Introduction
ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) is a test conducted by the Council of Indian School Certificate Exams.
In this article, we are going to cover the ICSE Physics class 9 syllabus. What is the pattern of the exam? What are the new things that have been added to the syllabus? What is the weightage of each chapter in the exams? By going through this article, students will get to know about various units’ names. They will also understand what chapters are there under these units. They will also get to know the theory and practical parts of the exam.
Physics is a natural science subject that helps in understanding how the universe works. In addition, it helps in understanding matters and motions. The ICSE physics class 9 syllabus exam has two parts. One is the theory part, and the other involves the practical part. The theory paper is of 80 marks, for which students get 2 hours. The practical exam is for 20 marks. For the academic year, 2021-2022, ICSE has released the syllabus. The ICSE physics class 9 syllabus has been reduced by 25%.
Since the syllabus is divided into various chapters, each chapter has a particular weightage assigned to it by the ICSE board. The ICSE evaluates an answer script according to the weights assigned.
Theory Syllabus
The theory paper of the ICSE physics exam consists of 2 parts. Both the parts are of 40 marks each. Part 1 consists of short questions. These are taken from the overall syllabus. All the questions are compulsory here. Part 2 consists of 6 questions. From these 6 questions, students have to answer 4 questions of 5 marks each.
| Topics | Sub-topic |
| Experimentation measurements | ● The use of international system of units● What is a simple pendulum?● Use of common instruments for measurements |
| Motion in one dimension | ● Introduction to scalar quantities● Equations derived for uniformly accelerated motion without any derivations● Vector quantities● What is velocity?● What is acceleration?● Distance● Speed |
| Laws of Motion | ● Understanding Newton’s First Law of Motion● Understanding Newton’s Second Law of Motion● Understanding Newton’s Third Law of Motion● Concept of gravitation● Contact and non-contact forces |
| Fluids | ● Concept of transmission and change of pressure in liquids● What is Archimedes’ Principle?● Introduction to floatation● Relationship with density● What is relative density?● Atmospheric pressure● Introduction to buoyancy● The concept of change of pressure with the change of depth● Determining the relative density of a substance using water |
| Energy and Heat | ● Expansion of water● Heat with temperature● What is global warming?● Greenhouse effect |
| Light | ● Concept of reflection of light● Concept of perpendicular plane mirrors● Concept of characteristics of the image.● Types of mirrors● Images formed by parallel mirrors● Concept of spherical mirrors● Uses of concave mirrors● Convex mirrors |
| Sound | ● Speed in different media● Sonic● Requirement of sound waves● Concept of ultrasonic● Comparison with the speed of light● Concept of the nature of sound waves● Concept of Infrasonic |
| Magnetism and Electricity | ● What is static electricity? ● What is induced magnetism?● Current electricity● Lines of a magnetic field● Properties of a bar magnet |
Summary of Theory Syllabus
For the academic year, 2021-2022, the ICSE board has reduced its physics syllabus by 25%. In the ICSE physics class 9 syllabus 2021, there are only eight topics. Each topic has 3 to 4 subheadings in it. The short answer questions will have questions from all these chapters. With the reduced syllabus, it is easy to score good marks. For each topic, there are specific subheads. In each subhead, there are specific formulas mentioned that students would have to learn. The most important chapters are Light, Sound, Laws of Motion and Electricity and Magnetism.
Practical Exams
Students will have to perform a certain number of experiments to secure good marks in the exam. The practical exams will be conducted in school. The questions can be based on topics that are not included in the syllabus.
The schools can decide which experiments students will perform. Students will have to record their observations in practical files. All the observations and final results should be recorded in a neat format. Some of the experiments for the ICSE physics class 9 syllabus designed by the ICSE board are:
- Find out the count of Vernier calipers. Determine the length of a cylinder. Also, find out its diameter.
- Find out the pitch of a screw gauge and the minimum number of screw gauges. Keeping it in perpendicular directions, determine the radius of the present wire.
- Of the given glass block, find out its breadth and length. Use a metal rule to measure these things; take the mean of the readings in all cases. Find out the volume of the glass block in cm and m cubic units. Also, determine the value of the glass block in grams and kilograms. Determine the glass density in SI units. Also, state the volume of this.
- Use the read of the water level to determine the volume of the metal bob. Using vernier calipers, determine the volume for radius.
- Determine the time taken in five readings for 20 oscillations of the pendulums of length 70 to 110 cm. Also, state the periods and their square for each set.
- An experiment with thermometers. Take two thermometers, one on the Celsius scale and the other on the Fahrenheit scale. Place them inside a water beaker. Now record different readings at different temperatures. Find the slope. Now compare and analyze it with the mentioned theoretical value.
- Take a plane mirror. Place it vertically on a wooden board. Get the three rays of the incident from three different angles. Measure and record the angles of incidence and reflection. Determine if they are the same or not.
- For this experiment, students will require object pins and plane mirrors. Take three pins in three different directions. Now place these on a perpendicular line to the mirror which is fixed at a vertical position on the board. You will get rays on the lines of the image.
- Find out the focal length with a concave mirror using two methods. The first method is the distant object method and the second is the one-needle method.
- Using a compass needle, plot magnetic field lines of the earth. Take another paper and place a magnet on it with the magnet’s axis parallel to the already established magnetic lines. Track the magnetic area around the bar magnet. Determine the area where there is a combined magnetic area.
Summary of Practical Syllabus
The practical syllabus is designed to deepen students’ understanding of physics. It helps in making students understand the real-life scenarios that are related to physics. All the practical experiments are related to the theory provided. Since some of the theories have been cut short this year, there is no cutting down on the practical syllabus. Students will have to learn how to plot a graph and calculate the speed of light and sound. All the experiments designed by a teacher will have to be recorded and written in practical files that will be assessed. Students will be given marks out of 20 in this exam. Practical exams hold a lot of weight.
Frequently Asked Questions about ICSE Physics Class 9 Syllabus
- Which is the board that conducts the exam of ICSE physics?
The Council of Indian School Education Examinations looks over the ICSE board. The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE is a private board that provides general education in the English medium. Only students of the schools that are affiliated with this board can appear for the exams.
- What is the ICSE physics class 9 syllabus?
The ICSE physics class 9 syllabus 2021 consists of 8 topics altogether. Each of these topics has subheads that decide the weightage and length of topics. The topics for 2021 are Measurement and Experimentations, Motions in One Dimension, Law of Motion, Light, Fluids, Heat and Energy, Sound and Electricity and Magnetism.
- What are the most important topics in the ICSE physics syllabus for class 9?
To score good marks, all the chapters and topics have to be learned. But by focusing on significant chapters, students can get ready for the exam easily. The most important chapters in the ICSE physics class 9 syllabus 2021 paper are Law of Motion, Electricity and Magnetism, Light and Sound. Primarily, the significant six-mark questions are asked from these chapters only.
- What is the new exam pattern for class 9 physics?
Since there is a change in the syllabus for 2021-2022, the exam pattern has also changed. There are two parts to the test. Part 1 deals with the theory which carries 80 marks, and part 2 involves the practical exam which is of 20 marks. The theory paper has two sections. Section 1 has short answer questions with 40 marks. All the questions are compulsory here. Section 2 has six questions of 5 marks each. Students have to attempt only 4 questions out of 6 questions.
- How can a student prepare for practical exams?
To secure good grades in practical exams, students should have sound knowledge of the theory part. If students know their theory, it will be easier for them to perform experiments. Read the experiment’s questions carefully. Follow all the instructions given by your teachers. Prepare an observation file.