ICSE Class 10 2026 Improvement Exam Marks Merger: Best of Two or Full Replacement?

CISCE uses a best-of-two policy for the ICSE Class 10 2026 improvement exam — the higher of the two scores (main exam or improvement exam) is retained in the final result, so appearing for improvement carries zero risk of a lower mark replacing your original.

Students who sat the ICSE Class 10 2026 main examination (February–March 2026) and want to improve their marks could appear in the improvement examination, which started on June 15, 2026. CISCE’s best-of-two rule means your main exam marks serve as a floor — your score can only go up or stay the same. Only the theory paper component is re-examined; internal assessment, project work, and practical marks from the main exam are automatically carried forward to the improvement exam result.

• Best of two: the improvement exam score replaces the main exam score only if it is higher.
• If you score lower in the improvement exam, your original main exam marks are retained automatically — no action needed.
• Internal assessment, project work, and practical marks from the main exam are carried forward and not re-examined.
• You can appear in a maximum of 3 subjects for improvement.
• Fee is Rs 500 per paper; English Language and English Literature are separate papers costing Rs 500 each.

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CISCE Best-of-Two Policy: Official Rule Explained

CISCE applies a best-of-two policy for ICSE Class 10 improvement examinations. The higher of the two marks — from the main exam or the improvement exam — is used in the final result. If your improvement exam score for a subject is higher than the main exam score, the new score is used. If your improvement exam score is lower, your original main exam marks are retained automatically.

This is not a full-replacement policy. CISCE does not simply overwrite your original marks with whatever you score in the improvement exam. The comparison is done subject by subject and the better score always wins.

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How Marks Are Merged: Subject-wise Calculation with Examples

ICSE Class 10 subjects are marked on a 100-point scale. Most subjects split this as 80 marks for the written theory paper and 20 marks for internal assessment or project work. The improvement exam re-examines only the 80-mark theory paper. Internal assessment marks (20 marks) are carried forward from the main exam in all cases. The total for each subject is then compared under the best-of-two rule.

Example 1 — Improvement exam helps (higher score):

Example 2 — Improvement exam does not help (lower score):

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Internal Assessment, Practical and Project Marks

For all ICSE Class 10 subjects that have internal assessment, project work, or practical components, these marks from the main 2026 exam are automatically carried forward to the improvement exam result. You do not need to redo school assessments, resubmit projects, or retake practicals.

One exception applies: if you were absent for project work or internal assessment during the main exam cycle, you may be permitted to submit project work during the improvement exam period. Your school and CISCE will advise you on this case separately.

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Impact on Final Percentage and Aggregate

ICSE Class 10 results show a percentage and aggregate calculated across all subjects, with best-of-five typically used for college admissions (always including English Language). When improvement exam marks replace original marks under the best-of-two rule, CISCE recalculates the percentage and aggregate accordingly. A fresh marksheet is issued after the improvement exam results are declared.

Illustrative example of aggregate change (5 subjects):

In this example the student’s aggregate improves from 350 to 373 because improvement exam scores were higher in 3 of the 4 subjects attempted. Physics reverted to the original 78 because the improvement score of 70 was lower — the best-of-two rule protected the original mark.

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Eligibility and Key Facts for ICSE 2026 Improvement Exam

Students who passed ICSE 2026 (results declared May 2026) are eligible to appear for improvement in up to 3 subjects. For subjects with multiple papers — such as English (Language and Literature) or Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) — you can choose to sit one or more individual papers within that subject, paying Rs 500 per paper chosen.