Primary and secondary education

Primary education or elementary education lasts 8 years in India. Pupils aged 6 to 14 complete the following 2 stages:

• primary stage, grade I-V;
• upper primary stage, grade VI-VIII.

Secondary education lasts 4 years. Students aged 14 to 18 complete the following 2 stages:

• lower secondary education, concluded with exams for a Standard X diploma;
• upper secondary education (also called: higher or senior secondary education), concluded with exams for:
  • a Standard XII diploma after completing the academic stream of upper secondary education; or
  • a Vocational Standard XII diploma.after completing the vocational stream of upper secondary education.

Students take exams via a board to which their school is affiliated. When they pass their exams, they get a diploma from the board.

'Standard X diploma' is the collective name of the diploma students obtain after completing lower secondary education. The exact diploma name varies by board.

• Duration i : 2 years (grade XI and X).
• Content: usually 5 exam subjects. There are no subject clusters in lower secondary education. In some cases, students can choose 1 or more of the exam subjects themselves. Usually, however, they take exams in the following subjects:
  • 2 languages;
  • mathematics;
  • science (a combination of biology, chemistry and physics);
  • social science (usually a combination of geography, sociology, economics, political science and history).
• Function of the diploma: access to upper secondary education and to some study programmes in secondary vocational education.
• Diploma: a Standard X diploma from a board. Please note: the name of the diploma varies. Common names include:
  • All India Secondary School Certificate;
  • Indian Certificate of Secondary Education;
  • Secondary School Certificate.

'Standard XII diploma' is the collective name of the diploma students obtain after completing the academic stream of upper general secondary education. The exact diploma name varies by state board. For information about the Standard XII diplomas from the central boards, please check:

• All India Senior School Certificate from the CBSE
• Indian School Certificate from the CISCE
• Migration Cum Transfer Certificate of the Senior Secondary School Examination from the NIOS

• Duration: 2 years (grade XI and XII).
• Content: usually 5 exam subjects. Usually, these consist of:
  • 1 or 2 languages; and
  • 3 or 4 electives.
    Students usually choose a subject cluster (faculty, group or stream) at the beginning of grade XI, which then includes the electives (optional subjects). Common subject clusters are:
  • arts/humanities (e.g. history, political science, sociology);
  • commerce (e.g. business administration, accountancy, economics);
  • science (exact sciences such as biology, physics and chemistry).
    The range of electives on offer is generally extensive. These subjects can vary considerably in terms of content and objective.
• Function of the diploma: access to higher education.
• Diploma: a Standard XII diploma from a board. Please note: the name of the diploma varies. Common names include:
  • Higher Secondary School Certificate;
  • Intermediate Examination Certificate.

Students obtain an All Indian Senior School Certificate when they conclude the academic stream of upper secondary education with exams from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

• Duration: 2 years.
• Content: at least 5 exam subjects, including English or Hindi. Students are taught in English or Hindi. Detailed information about the curriculum is available on the CBSE website.
• Function of the diploma: access to higher education.
• Diploma: All India Senior School Certificate from the CBSE.

Students obtain an Indian School Certificate when they conclude the academic stream of upper secondary education with exams from the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE).

• Duration: 2 years.
• Content: at least 4 exam subjects, including English. Students are taught in English. Detailed information about the curriculum is available on the CISCE website
• Function of the diploma: access to higher education.
• Diploma: Indian School Certificate from the CISCE.

Students obtain a Migration Cum Transfer Certificate of the Senior Secondary School Examination when they conclude the academic stream of upper secondary education with exams from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

• Duration: 2 years.
• Content: at least 5 exam subjects (including 1 or 2 languages and 3 or 4 electives). Students are taught in English, Hindi, Odia, Bengali, Gujarati or Urdu. Detailed information about the curriculum is available on the NIOS website.
• Function of the diploma: access to higher education.
• Diploma: Migration Cum Transfer Certificate of the Senior Secondary School Examination from the NIOS.

'Vocational Standard XII diploma' is the collective name for the diploma students obtain after completing the vocational stream of upper secondary education. The exact diploma name varies by board.

• Duration: 2 years (grade XI and XII).
• Content: 1 or 2 languages and 3 or 4 vocationally-oriented electives.
• Function of the diploma: access to secondary vocational education or work. Sometimes access to higher education. However, the exam subjects must then tie in with the chosen specialisation.
• Diploma: a Vocational Standard XII diploma from a board. Please note: the diploma name varies, for example Vocational Higher Secondary Certificate.