ICSE has two Sanskrit papers, and they are different exams. One is Sanskrit as a second language, in Group I: three hours, a prescribed book, and everything answered in Sanskrit. The other is Sanskrit as a classical language, in Group II: two hours, no book at all, just grammar and translation. A guidebook or a past paper for one is little use for the other, so the first thing to find out is which one your child is entered for.
Here are both, for the 2027 examination, from the Council's own documents: the ICSE 2027 Second Languages syllabus, the Classical Language syllabus, and the 2027 list of prescribed books. Check every detail against what your school has issued.
The two papers side by side
| Second language (Group I) | Classical language (Group II) | |
|---|---|---|
| Written paper | Three hours, 80 marks | Two hours, 80 marks |
| What it tests | Section A, language, 40 marks: composition, letter, unseen passage, grammar. Section B, prescribed texts, 40 marks | Grammar, translation from English into Sanskrit, and translation from Sanskrit into English, all unprepared |
| Prescribed book | Sanskrit Vani Book 5, and Book 4 from Class 9: the board paper sets questions on both | None |
| Answers written in | Sanskrit | Translation into Sanskrit in Sanskrit, translation into English in English |
| Internal assessment | 20 marks | 20 marks |
A student cannot take both: the ICSE regulations do not allow Sanskrit as the Group I second language together with Sanskrit as the Group II classical language.
Sanskrit as a second language: Section A, 40 marks
This section is compulsory, and it is written entirely in Sanskrit. The syllabus fixes the 40 marks; the split below is how the Council set the 2023 and 2024 papers.
| Question | Marks |
|---|---|
| Composition (लघुनिबन्ध), 150 to 200 words, one topic from a choice | 15 |
| Letter (पत्र), about 120 words, one from a choice | 7 |
| Unseen passage, five questions of two marks, answered in Sanskrit | 10 |
| Grammar, eight multiple-choice questions of one mark | 8 |
Composition. One short composition from a choice of subjects: an explanation, directions, a description or a narrative. The subjects can be suggested by words or by a picture or an object, so practise writing from both.
Letter. One letter from a choice of two subjects. The syllabus says the layout, the address, the opening and the close, is part of the assessment. Learn the layout once and those marks are safe every time.
Unseen passage. A passage in Sanskrit, with the questions set in Sanskrit and answered in Sanskrit, and the papers ask for answers in the student's own words as far as possible. Reading it is half the task; the other half is writing a correct Sanskrit sentence in reply.
Grammar. The syllabus lists the topics below, and adds that questions can also come from the grammar in the prescribed book. They test vocabulary, sentence building, idiom, and making correct sentences from given words or forms. In 2023 and 2024 the grammar question was eight multiple-choice items: splitting a compound or a sandhi, changing the voice or the tense of a sentence, naming where a group of letters is pronounced, splitting a word into root and suffix.
| Topic | What the 2027 syllabus lists |
|---|---|
| Sounds | Vowels and consonants, and where each is pronounced (उच्चारण-स्थान) |
| Sandhi (सन्धि) | स्वर-सन्धि, हल्-सन्धि, विसर्ग-सन्धि |
| Nouns (शब्द रूप) | Masculine राम, हरि, गुरु, पितृ, गो, भवत्, विद्वस्, राजन्, करिन् · Feminine रमा, नदी, धेनु, वधू, वाच्, सरित्, मातृ · Neuter गृह, वारि, दधि, मधु, जगत्, नामन्, मनस् |
| Pronouns and numbers | सर्व, तद्, यद्, किम्, युष्मद्, अस्मद्, and the numbers one to ten in all three genders |
| Verbs (धातु रूप) | Five tenses and moods: लट्, लृट्, लङ्, लोट्, विधिलिङ्. Parasmaipada भू, पठ्, पा, गम्, हस्, स्था, जि, नश्, अस्, जी*, शक्, इष्, प्रच्छ् · Atmanepada लभ्, वृध्, जन्, याच्, सेव् · Ubhayapada नी, दा, ग्रह्, ज्ञा, कृ |
| Cases | The karakas, and karaka and upapada vibhaktis (कारक तथा उपपद विभक्तियाँ) |
| Samasa (समास) | अव्ययीभाव, तत्पुरुष, कर्मधारय, द्वन्द्व, बहुव्रीहि |
| Suffixes (प्रत्यय) | Krit क्त्वा, तुमुन्, क्त, तव्यत्, अनीयर्, क्तवतु · Taddhita मतुप्, इक, त्व, तल् · Feminine टाप्, ङीप् |
* The syllabus prints this root as जी. Read it as जीव्, to live (जीवति).
Apart from the book's own grammar, this is a fixed list, which makes it the most preparable part of the paper. Every noun and verb above can be written out and learnt as a table. The cases repay extra time, because they run through the passage, the letter and the composition as well; there is a short guide to learning the vibhaktis without memorising 24 boxes for every noun.
Sanskrit as a second language: Section B, 40 marks
The questions are set in Sanskrit, on the prescribed books, and answered in Sanskrit. The 2027 list prescribes Sanskrit Vani Book 4 for Class 9 and Book 5 for Class 10, by H.D. Vijayshri and S. Bolar (Orient Longman).
The Class 9 book is examined in Class 10. The syllabus says a candidate answers four questions "from ONLY two of the prescribed textbooks", and the board papers show what that means. In both 2023 and 2024, Section B had six questions: three on संस्कृतवाणी Part 4 and three on Part 5. Each began from a printed extract of a lesson and carried 10 marks, in parts of 2, 2, 3 and 3. A candidate answers four, with at least one from each book. So the Class 9 lessons cannot be put away after Class 9; they need revising alongside Book 5.
Because every question starts from an extract, knowing a lesson's story is not enough. A student has to recognise which lesson an extract comes from, and answer about it in correct Sanskrit sentences.
Sanskrit as a classical language: the two-hour paper
The Group II paper has no set texts. It tests three things:
- Elementary Sanskrit grammar.
- Unprepared translation from English into Sanskrit, of short prose sentences.
- Unprepared translation from Sanskrit into English.
"Unprepared" means the sentences are new on the day, so there is nothing to memorise except the grammar itself. That changes how to prepare. A student taking this paper needs noun and verb forms they can produce at speed, and daily practice turning short English sentences into Sanskrit: who does what, to whom, with what, and when. Translation into Sanskrit is the harder direction: one wrong ending or tense makes the sentence wrong. Translation into English mostly tests whether the student can recognise those same forms.
The 20 internal marks
For both papers these come from assignments set by the school, marked separately by the subject teacher, out of 10, and by an external examiner, out of 10: another teacher who does not teach the class. For the classical language paper the syllabus asks for two or three assignments in each of Classes 9 and 10, and suggests oral work for Class 10, such as a prepared speech, a debate or a role play, and listening work, where a student hears a talk or a passage and writes down the main points.
Will 2027 look like 2026?
For Sanskrit, yes. In October 2026 the Council published new specimen papers for 2027 in a set of subjects only, and Sanskrit is not among them. It said that for every other subject the rubrics and assessment structure of the 2026 examination still apply. So the 2026 board paper, and your school's own recent papers, are the right practice for the shape of each question.
ICSE Sanskrit, taught to the right paper
Ms. Ishita Parikh holds an MA in Sanskrit from the Central Sanskrit University and taught the CBSE and ICSE Sanskrit syllabus in Mumbai classrooms for five years. Tuition starts from which paper the student sits: for the second language, the school's book and written Sanskrit; for the classical language, grammar tables and translation practice.
School Sanskrit tuition, Classes 1 to 12, online; in Mumbai, in person at Borivali West for Classes 1 to 10. Or book the free first class and bring the last test paper. For CBSE, see the Class 10 syllabus and paper.
Questions people ask
What is the ICSE Class 10 Sanskrit paper pattern for 2027?
It depends which Sanskrit paper your child takes. As a second language in Group I, it is one paper of three hours carrying 80 marks: Section A, language, 40 marks, and Section B, prescribed texts, 40 marks. As a classical language in Group II, it is one paper of two hours carrying 80 marks: grammar, and unprepared translation from English into Sanskrit and from Sanskrit into English. Both add 20 marks of internal assessment.
Which textbook is prescribed for ICSE Class 10 Sanskrit in 2027?
For Sanskrit as a second language, the 2027 list prescribes Sanskrit Vani Book 5 for Class 10 and Book 4 for Class 9, by H.D. Vijayshri and S. Bolar, published by Orient Longman. Sanskrit as a classical language in Group II has no prescribed textbook: the paper is grammar and unprepared translation.
Is the Class 9 Sanskrit book examined in the ICSE Class 10 board exam?
Yes, for Sanskrit as a second language. In the 2023 and 2024 board papers, Section B had three questions on Sanskrit Vani Part 4, the Class 9 book, and three on Part 5, the Class 10 book. A candidate answers four, with at least one from each book.
Can a student take Sanskrit in both Group I and Group II in ICSE?
No. The ICSE regulations do not allow Sanskrit as a second language in Group I together with Sanskrit as a classical language in Group II. A student takes one or the other.
Which grammar topics are in the ICSE Sanskrit second language syllabus?
Vowels and consonants with their places of articulation; three kinds of sandhi; declension of set nouns, pronouns and the numbers one to ten; the forms of set verb roots in five tenses and moods; karaka and upapada cases; five kinds of samasa; and set krit, taddhita and feminine suffixes. Grammar from the prescribed book is examined as well.
How are the 20 internal marks given in ICSE Sanskrit?
Through assignments set by the school, marked independently by the subject teacher out of 10 and by an external examiner, another teacher who does not teach the class, out of 10. For the classical language paper, the Class 10 suggestions are oral work, such as a prepared speech or a role play, and listening work.