ICSE Class 10 Environmental Science

Reduced Syllabus 2020-21

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (82)
CLASS X

There will be one paper of two hours duration carrying (b) Strategies for controlling growth of population.
80 marks and Internal Assessment of 20 marks.
Strategies to include family planning and birth
The paper will have two Sections: control, health care, education, economic
development; women-centered human
Section A (Compulsory) will contain short answer
development.
questions covering the entire syllabus.
Section B will contain six questions. Candidates will 3. Managing the Urban environment
be required to answer any four questions from this (a) Urbanisation - a challenge to the future.
section.
Sustainable cities: the need of the hour.
1. Controlling Air Pollution (b) Planning environmental improvement.
(a) From domestic combustion. Efficient land use, planning energy, shelter and
transport; water supply management,
Reducing pollution from domestic cooking; wastewater and sanitary waste management,
clean cooking - kerosene as a desirable construction activities.
cooking fuel in rural areas.
(c) Rural development to counter migration.
(b) From industries.
Self-explanatory.
Measures for controlling industrial air
pollution - technological measures (energy (d) Development of secondary cities to counter
efficient devices, clean technologies), migration.
meteorological controls; zoning strategy; Self-explanatory.
penalties and subsidies; Case Study: the Taj
Trapezium. (e) Community participation.
Community participation in keeping
(c) From vehicles.
surroundings clean.
Vehicle emission control - modify engine
design (catalytic converters, four stroke 4. Managing Soil and Land
engines), clean fuels, public transport options,
traffic management, economic policy (a) Conserving soil.
measures. Erosion control techniques - terracing,
contour ploughing, dry farming, tree planting,
2. Addressing Population bunds, gullies, wind-breaks, use of organic
(a) The link between growing population and fertilizers.
environmental degradation.
Soil conservation techniques - land-use
UN’s population projections for 2050, the management, vegetative and mechanical
climate link, the choice of alternative futures. practices, conserving soil and water together;
Growing population in the developing
countries and rising consumption in the
developed countries.

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 appropriate cropping systems – cropping food security.
patterns (strip cropping), tree crops, and
foliage crops. 6. Biodiversity
(a) Biodiversity at risk due to human actions.
(b) Role of women and community in
conservation. Reasons for loss of biodiversity; Man - the
super consumer: impact of his actions on the
Self-explanatory.
earth’s resources; reasons for concern:
(c) Combating deforestation. economic, ecological and aesthetic.
Reforestation, energy plantations, forest (b) Conserving our genetic resource: in-situ and
harvesting of non-timber forest products, ex-situ.
exploring alternative sources of livelihood,
change in consumption patterns. In-situ - wildlife sanctuaries, national parks
and biosphere reserves.
(d) Alternatives to timber.
Ex-situ – zoological parks, botanical gardens,
Recycling of timber and paper. gene banks in agricultural research centres
and forestry institutions.
5. Food
(c) Conservation strategies at national and
(a) Sustainable agriculture. international levels.
Integrated pest management – understanding Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Project Tiger
the term, aims, advantages, disadvantages. 1973, IUCN, the Ramsar Convention on
Genetically modified organisms, application in Wetlands, 1971, CITES, The Convention on
plants and animals and environmental risks. Biological Diversity.

New crop strains – high yielding varieties and 7. Energy

their viability, hybrid varieties. (a) Nuclear energy.
Mixed cropping – advantages and Nuclear fission, advantages and disadvantages
disadvantages; regenerative farming of nuclear energy; safety concerns (the
techniques - intercropping, crop rotation, agro Chernobyl disaster); nuclear fusion.
forestry, social forestry, polyvarietal
cultivation and polyculture (b) A sustainable energy future.
Conservation tillage farming - meaning of Energy conservation; alternative energy
conservation tillage, advantages and sources - solar energy, wind energy,
disadvantages. hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, biomass,
Trickle drip irrigation – need for a trickle drip liquid fuels from biomass- methanol, ethanol,
irrigation system; operation of a drip gasohol, CNG, hydrogen.
irrigation system; advantages and
disadvantages. 8. Waste

New organic fertilizers – integrated nutrient (a) Solid waste: the throwaway society.
supply programme, organic fertilizers - bulky Solid waste, biodegradable and non-
organic manures, green manures, bio- biodegradable materials; where does the trash
fertilizers, and sewage sludge. go - landfills and incinerators.
Gene banks – what are gene banks; objectives (b) Solid waste: options for the future.
of maintaining gene banks.
Producing less waste, reusing, recycling,
(b) Problem of global food security, food aid. composting, vermiculture, biotechnology;
Global food imbalance, distributional finding alternatives to materials we use.
inequality; role of food aid in achieving global
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9. Environment and Development INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
Role of multinational corporations. A minimum of three assignments as prescribed by the
Definition of MNCs, their contribution to teacher, need to be completed.
development and debatable contribution to Suggested Assignments
environment; case study - Bhopal gas tragedy;
measures to regulate activities of MNCs in 1. Make a field study of the effect of human interaction
developing countries. on the natural environment and write a project report
(1500 words) on the likely impact of the interaction
10. Towards a Sustainable Future on the global environment.
(a) International cooperation. 2. Prepare an original study/essay (2000 words) on an
The Montreal Protocol; the Global area of the prescribed curriculum that is indicative
Environmental Facility (GEF) support; the of his/her appreciation/concern for environmental
Earth Summit, UN’s International issues and make a functional model to support the
Conference on Population and Development above.
(Cairo); the Kyoto Treaty. EVALUATION
(b) Sustainable development. The assignments/project work are to be evaluated by
The concept of sustainable development, the subject teacher and by an External Examiner. (The
sustainable development and developed External Examiner may be a teacher nominated by the
countries; sustainable development and Head of the school, who could be from the faculty, but
developing countries. not teaching the subject in the section/class. For
(c) Technology that sustains. example, a teacher of EVS of Class VIII may be
deputed to be an External Examiner for Class X,
Satellite imagery as a means of monitoring the Environmental Science projects.)
global environment: satellite remote sensing,
advantages in collecting environmental data, The Internal Examiner and the External Examiner will
applying data in areas of environmental assess the assignments independently.
damage as deforestation, desertification, land
degradation, wastelands, mining, ozone layer Award of marks (20 Marks)
depletion and predicting droughts and floods. Subject Teacher (Internal Examiner) 10 marks
The concept of alternate technology, adopting External Examiner 10 marks
alternate technology to create self-sustaining The total marks obtained out of 20 are to be sent to the
societies in the developed and developing Council by the Head of the school.
world.
The Head of the school will be responsible for the
online entry of marks on the Council’s CAREERS
portal by the due date.

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 INTERNAL ASSESSMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE - GUIDELINES FOR MARKING WITH GRADES
Criteria Preparation Investigation/ Analysis/Inference Solutions Presentation Marks
Gathering Data Alternatives/
Innovations
Grade I Follows instructions with Is able to ask right Analyses Innovative Accurate. Feasible, 4 marks
understanding, modifies if questions. Knows whom systematically. Can ideas neat, well labelled
needed. Background to ask, when and how. see sequences or presented. diagrams. Index and
information correct. Level Can deal with more than correlation. Can Alternatives references given.
of awareness high. one variable. segregate fact from suggested.
opinion.
Grade II Follows instructions step- Is able to ask questions Makes observations Alternatives Accurate. Neat, well 3 marks
by-step. Awareness is and identify whom to ask correctly. Analysis presented. labelled diagrams,
good. Background when and how. Can fair. Innovative but index and references
information correct. handle two variables not practical. given.
only.

Grade III Follows simple instructions Needs help with the Observation - help Obvious A bit disorganised, 2 marks
only. Awareness basic. investigations. Has needed. Needs solutions but neat and
Background information suggestions but cannot guidance to see presented. Not accurate. Either
sketchy. decide. correlations or innovative. index or references
sequence. missing.

Grade IV Follows some instructions Needs to be told what Detailed instructions Thinks of Poorly organised. 1 mark
but confused. Has to be questions to be asked, required to draw solutions Some things
made aware. Background whom to ask or where to inferences. Charts under missing. Index and
information incorrect in gather the data from. have to be made. guidance. references missing.
places.

Grade V Confused about Gets stuck at every step. Even with help, Solutions not Overall impression 0 mark
instructions. Has to be Questionnaire has to be analysis is not clear. forthcoming. very poor. Not very
made aware. Needs help formulated. Takes teacher’s word accurate.
with background for it.
information.