MathSetuThe ICSE (CISCE) Class 10 Maths paper is for 80 marks and is written in two and a half hours, with 20 marks given for internal assessment. It has two sections. Section A is compulsory and carries 40 marks. In Section B you attempt any four of the seven questions, each for 10 marks. Always confirm the current pattern in the CISCE syllabus, since it can change.
Section A: no choice, so no weak chapter
Because Section A covers the whole syllabus and has no choice, you cannot skip a topic. Short questions on GST, banking, shares, factor theorem, matrices, ratio and proportion, and mensuration are very common, and they are quick marks if the method is clear.
Section B: use the choice wisely
In Section B, read all seven questions first, then pick the four you are most sure of. Spend the first five minutes on this, not on the first question you see.
Topics that need regular practice
- Commercial mathematics: GST, banking and shares. These need fixed formulas and careful reading of the question.
- Quadratic equations and their word problems.
- Coordinate geometry: section formula, equation of a line and slope.
- Matrices: order, multiplication and finding unknowns.
- Constructions and loci. Practise with a compass and ruler, not only by reading.
- Statistics: mean by the step-deviation method, median, quartiles and ogives.
A simple plan
- Revise one chapter at a time from the ICSE chapter notes, then take its chapter test.
- Solve the exercise questions of your Selina or school book yourself before checking the answers.
- Practise a full paper in two and a half hours. The MathSetu ICSE sample paper follows this pattern and includes worked solutions.
Write every step of your working, because ICSE marks are given for method as well as for the answer. If you are also comparing the two boards, read how CBSE and ICSE Class 10 Maths differ.