27

ICSE CLASS 10 — HISTORY AND CIVICS

Complete Study Guide 2026-27

Board: CISCE | Exam Year: 2028 | Theory: 80 Marks | Internal Assessment: 20 Marks

Exam Structure

SECTION A: CIVICS

Unit 1 — The Union Legislature

Meaning of the federal setup in India.

(i) Lok Sabha

• Term, composition, qualifications for membership.

• Parliamentary procedures: a brief idea of sessions, quorum, question hour, types of questions — meaning of starred, unstarred and short notice questions, zero hour, adjournment and no-confidence motion.

• Anti-Defection Law provisions.

• Passing of Ordinary and Money Bills.

• Speaker — election, removal; and functions.

  
  

(ii) Rajya Sabha

• Composition, qualifications for membership, election, term, Presiding Officer.

  
  

Powers and Functions of Union Parliament

Legislative, financial, judicial, electoral, amendment of the Constitution, control over executive.

Exclusive Powers of the Two Houses

Unit 2 — The Union Executive

(a) The President

• Qualifications for election, composition of Electoral College, reason for indirect election, term of office, procedure for impeachment.

• Powers: executive, legislative, financial, judicial, discretionary and emergency — any two effects of each emergency.

  
  

(b) The Vice-President

• Qualifications for election, removal, term of office and powers.

  
  

(c) Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

• Appointment, formation of Council of Ministers, tenure.

• Functions: policy making, administrative, legislative, financial, emergency.

• Position and powers of the Prime Minister.

• Collective and individual responsibility of the members of the Cabinet.

• Distinction between the Council of Ministers and the Cabinet.

  
  

Unit 3 — The Judiciary

(a) The Supreme Court

• Composition, qualifications of judges, appointment.

• Independence of judiciary from the control of executive and legislature.

• Jurisdiction and functions: Independence of Judiciary, Original, Appellate, Advisory, Revisory, Judicial Review and Court of Record.

• Enforcement of Fundamental Rights and Writs.

(b) The High Courts

• Composition, qualifications of judges, appointment.

• Jurisdiction and functions: Original, Appellate, Revisory, Judicial Review and Court of Record.

• Enforcement of Fundamental Rights and Writs.

(c) Subordinate Courts

• Distinction between Court of the District Judge and Sessions Court.

• Lok Adalats: meaning and advantages.

  
  

SECTION B: HISTORY

Unit 1 — The Indian National Movement (1857–1917)

(a) The First War of Independence, 1857

Only the causes (political, socio-religious, economic and military) and consequences will be tested.

Consequences to be tested: Only changes in the administration, Queen Victoria's Proclamation, Relation with Princely states and Changes in the Army.

Note from CISCE: The events, however, need to be mentioned in order to maintain continuity and for a more comprehensive understanding.

(b) Factors Leading to the Growth of Nationalism

• Economic exploitation

• Repressive colonial policies

• Socio-religious reform movements — any two contributions each of: Raja Rammohan Roy, Jyotiba Phule, Swami Dayananda Saraswathi and Swami Vivekananda

• Role of the Press

Foundation of the Indian National Congress:

• The year of formation and name of the Founder

• Immediate objectives of the Indian National Congress

• The first two sessions and their Presidents should be mentioned.

  
  

(c) Phases of the Indian National Movement

First Phase (1885–1907):

• Objectives and methods of struggle of the Early Nationalists

• Any two contributions each of: Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee and Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Second Phase (1905–1916):

• Brief mention of the causes of the Partition of Bengal and its perspective by the Nationalists

• Reasons for Surat Split of 1907

• Objectives and methods of struggle of Assertive Nationalists

• Any two contributions each of: Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai

The Muslim League:

• Year of formation

• Factors leading to the formation of the Muslim League and its objectives

The Lucknow Pact — 1916:

• Signatories of the Pact and its impact

  
  

Unit 2 — Mass Phase of the National Movement (1915–1947)

(a) Mahatma Gandhi and the National Movements

Non-Cooperation Movement:

• Causes: Khilafat Movement, Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy

• Programme and suspension — Chauri Chaura incident

• Impact of the Movement

Civil Disobedience Movement:

• Causes: reaction to the Simon Commission (clauses will not be tested), Declaration of Poorna Swaraj at the Lahore Session of 1929

• Dandi March, programme and impact of the Movement

• Gandhi-Irwin Pact and the Second Round Table Conference

• Reason for renewal of the Civil Disobedience Movement

Quit India Movement:

• Causes: failure of the Cripps Mission (clauses will not be tested), Japanese threat

• Quit India Resolution and the significance of the Movement

  
  

(b) Forward Bloc and INA

• Forward Bloc: objectives

• INA: name of the founder, objectives and contribution of Subhas Chandra Bose

  
  

(c) Independence and Partition of India

• Cabinet Mission Plan — clauses only

• Mountbatten Plan — clauses and its acceptance

• Indian Independence Act of 1947 — clauses only

  
  

Unit 3 — The Contemporary World

(a) The First World War

Causes: Nationalism and Imperialism, Armament Race, division of Europe and Sarajevo crisis.

Results: Treaty of Versailles, formation of League of Nations, Objectives of the League of Nations.

(b) Rise of Dictatorships

• Causes for the rise of Fascism in Italy

• Causes for the rise of Nazism in Germany

• Similarity between the ideologies of Fascism and Nazism

  
  

(c) The Second World War

Causes: Dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles, Rise of Fascism and Nazism, Policy of Appeasement, the Japanese invasion of China, Failure of the League of Nations and Hitler's invasion of Poland.

Brief mention of: the attack on Pearl Harbour and bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Consequences: Defeat of Axis Powers, Formation of the United Nations and Cold War.

Cold War — meaning. NATO and WARSAW — only meaning.

(d) United Nations

(i)

• The objectives of the U.N.

• The composition and functions of: the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the International Court of Justice.

• Major agencies of the United Nations: UNICEF, WHO and UNESCO — headquarters and functions only.

(ii) Universal Declaration of Human Rights — only meaning.

(e) Non-Aligned Movement

• Brief meaning

• Objectives

• Panchsheel — only meaning. Principles need to be taught only for understanding and not for testing.

• Role of Jawaharlal Nehru

• Names of the architects of NAM

• 
  

Internal Assessment — 20 Marks

Project Work Requirements

Any one project/assignment related to the syllabus.

Suggested Assignments

• Compare the Parliamentary and Presidential forms of Government with reference to India and the U.S.A.

• Conduct a mock Court and record the proceedings.

• Present a life sketch and contributions of any one of the following Presidents of India: Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (or any other).

• Present a book review of any one of the following works: Dadabhai Naoroji's 'Poverty and un-British rule in India', Gandhi's 'The Story of my Experiments with Truth', Nehru's 'Discovery of India', Bhagat Singh's 'Why I am an Atheist', Vijayalakshmi Pandit's 'The Scope of Happiness: A Personal Memoir', Abdul Kalam's 'Wings of Fire' or any other relevant book.

• Discuss the relevance of any one of the following films to understand the history of 20th Century Europe: The Book Thief, Schindler's List, Escape to Victory, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, Life is Beautiful, The Sound of Music, Gandhi (Richard Attenborough), Sardar (Ketan Mehta), Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose The Forgotten Hero (Shyam Benegal) or any other relevant film.

• Make an illustrative study of the life and work of Subhash Chandra Bose.

• Make an illustrative study of the life and work of any three national leaders, between 1857 and 1914 and describe their contributions to the Nation.

• Highlight the work and achievements of any one Nobel Laureate — Malala Yousafzai or Kailash Satyarthi.

• Make a presentation on the influence of Gandhian principles on Martin Luther King / Nelson Mandela.

• Prepare a report on the contributions of any one of the following agencies of the United Nations: UNESCO / WHO / UNICEF / ILO / UNDP / FAO.

• Present a case study of any recent human rights violations and redressal mechanisms available to prevent such instances in the future.

  
  

Evaluation

The assignments/project work is to be evaluated by the subject teacher and by an External Examiner. The External Examiner may be a teacher nominated by the Head of the School, who could be from the faculty, but not teaching the subject in the section/class. For example, a teacher of History of Class VIII may be deputed to be an External Examiner for Class X, History projects.

The Internal Examiner and the External Examiner will assess the assignments independently.

The total marks obtained out of 20 are to be sent to CISCE by the Head of the School. The Head of the school will be responsible for the online entry of marks on CISCE's CAREERS portal by the due date.

Internal Assessment Marking Criteria

Preparation Tips — Theory (80 Marks)

General:

• The paper is 2 hours for 80 marks — approximately 1.5 minutes per mark. Plan your time carefully.

• The paper has two sections — Civics and History. Manage time between both sections.

• Learn dates, names, and terms precisely — vague answers lose marks in this subject.

  
  

Section A: Civics

Unit 1 — The Union Legislature:

• Make a clear comparison table between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha — composition, term, election, qualifications, presiding officer

• Know all parliamentary procedures with their exact meanings: starred question (requires oral answer), unstarred question (written answer only), short notice question, zero hour, adjournment motion, no-confidence motion

• Anti-Defection Law — know the circumstances under which disqualification applies

• Know the process of passing Ordinary Bills and Money Bills separately — they follow different procedures

• Speaker: know election procedure, removal procedure (resolution in Lok Sabha), and all functions

Unit 2 — The Union Executive:

• For the President: prepare the Electoral College composition carefully — it is not just MPs

• Know all six types of Presidential powers with examples; for emergency powers, know any two effects of each of the three emergencies

• Vice-President is often neglected — know qualifications, removal, term, and that the VP is ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha

• Prime Minister vs Cabinet vs Council of Ministers — these distinctions are frequently examined

• Know collective responsibility (Cabinet falls together) vs individual responsibility (a minister falls alone)

Unit 3 — The Judiciary:

• Make a comparison table: Supreme Court vs High Court — composition, qualifications, appointment, jurisdiction

• Know all writs: Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Certiorari, Quo Warranto — meaning and when issued

• Original, Appellate, Advisory, Revisory jurisdiction — know each with examples

• Judicial Review — know its meaning and significance

• Court of Record — know what it means for both Supreme Court and High Courts

• District Court vs Sessions Court distinction — they sit in the same building but have different jurisdictions

• Lok Adalats — meaning, who presides, advantages (no court fee, binding settlement, speedy resolution)

  
  

Section B: History

Unit 1 — Indian National Movement (1857–1917):

• 1857: Learn causes under four heads — political, socio-religious, economic, military — with specific examples under each

• Consequences of 1857: focus only on what CISCE specifies — administration changes, Queen's Proclamation, Princely states, Army changes. Events are for context only, not for testing.

• For reform leaders: prepare exactly two contributions each for Roy, Phule, Dayananda Saraswathi, Vivekananda

• INC: year of formation (1885), founder (A.O. Hume), first session (Bombay, 1885, W.C. Bonnerjee), second session (Calcutta, 1886, Dadabhai Naoroji)

• Early Nationalists vs Assertive Nationalists — prepare a contrast table on objectives and methods

• For each leader (Naoroji, Banerjee, Gokhale; Tilak, Pal, Lajpat Rai) — exactly two contributions each

• Muslim League: year (1906), founders, objectives

• Lucknow Pact: signatories (Congress and Muslim League), impact (Congress recognised separate electorates)

Unit 2 — Mass Phase (1915–1947):

• For each movement (Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India): causes, programme, suspension/end, and impact — all four aspects

• Remember clauses of Simon Commission and Cripps Mission are NOT tested — only causes/reactions are tested

• Gandhi-Irwin Pact: know the terms and significance

• Cabinet Mission Plan, Mountbatten Plan, Indian Independence Act — clauses only, as specified

• INA: founder (Rash Behari Bose initially, then Subhas Chandra Bose took command), objectives, Bose's contribution

• Forward Bloc: founded by Bose in 1939, objective was to unite the left

Unit 3 — The Contemporary World:

• WWI causes: remember NADS — Nationalism, Armament Race, Division of Europe, Sarajevo crisis

• Treaty of Versailles: know its terms and why it caused resentment

• Rise of Fascism in Italy: reasons (humiliation at Paris Peace Conference, economic crisis, weak government, fear of communism, Mussolini's leadership)

• Rise of Nazism in Germany: reasons (harsh Treaty of Versailles, economic depression, weak Weimar Republic, Hitler's propaganda)

• Fascism vs Nazism similarities: ultranationalism, single-party dictatorship, militarism, anti-communism

• WWI causes: the difference between underlying causes and immediate cause (Hitler's invasion of Poland) — know all six causes

• Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima/Nagasaki — brief mention only

• United Nations: know objectives, and composition and functions of General Assembly, Security Council, and ICJ separately

• UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO — headquarters and functions only (not history or formation)

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights — only meaning required

• NAM: brief meaning, objectives, Panchsheel (meaning only, not principles for testing), Nehru's role, names of founders (Nehru, Nasser, Tito, Sukarno, Nkrumah)

  
  

How to Score Grade I in Internal Assessment

FAQs — History and Civics

Q1. How long is the theory paper and how many marks is it? The theory paper is 2 hours for 80 marks.

Q2. What is the difference between a starred and an unstarred question in Parliament? A starred question requires an oral answer in the House and may be followed by supplementary questions. An unstarred question requires only a written answer and no supplementary questions are allowed. A short notice question is asked with less than 10 days' notice on a matter of urgent public importance.

Q3. What is zero hour? Zero hour is the time immediately after question hour in Parliament, starting at noon, when members can raise matters of urgent public importance without prior notice.

Q4. What is the difference between the Council of Ministers and the Cabinet? The Council of Ministers includes all ministers — Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State, and Deputy Ministers. The Cabinet is a smaller body consisting only of senior Cabinet Ministers who meet regularly, take major policy decisions, and are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.

Q5. What is collective responsibility? All members of the Cabinet are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. This means if a no-confidence motion is passed against the government, the entire Cabinet must resign — not just the individual minister concerned.

Q6. What is Judicial Review? Judicial Review is the power of the Supreme Court (and High Courts) to examine any law passed by the legislature or any executive action, and declare it unconstitutional and void if it violates the Constitution or Fundamental Rights.

Q7. What is the difference between the District Court and the Sessions Court? The District Court is presided over by the District Judge and handles civil cases at the district level. The Sessions Court is presided over by the Sessions Judge (who is often the same person as the District Judge) and handles serious criminal cases. They function in the same building but have different jurisdictions.

Q8. What is a Lok Adalat? A Lok Adalat is a forum where disputes are settled through conciliation and compromise. Decisions are binding on both parties. There is no court fee, no appeal lies against the award, and settlement is speedy. It handles motor accident claims, matrimonial disputes, labour disputes, and similar cases.

Q9. For the First War of Independence 1857, will events be tested? No. The CISCE syllabus explicitly states: "Only the causes and consequences will be tested." Events need to be studied only for continuity and understanding, not for examination answers.

Q10. What clauses of the Simon Commission and Cripps Mission need to be known? Neither. The syllabus explicitly states in parentheses: "clauses will not be tested" for both the Simon Commission and the Cripps Mission. You only need to know that the Simon Commission triggered the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the failure of the Cripps Mission contributed to the Quit India Movement.

Q11. What about the Panchsheel principles — do they need to be memorised for the exam? No. The syllabus explicitly states: "Panchsheel — only meaning. Principles need to be taught only for understanding and not for testing." You need to know what Panchsheel means, but the five principles themselves will not be tested.

Q12. What needs to be known about NATO and WARSAW? Only meaning. The syllabus specifies: "NATO and WARSAW (Only meaning)." You do not need to know their formation, members, or detailed functions.

Q13. What needs to be known about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Only meaning. The syllabus specifies: "Universal Declaration of Human Rights — (Only meaning)."

Q14. Who are the architects of NAM? Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt), Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia), Sukarno (Indonesia), and Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana).

Q15. What are the three emergencies under Presidential powers? National Emergency (Article 352) — due to war, external aggression, or armed rebellion. President's Rule / State Emergency (Article 356) — when constitutional machinery in a state fails. Financial Emergency (Article 360) — when financial stability of India or any part thereof is threatened. For each, any two effects are required.

Q16. How many project assignments are needed for internal assessment? Any one project/assignment related to the syllabus. Candidates can choose from the suggested list or select their own within the broad areas.

Q17. What does 'cosmetics' mean in the marking criteria? The marking criteria uses the term 'cosmetics' to refer to decorative elements — colourful borders, excessive illustrations, fancy fonts, decorative covers — used to make the project look attractive without adding to the actual content and analysis. Grades III, IV, and V penalise or note excessive use of cosmetics to hide lack of substance.

All content above is based directly on the official CISCE ICSE History and Civics Syllabus, Examination Year 2028. Verify with the latest document at cisce.org.