ICSE Class 9 Syllabus 2028 Biology

ICSE
INDIAN CERTIFICATE OF
SECONDARY EDUCATION
EXAMINATION
YEAR 2028

SCIENCE
BIOLOGY
(52)

Developed by:
Research, Development and Curriculum Division (RDCD)
CISCE

January 2026
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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.

SCIENCE (52)
BIOLOGY

SCIENCE Paper - 3
Aims:
1. To develop scientific temper through observation, hypothesis, recording, interpretation and drawing
inference.
2. To understand and appreciate the diversity of living organisms and its interrelations within and with the
environment.
3. To enable learners to acquire a clearer comprehension of the significance of life and its importance in human
welfare.
4. To develop understanding about different levels of organization of different organisms.
5. To develop understanding about various vital life processes in different organisms.
6. To develop an understanding of the inter-relationship amongst organisms, ecological balance and
sustainability of the environment.
7. To develop understanding about being healthy & disease free vis-à-vis reasons of different categories of
diseases.
8. To enable learners to apply and appreciate the knowledge of biological science in understanding of its
diversity, its relationship with environment for developing concern about environmental problems.
9. To understand the capacities and limitations of all the biological and economic activities so as to be able to
use them for a better quality of life.
10. To acquire the ability to observe, experiment, hypothesize, infer, handle equipment accurately and make
correct recordings.
11. To make learners aware about possible career opportunities in science including biology, medicine,
agriculture, environment, biotechnology and other related areas.

CLASS IX
There will be one paper of two hours duration of 80 marks and Internal Assessment of Practical Work carrying
20 marks.

1. Basic Biology
(i) The cell, a unit of life, protoplasm, basic difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell; differences
between an animal and a plant cell.
● A basic understanding of the cell theory, structure of plant and animal cell with functions of various
cell organelles (Protoplasm, Cytoplasm, Nucleus, Nucleolus, Mitochondria, Endoplasmic Reticulum,
Ribosome, Golgi bodies, Plastids, Lysosomes, Centrosome and Vacuole) and cell boundaries (Cell
Wall, Cell Membrane).
● Major differences between a prokaryotic and a eukaryotic cell.
● Differences between a plant cell and an animal cell- to be mainly discussed with respect to cell wall,
centrosome, vacuoles and plastids.

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(ii) Tissues: Types of plant and animal tissues.
● A brief understanding of their location, basic structure and functions with examples.
● A brief understanding of their role in different physiological processes in plants and animals.

2. Flowering Plants
(i) Flower: Structure of a bisexual flower, functions of various parts.
● A brief introduction to complete and incomplete flowers.
● Essential and non-essential whorls of a bisexual flower; their various parts and functions.
● Inflorescence and placentation (meaning only).
(Charts or actual specimens may be used to help enhance clarity of concepts.)
(ii) Pollination: self and cross-pollination.
● Explanation, advantages and disadvantages of self and cross-pollination.
● Agents of pollination and the characteristic features of flowers pollinated by various agents such as
insects, wind, and water.
● A brief idea as to how nature favours cross pollination.
(iii) Fertilisation.
● Events taking place between pollination and fertilisation leading to the formation of zygote in the
embryo sac.
● A brief explanation of the terms -double fertilization and triple fusion.
● Fruit and Seed - definition and significance.

3. Plant Physiology
(i) Structure of dicot and monocot seeds. Germination of seeds, types, and conditions for seed germination.
● Structure and germination of Bean seed and Maize grain.
● Differences between monocot and dicot seeds.
● Differences between hypogeal and epigeal germination.
● Conditions for seed germination - to be explained and supported by experiments.
(ii) Respiration in plants: outline of the process, gaseous exchange.
● A brief outline of the process mentioning the terms Glycolysis, Krebs cycle and their significance.
● A reference to be made to aerobic and anaerobic respiration with chemical equations in each case.
● Experiments on gaseous exchange and on heat production.

4. Diversity in Animal Kingdom:
Kingdom Animalia - non-chordates from Porifera to Echinodermata and Chordates - all five Classes.

5. Economic importance of Bacteria and Fungi
(i) Useful role of bacteria.
● Medicine: antibiotics, serums and vaccines.
● Agriculture: nitrogen cycle (role of nitrogen fixing, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria).
● Industry -curing of tea, tanning of leather.
(ii) Harmful role of bacteria - spoilage of food, diseases in plants and animals, bio-weapons.

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(iii) Economic importance of Fungi.
A brief idea of the useful role of Fungi in breweries, bakeries, cheese processing, and mushroom
cultivation. (Processes of manufacture are not required).

6. Human Anatomy and Physiology
(i) Nutrition.
• Classes of food; balanced diet. Malnutrition and deficiency diseases.
− Functions of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, mineral salts (calcium, iodine, iron and sodium),
vitamins and water in proper functioning of the body.
− Sources of vitamins, their functions and deficiency diseases.
− Meaning and importance of a ‘Balanced Diet’.
− Role of cellulose in our diet.
− Causes, symptoms and prevention of Kwashiorkor and Marasmus.
• The structure of a tooth, different types of teeth.
− Structure of a tooth to be discussed with the help of a diagram.
− Functions of different types of teeth.
− Dental formula of an adult.
• Digestive System: Organs, digestive glands and their functions (including enzymes and their
functions in digestion, absorption and assimilation of digested food).
− Organs and glands of the digestive system and their functions with reference to digestion,
absorption and assimilation.
(ii) Skeleton - Movement and Locomotion.
● Functions of human skeleton.
● Axial and Appendicular Skeleton.
● Types of joints with reference to their location.
- immovable joints.
- slightly movable joints.
- freely movable (hinge joint, ball and socket joint, gliding joint, pivot joint).
(iii) Structure and functions of skin.
● Various parts of the skin and their functions.
● Special derivatives of the skin with reference to sweat glands, sebaceous glands, hair, nails and
mammary glands.
● Heat regulation - vasodilation and vasoconstriction.

7. Health and Hygiene
(i) A brief introduction to communicable, non-communicable, endemic, epidemic, pandemic and sporadic
diseases; modes of transmission.
● Meaning of each of the above with examples.
● Modes of transmission: air; water; vectors (housefly, mosquito, cockroach).
(ii) Bacterial, Viral, Protozoan, Helminthic diseases.
● Bacterial: Cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis.
● Viral: AIDS, Chicken pox, Hepatitis.
● Protozoan: Malaria, Amoebic Dysentery, Sleeping sickness.
● Helminthic: Ascariasis, Taeniasis, Filariasis.
(Symptoms and measures to control the above diseases.)
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(Scientific names of causative agents not required).
(iii) Aids to Health:
● An understanding of the use and action of the following – vaccination, immunization, antitoxin, serum,
antiseptics, disinfectants, antibiotics.
● An idea of the local defense system and its merits, difference between antiseptics and disinfectants.
(iv) Health Organizations: Red Cross, WHO.
Major activities of the Red Cross and WHO.

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT OF PRACTICAL WORK
The practical work is designed to test the ability of the candidates to make accurate observations from specimens
of plants and animals.
PLANT LIFE
(i) The examination of an onion peel under the microscope to study various parts of the cell.
(ii) A cross-pollinated flower to be examined and identified and the parts to be studied and labelled e.g.
Hibiscus.
(iii) Specimens of germinating seeds with plumule and radicle (the bean seed and maize grain) for examination,
identification, drawing and labelling the parts.
ANIMAL LIFE
(i) The examination of a human cheek cell under the microscope to study various parts of the cell.
(ii) Identification of sugar, starch, protein and fat by conducting relevant tests.
(iii) Examination and identification of specimens belonging to the following groups of animals:
Non-Chordata - Porifera, Coelenterata, Platyhelminthes, Nemathelminthes, Annelida, Arthropoda.
Mollusca and Echinodermata.
Chordata- Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, Mammalia.
Identification of the structure of the following organs through specimens/models and charts: Lung and skin.
(iv) Experiments to show the mechanism of breathing.
Bell jar experiment should be discussed. Comparison should be made with the human lungs and respiratory
tract to show the mechanism of breathing.
(v) Visit a few establishments in the locality such as motor repair workshops, kilns, pottery making units, fish
and vegetable markets, restaurants, dyeing units. Find out the types of wastes and methods prevalent for
their disposal. On the basis of the information collected prepare a report, suggest measures to improve the
environmental conditions.
(vi) Visit a water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant or garbage dumping or vermicomposting sites in the
locality and study their working.

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