ISC Class 11 Syllabus 2027 Geography

ISC YEAR 2027

INDIAN SCHOOL CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATION

GEOGRAPHY
(853)

February 2025
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Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)

MISSION STATEMENT

The Council for the Indian School Certificate
Examinations is committed to serving the nation's
children, through high quality educational
endeavours, empowering them to contribute towards
a humane, just and pluralistic society, promoting
introspective living, by creating exciting learning
opportunities, with a commitment to excellence.

ETHOS OF CISCE

Trust and fair play.
Minimum monitoring.
Allowing schools to evolve their own niche.
Catering to the needs of the children.
Giving freedom to experiment with new ideas
and practices.
Diversity and plurality - the basic strength for
evolution of ideas.
Schools to motivate pupils towards the
cultivation of:
Excellence - The Indian and Global
experience.
Values - Spiritual and cultural - to be the bedrock
of the educational experience.
Schools to have an 'Indian Ethos', strong roots in
the national psyche and be sensitive to national
aspirations.

GEOGRAPHY (853)

Aims
1. To enable candidates to acquire knowledge
consequences of natural hazards and suggest
(information) and to develop an understanding of
ways of coping with them through sustainable
facts, terms, symbols concepts, principles,
development.
generalizations, hypotheses, problems, trends,
processes and methods of Geography at the 3. To develop skills of drawing maps, surveying,
national and global level. and drawing statistical diagrams and thematic
maps.
2. To apply the knowledge of the principles of
Physical Geography in explaining the causes and 4. To develop an interest in Geography.

CLASS XI
There will be two papers in the subject: • In the area of GPS, GIS, Remote Sensing for
Paper I – Theory (3 hours) ….70 marks resource identification.
Paper II – Practical and Project Work …30 marks • Applied geography in town and country
planning, environment management and law,
PAPER I: THEORY (70 MARKS) cartography and mapping, geography
education, map analysis, travel and tourism
GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE (to be taught only for the sake of awareness,
1. Geography - its interdisciplinary approach not for testing).
and future prospects (not to be tested).
PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL
Geography as an integrating discipline. Physical GEOGRAPHY
Geography and natural sciences; Geography And
Social Sciences. 2. Formation of the Earth
Branches of Geography: Theories of formation; Methods of measuring age
(i) Systematic approach: Physical Geography of the earth; Structure and Composition; Rocks.
(Geomorphology, Climatology, Hydrology);
(i) Theories of formation of the earth: the Big
Human Geography (Historical, Social,
Bang theory; Planetesimal and Nebular
Population and Settlement, Economic,
hypothesis.
Political).
– The conceptual and intellectual ideas of (ii) Methods of measuring age of the earth:
a number of new approaches to Radioactivity – a brief understanding.
contemporary human geography should (iii) Structure and composition of the earth’s
be examined to understand the strengths interior: crust, mantle, core; their properties
and limitations of each approach within - temperature, pressure, thickness. Sources of
the context of Human Geography and information – direct and indirect; seismic
Social Sciences. waves, their behaviour and inferences, the
(ii) Regional approach: Regional/ Area Studies, causes of earthquakes and distribution:
Regional Planning, Regional Development. effects; isoseismal and homoseismal lines,
measuring earthquakes and their intensity.
Future prospects of Geography to be discussed:

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Case study of earthquakes on a country like (iii)Exogenetic process and associated landforms.
Nepal. Weathering and gradation – difference
Vulcanicity-materials and processes; major between the two. Role of weathering in
volcanic forms. gradation. Different types of weathering.
Explanation of how volcanoes are formed; (iv)Fluvial processes and associated landforms.
identification of the type of volcano; Work of rivers - concept of baselevel;
recognition of the properties of volcanic processes of erosion, transportation and
materials; explanation of why volcanoes are deposition. Types of erosion - headward,
more in the areas of converging plates. vertical, lateral; transportation mode and
(iv) Rocks: The mineral groups responsible for deposition.
different rocks formed on the earth: silicates, Landforms made by the river - V shaped
carbonates, sulphides, metals. valley, gorges, waterfalls, levees, floodplains,
Classification of rocks by origin: igneous, meanders; braided channels, oxbow lakes,
metamorphic and sedimentary rocks – their deltas – delta plains.
distribution in India; characteristics, types, Diagrams and examples from India with
economic importance. photographs.
The rock cycle. (v) Aeolian processes and associated landforms.
3. Changing Face of the Earth Process of wind erosion – abrasion, attrition,
deflation. Ideal conditions for erosion in hot
Landforms and Processes of Gradation
deserts; landforms resulting from erosion -
(i) Endogenous processes: theory of plate deflation hollows, pedestal rocks, yardangs,
tectonics and the process of drifting desert pavement; landforms resulting from
continents, theory of Isostasy by Pratt and A. deposition - sand dunes and their types,
Holmes. loess. Diagrams and examples from India
Definition of endogenetic force, difference with photographs.
between slow and sudden forces, vertical and (vi) Glacial processes and associated landforms.
horizontal forces and their effects. Folding
and Faulting – types, Sea floor spreading, Continental and mountain or valley glaciers,
continental drifting and isostasy. processes of glacial erosion – plucking,
abrasion, attrition; erosional features, e.g.
(ii) Landforms – mountains, plateaus and plains cirque, depositional formations, moraines of
and their types. various types. Diagrams and examples from
Meaning and differentiation between the India with photographs.
three main landforms of the earth.
(vii) Work of ground water and associated
Classification of mountains on the basis of landforms.
their origin or mode of formation: fold,
block, volcanic and residual with examples Process of erosion by groundwater solution,
from the world. corrasion. Features formed by underground
water (karst topography), depositional
Classification of plateaus on the basis of features – stalactites, stalagmites. Diagrams
their situation: intermontane, piedmont and and examples from India with photographs.
continental with examples from the world.
(viii) Marine processes and associated landforms.
Classification of Plains on the basis of
formation: depositional with examples from Erosional features; sea cliffs, sea caves, sea
the world. arch, headland inlet, stacks and depositional
landforms, e.g. - bays, bars and lagoons.
Diagrams and examples from India.

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4. Atmosphere Measures taken to adapt to these changes in
(i) Composition and structure of atmosphere. urban and rural India.
Layers of the atmosphere: troposphere, Practical work on measuring rainfall and
stratosphere, ozonosphere, mesosphere, use of bar graphs to show variations in
ionosphere; their height; composition; rainfall in one or more cities of India.
special characteristics of each layer; ozone
depletion. 5. The Realms of Water
(ii) Atmospheric temperature. (i) Submarine relief of the Atlantic, Pacific and
Heating and cooling of the atmosphere, Indian Oceans.
radiation, advection, conduction, convection. The depth and the features. The sea floor
Insolation and factors influencing it – angle deposits and their characteristics, the
of sun’s rays, duration of day, transparency
importance of marine resources. Ocean
of atmosphere. Heat budget i.e. balance
pollution and ways to overcome them.
between insolation and terrestrial radiation-
areas of surplus and deficit heat in different
latitudes resulting in latitudinal heat
(ii) Ocean water - salinity, temperature, density.
balance.
Composition of seawater and factors that
Factors controlling its horizontal and
control distribution of salinity, density and
vertical distribution, temperature anomalies
and their nature. Isotherms: their temperature.
characteristics. Reasons for the variations in (iii) Ocean water movements.
temperature.
Direct and indirect tides – origin, time,
Practical work on temperature spring and neap tides. Waves – parts,
measurement and graphs to show variations characteristics, formation. Currents - factors
in temperature of one or more cities of affecting currents, currents of Indian, Pacific
India. and Atlantic oceans. Role of currents in
(iii) Atmospheric Pressure. modifying climates of coastal areas.
Introduction to El Nino and La Nina as
Its horizontal and vertical distribution, conditions that affect the intensity of the
factors affecting the distribution, monsoons over India.
characteristics of isobars.
Pressure belts and winds – types of winds, 6. Biosphere – Life on the Earth
air masses and atmospheric disturbances, (i) Nature of Biosphere, concept of ecosystems,
cyclones of temperate and tropical areas; components of ecosystem.
anticyclones.
Meaning, nature of interaction between the
(iv) Atmospheric Moisture.
different components of the biosphere.
Processes of evaporation, condensation and Understanding the concept of biodiversity.
precipitation; relative and absolute humidity; To appreciate various reasons for valuing
forms of condensation - cloud, fog, dew, and conserving biodiversity (ethical, moral,
frost; precipitation – its forms: snow, hail, economic, aesthetic).
rain; types of rainfall: orographic, cyclonic,
convectional. (ii) Biodiversity for sustenance of mankind.

(v) Climate change- causes/factors of climatic The various roles played by biodiversity in
changes in the recent past. sustaining mankind - as a source of food,
medicine, pollution control, etc.
Natural and man-made factors, with special
reference to climatic changes in India.

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(iii) India as a mega diversity nation. North Sea, Suez Canal, Strait of Magellan, Bay
of Bengal.
A basic understanding that India with its
varied climate and landscape is home to a Rivers (To identify): Mississippi, Amazon,
variety of unique ecosystems and endemic Parana, Orange, Nile, Zaire, Rhine, Danube,
species e.g. the largest mangrove forest in Volga, Euphrates, Tigris, Ob, Yenisei, Lena,
the world - the Sundarbans, vast mountain Hwang Ho, Yangtze Kiang, Irrawaddy, Ganga,
forests in the Himalayas, tropical evergreen Murray, Darling.
forests in the Western Ghats and the North- Ocean Currents (To identify): North Atlantic
East region, desert vegetation in Rajasthan, Drift, Gulf Stream, Labrador current, Peru
thorn and scrub forests in the plateaus, etc. current, West wind drift, Southwest Monsoon
current, West Australian current, KuroShio
(iv) Strategies for conservation of biodiversity – current, Oyashio current, East Australian
in-situ and ex-situ. current.
Understanding the implications of loss of Islands (To identify): Greenland, Hawaii, West
biodiversity; Indies, Tierra del Fuego, Baffin, Newfoundland,
Looking at various in-situ and ex-situ Iceland, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Philippines,
strategies for their efficacy and viability; Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan, New
Zealand.
In-situ strategies - protected areas (biosphere
reserves, national parks, wildlife
sanctuaries). PAPER II: PRACTICAL WORK AND
Ex-situ strategies - captive breeding, zoo, PROJECT WORK (30 MARKS)
botanical garden, gene banks and their use. Candidates will be required to undertake the
following Practical work and Project work:
7. Map Work
1. Practical Work
A question on map work will be set to identify,
label and locate any of the following items Any two of the following four topics to be
studied in topics from Principles of Physical undertaken.
Geography. (a) Surveying - elementary principles; preparing
plans of the school compound or a small area
MAP LIST with the help of chain and tape.
Mountains (To mark and label): (b) Statistical diagrams - line graphs (simple and
Himalayas, Hindukush, Elburz, Zagros, Kirthar, multiple), composite bars, pie diagram, flow
Caucasus, Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Urals, and star diagram, (the data used will be that
Khingan, Kunlun, Drakensburg, Kjolen, Andes, used in Paper I ).
Rockies, Appalachian, Great Dividing Range. (c) Map projections – uses, construction and
Plateaus (To mark and label): Tibetan, West properties of the following:
Australian, Iranian, Anatolian, Pamirs, (i) Cylindrical equal area.
Ethiopian, Deccan, Guiana, Brazilian, Arabian.
(ii) Simple conical with one standard parallel.
Water Bodies (bays, gulfs, straits, sea, oceans)
(To mark and label): Arctic Ocean, Atlantic (iii)Zenithal equidistant.
Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southern (d) Aerial photographs – Introduction;
Ocean, Hudson bay, Gulf of Mexico, Bering Sea, definition; difference between map and an
Sea of Japan, South China Sea, Yellow Sea, aerial photographs; uses of aerial
Timor Sea, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Black Sea, photographs, advantages of aerial
Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, Arabian Sea, photography.

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Types of Aerial Photographs: (iii) Any natural hazard like drought, flood,
erosion, landslides, etc. in a local area.
(i) Based on the position of the cameral axis –
vertical photographs, low oblique, high Choose a natural hazard in the local area.
oblique (only definition and explanation). Describe the nature of damage by
consulting newspaper reports, studies,
(ii) Based on Scale – (a) Large scale
interviews with local people. Identify the
photographs (b) Small scale photographs.
nature of damage before and after – land,
Scale of Aerial Photograph – (a) by
building, public property, soil, vegetation,
establishing of relationship between photo
animals, etc. What are the chances of it
distance and ground distance; (b) by
occuring again and what precautions are
establishing relationship between photo
being taken?
distance and map distance.
(iv) World Climatic types
2. Project Work (Assignment)
Low latitude/tropical climates:
One topic as an assignment. Sketches and
drawings will be given credit). (a) Equatorial (b) Monsoon and trade wind
littoral (c) Dry tropical (desert).
(i) Take any physical feature in your
immediate locality: Mid latitude/temperature climates:
(a) draw sketches or take photograhs to (a) Medditerranean (b) Marine west coast (c) Dry
highlight physical features. sub-tropical (d) Dry mid latitude (cold deserts).
(b) survey how these features have been High latitude/polar climates –
used and prepare a report.
(a) Borreal (b) Tundra
(c) suggest ways by which the area of
For each of the above climatic types, the
study could be better used keeping in
following is to be studied:
view the needs of the people of the
region. • Location, climatic conditions and areas;
(ii) Choose any island area of the world or • Description of major human activities (both
India and: farming and forestry).
(a) trace the map of the area and show
physical features, towns and port cities.
(b) prepare a project report using
photographs and pictures from
brochures and magazines to show:
- its origin and formation.
- soil types, vegetation.
- human occupations.

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