ISC Class 11 Geography Syllabus for Board Exam 2026-27, Download PDF Here

Events

Description

Examination Name

Indian School Council (ISC)

Board Name

Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations

Syllabus Release

Officially released in June 2026 on the official website.

Main Subjects

English Language & English Literature 

Board Exams

Conducted in February-March for Class 11. While practicals usually happen in January or February.

Website

cisce.org

Unit 

Description

PAPER I: THEORY (70 MARKS)

GEOGRAPHY AS A DISCIPLINE

1. Geography - its interdisciplinary approach

and future prospects (not to be tested). Geography as an integrating discipline. Physical Geography and natural sciences; Geography And Social Sciences.

Branches of Geography:

(i) Systematic approach: Physical Geography (Geomorphology, Climatology, Hydrology); Human Geography (Historical, Social,

Population and Settlement, Economic, Political).

– The conceptual and intellectual ideas of a number of new approaches to contemporary human geography should be examined to understand the strengths and limitations of each approach within the context of Human Geography and

Social Sciences.

(ii) Regional approach: Regional/ Area Studies,

Regional Planning, Regional Development. Future prospects of Geography to be discussed:

In the area of GPS, GIS, Remote Sensing for resource identification.

• Applied geography in town and country

planning, environment management and law, cartography and mapping, geography education, map analysis, travel and tourism (to be taught only for the sake of awareness, not for testing).

PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL

GEOGRAPHY

2. Formation of the Earth

Theories of formation; Methods of measuring age of the earth; Structure and Composition; Rocks.

(i) Theories of formation of the earth: the Big Bang theory; Planetesimal and Nebular hypothesis.

(ii) Methods of measuring age of the earth: Radioactivity – a brief understanding.

(iii) Structure and composition of the earth’s

interior: crust, mantle, core; their properties - temperature, pressure, thickness. Sources of

information – direct and indirect; seismic waves, their behaviour and inferences, the causes of earthquakes and distribution: effects; isoseismal and homoseismal lines, measuring earthquakes and their intensity Case study of earthquakes on a country like Nepal.

Vulcanicity-materials and processes; major volcanic forms. Explanation of how volcanoes are formed; identification of the type of volcano; recognition of the properties of volcanic

materials; explanation of why volcanoes are more in the areas of converging plates.

(iv) Rocks: The mineral groups responsible for

different rocks formed on the earth: silicates, carbonates, sulphides, metals. Classification of rocks by origin: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks – their distribution in India; characteristics, types, economic importance. The rock cycle. 

3. Changing Face of the Earth

Landforms and Processes of Gradation

(i) Endogenous processes: theory of plate tectonics and the process of drifting continents, theory of Isostasy by Pratt and A. Holmes.

Definition of endogenetic force, difference between slow and sudden forces, vertical and horizontal forces and their effects. Folding and Faulting – types, Sea floor spreading, continental drifting and isostasy.

(ii) Landforms – mountains, plateaus and plains and their types. Meaning and differentiation between the three main landforms of the earth.

Classification of mountains on the basis of their origin or mode of formation: fold, block, volcanic and residual with examples from the world.

Classification of plateaus on the basis of their situation: intermontane, piedmont and continental with examples from the world. Classification of Plains on the basis of formation: depositional with examples from the world.

(iii) Exogenetic process and associated landforms.

Weathering and gradation – difference between the two. Role of weathering in gradation. Different types of weathering.

(iv)Fluvial processes and associated landforms. Work of rivers - concept of baselevel; processes of erosion, transportation anddeposition. Types of erosion - headward, vertical, lateral; transportation mode and deposition. Landforms made by the river - V shaped valley, gorges, waterfalls, levees, floodplains, meanders; braided channels, oxbow lakes, deltas – delta plains. Diagrams and examples from India with photographs.

(v) Aeolian processes and associated landforms. Process of wind erosion – abrasion, attrition, deflation. Ideal conditions for erosion in hot deserts; landforms resulting from erosion - deflation hollows, pedestal rocks, yardangs,desert pavement; landforms resulting from deposition - sand dunes and their types,loess. Diagrams and examples from India with photographs.

(vi) Glacial processes and associated landforms. Continental and mountain or valley glaciers, processes of glacial erosion – plucking, abrasion, attrition; erosional features, e.g.cirque, depositional formations, moraines ofvarious types. Diagrams and examples from India with photographs.

(vii) Work of ground water and associated landforms. Process of erosion by groundwater solution, corrasion. Features formed by underground water (karst topography), depositional features – stalactites, stalagmites. Diagrams and examples from India with photographs.

(viii) Marine processes and associated landforms.

Erosional features; sea cliffs, sea caves, sea

arch, headland inlet, stacks and depositional

landforms, e.g. - bays, bars and lagoons.

Diagrams and examples from India.

4. Atmosphere

(i) Composition and structure of atmosphere.

Layers of the atmosphere: troposphere,

stratosphere, ozonosphere, mesosphere,

ionosphere; their height; composition;

special characteristics of each layer; ozone

depletion.

(ii) Atmospheric temperature.

Heating and cooling of the atmosphere,

radiation, advection, conduction, convection.

Insolation and factors influencing it – angle

of sun’s rays, duration of day, transparency

of atmosphere. Heat budget i.e. balance

between insolation and terrestrial radiationareas of surplus and deficit heat in different

latitudes resulting in latitudinal heat

balance.

Factors controlling its horizontal and

vertical distribution, temperature anomalies

and their nature. Isotherms: their

characteristics. Reasons for the variations in

temperature.

Practical work on temperature

measurement and graphs to show variations

in temperature of one or more cities of

India.

(iii)Atmospheric Pressure.

Its horizontal and vertical distribution,

factors affecting the distribution,

characteristics of isobars.

Pressure belts and winds – types of winds,

air masses and atmospheric disturbances,

cyclones of temperate and tropical areas;

anticyclones.

(iv) Atmospheric Moisture.

Processes of evaporation, condensation and

precipitation; relative and absolute humidity;

forms of condensation - cloud, fog, dew,

frost; precipitation – its forms: snow, hail,

rain; types of rainfall: orographic, cyclonic,

convectional.

(v) Climate change- causes/factors of climatic

changes in the recent past.

Natural and man-made factors, with with special

reference to climatic changes in India Measures taken to adapt to these changes in

urban and rural India.

Practical work on measuring rainfall and

use of bar graphs to show variations in

rainfall in one or more cities of India.

5. The Realms of Water

(i) Submarine relief of the Atlantic, Pacific and

Indian Oceans.

The depth and the features. The sea floor

deposits and their characteristics, the

importance of marine resources. Ocean

pollution and ways to overcome them.

(ii) Ocean water - salinity, temperature, density.

Composition of seawater and factors that

control distribution of salinity, density and

temperature.

(iii)Ocean water movements.

Direct and indirect tides – origin, time,

spring and neap tides. Waves – parts,

characteristics, formation. Currents - factors

affecting currents, currents of Indian, Pacific

and Atlantic oceans. Role of currents in

modifying climates of coastal areas.

Introduction to El Nino and La Nina as

conditions that affect the intensity of the

monsoons over India.

6. Biosphere – Life on the Earth

(i) Nature of Biosphere, concept of ecosystems,

components of ecosystem.

Meaning, nature of interaction between the

different components of the biosphere.

Understanding the concept of biodiversity.

To appreciate various reasons for valuing

and conserving biodiversity (ethical, moral,

economic, aesthetic).

(ii) Biodiversity for sustenance of mankind.

The various roles played by biodiversity in

sustaining mankind - as a source of food,

medicine, pollution control, etc. (iii) India as a mega diversity nation.

A basic understanding that India with its

varied climate and landscape is home to a

variety of unique ecosystems and endemic

species e.g. the largest mangrove forest in

the world - the Sundarbans, vast mountain

forests in the Himalayas, tropical evergreen

forests in the Western Ghats and the NorthEast region, desert vegetation in Rajasthan,

thorn and scrub forests in the plateaus, etc.

(iv) Strategies for conservation of biodiversity –

in-situ and ex-situ.

Understanding the implications of loss of

biodiversity;

Looking at various in-situ and ex-situ

strategies for their efficacy and viability;

In-situ strategies - protected areas (biosphere

reserves, national parks, wildlife

sanctuaries).

Ex-situ strategies - captive breeding, zoo,

botanical garden, gene banks and their use.

7. Map Work

A question on map work will be set to identify,

label and locate any of the following items

studied in topics from Principles of Physical

Geography.

MAP LIST

Mountains (To mark and label):

Himalayas, Hindukush, Elburz, Zagros, Kirthar,

Caucasus, Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Urals,

Khingan, Kunlun, Drakensburg, Kjolen, Andes,

Rockies, Appalachians, Great Dividing Range.

Plateaus (To mark and label): Tibetan, West

Australian, Iranian, Anatolian, Pamirs,

Ethiopian, Deccan, Guiana, Brazilian, Arabian.

Water Bodies (bays, gulfs, straits, sea, oceans)

(To mark and label): Arctic Ocean, Atlantic

Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southern

Ocean, Hudson bay, Gulf of Mexico, Bering Sea,

Sea of Japan, South China Sea, Yellow Sea,

Timor Sea, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Black Sea,

Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, Arabian Sea,

North Sea, Suez Canal, Strait of Magellan, Bay

of Bengal.

Rivers (To identify): Mississippi, Amazon,

Parana, Orange, Nile, Zaire, Rhine, Danube,

Volga, Euphrates, Tigris, Ob, Yenisei, Lena,

Hwang Ho, Yangtze Kiang, Irrawaddy, Ganga,

Murray, Darling.

Ocean Currents (To identify): North Atlantic

Drift, Gulf Stream, Labrador current, Peru

current, West wind drift, Southwest Monsoon

current, West Australian current, KuroShio

current, Oyashio current, East Australian

current.

Islands (To identify): Greenland, Hawaii, West

Indies, Tierra del Fuego, Baffin, Newfoundland,

Iceland, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Philippines,

Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan, New

Zealand.

Units

Description

1. Practical Work

Any two of the following four topics to be undertaken.

(a) Surveying - elementary principles; preparing plans of the school compound or a small area with the help of chain and tape.

(b) Statistical diagrams - line graphs (simple and multiple), composite bars, pie diagram, flow and star diagram, (the data used will be that used in Paper I ).

(c) Map projections-uses, construction and properties of the following:

(i) Cylindrical equal area.

(ii) Simple conical with one standard parallel.

(iii)Zenithal equidistant.

(d) Aerial photographs – Introduction; definition; difference between map and an aerial photographs; uses of aerial photographs, advantages of aerial

Photography

Types of Aerial Photographs:

(i) Based on the position of the cameral axis vertical photographs, low oblique, high oblique (only definition and explanation).

(ii) Based on Scale – (a) Large scale photographs (b) Small scale photographs.

Scale of Aerial Photograph –

(a) by establishing of relationship between photo

distance and ground distance;

(b) by establishing relationship between photo

distance and map distance. 

2. Project Work (Assignment)

One topic as an assignment. Sketches and drawings will be given credit).

(i) Take any physical feature in your immediate locality:

(a) draw sketches or take photograhs to highlight physical features.

(b) survey how these features have been used and prepare a report.

(c) suggest ways by which the area of study could be better used keeping in view the needs of the people of the region.

(ii) Choose any island area of the world or India and:

(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.

(iii) Any natural hazard like drought, flood, erosion, landslides, etc. in a local area. Choose a natural hazard in the local area. Describe the nature of damage by consulting newspaper reports, studies, interviews with local people. Identify the nature of damage before and after – land,m building, public property, soil, vegetation, animals, etc. What are the chances of it occuring again and what precautions are being taken?

(iv) World Climatic types Low latitude/tropical climates:

(a) Equatorial

(b) Monsoon and trade wind

littoral

(c) Dry tropical (desert).

Mid latitude/temperature climates:

(a) Medditerranean

(b) Marine west coast

(c) Dry sub-tropical

(d) Dry mid latitude (cold deserts).

High latitude/polar climates –

(a) Borreal

(b) Tundra

For each of the above climatic types, the following is to be studied:

• Location, climatic conditions and areas;

• Description of major human activities (both farming and forestry).