ICSE and ISC concessions for dyslexia and learning disabilities: the CISCE rules

The rulebook is one document: the CISCE Guidelines for Comprehensive Support Measures in Examinations: Concessions and Benefits for Diverse Needs Learners, dated January 2024. It covers the ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) examinations and sets out the exam accommodations CISCE calls concessions. The ICSE and ISC Regulations for the 2028 examinations, published in January 2026, do not repeat them: clause 14 of the ICSE Regulations and clause 15 of the ISC Regulations refer schools back to the 2024 guidelines.

Much of what circulates on parent WhatsApp groups predates that document. CISCE used to allow 15 minutes per hour of extra time, and the figure survives on unofficial pages, but the 2024 guidelines raised it to 20 minutes from the 2025 examinations. Ask the school's examinations coordinator which version they are working from, and confirm it is current. For how CISCE compares with other boards, see board exam accommodations for a learning disability.

The guidelines start with the benchmark disabilities in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, grouped under eight heads. One head, 'Intellectual & Developmental Disability', covers both specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, and autism spectrum conditions. The benchmark tests are stated: for a specific learning disability, an IQ of 85 or above on MISIC or WISC-III together with psychometric tests; for autism, a score of 70 or more on ISAA, the scale used to grade autism for certification, which the guidelines equate to 40%.

Table 5 then covers 'other conditions', for candidates with or without a disability: disabilities under the Act that fall below the benchmark level, and borderline intellectual functioning, described as an IQ of 70–85 or 71–84, as well as contagious disease, accidents, bereavement and emergencies during the examinations. A child whose assessment does not reach the benchmark is not automatically shut out, although the Table 5 concessions are narrower.

ADHD is less clear. The guidelines name it only in the adult prompter clause, which permits a prompter for a student with 'Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Autism/Obsessive Compulsive Disorder & Mental health disorder or any similar health condition who faces significant challenges in concentrating'. We could not confirm whether ADHD on its own qualifies for the wider Table 5 package, and the Act's schedule of specified disabilities does not name ADHD. Ask the school how CISCE has handled similar applications.

The guidelines list eleven areas of support and mark all of them as available for a specific learning disability or autism. These are the ones families ask about most. What a student receives depends on the evidence and on CISCE approving the school's request, so read the list as what can be asked for.

• Compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour in each subject, in theory, practical and viva examinations: an extra hour on a three-hour paper (see extra time).
• Supervised rest breaks of 10 minutes per hour, not counted as examination time.
• Exemption from studying a second language at ICSE (Class X) level, on production of a valid certificate.
• A reader, reader-cum-writer or writer, where 'any reasonable allowance of extra time would not meet the difficulty'; the paper may be read aloud but not explained.
• An adult prompter, for a student who finds it very hard to keep their attention on the paper.
• A school computer without internet, with the student's own adapted keyboard or mouse if needed; devices are pre-approved according to how the student uses them in ordinary schoolwork.
• The Casio fx-82 MS scientific calculator, for mathematical calculations only.
• No penalty for 'written language errors like spelling, grammar, sentence structure'; answers are marked on the correctness of the content.
• Flexibility in subject choice, which the guidelines say is 'built into the system', and attendance relaxation case by case.

Under Table 5, below-benchmark candidates and those with borderline intellectual functioning can have 20 minutes per hour if their 'speed of writing is very low', no penalty for spelling and grammar errors, and a reader, writer or prompter and/or compensatory time 'solely to those having difficulty in writing', backed by a certificate from the competent medical authority of a Government healthcare institution.

This rule surprises families most. For a Class X candidate, the writer is a Class IX student of the same school who does not have a disability; for a Class XII candidate, a Class XI student. There is one writer per subject, changeable in an emergency. The guidelines make no provision for a family to bring its own adult, as CBSE does with a candidate's own scribe one step below their qualification. A child who has only ever dictated to a parent will need to practise with someone younger and less familiar.

The adult prompter is appointed by the school, preferably a primary school teacher, counsellor or special educator the student already knows. Candidates with a reader, writer or prompter sit in a separate hall next to the main hall, preferably on the ground floor, so the child will not be among classmates on the day.

Autistic candidates have three further provisions. They may see the examination room and their seat a day or a few days before. Their reader, writer or prompter should be someone familiar, or they should have time to get to know that person beforehand. And they may use earplugs or headphones. Ask the school to arrange the visit and the introduction well before the first paper.

Yes, with the evidence. The guidelines say: 'Any student who faces challenges in learning a language due to a disability condition will be exempted from studying a Second Language at the ICSE (Class X) Level on the production of a valid certificate.' For a child with dyslexia in a school teaching English, Hindi and often a third language, this frees hours for the subjects the child will actually be examined in.

What the exemption does not settle is what the student takes instead. The ICSE Regulations for 2028 require candidates to take at least six subjects and pass five, including English, and we could not confirm what CISCE expects in place of the second language. Ask the school before class IX begins, when ICSE subject choices are made: what the student would take instead, whether the school offers it, and how the exemption will appear on the student's record.

Section 6 of the guidelines asks for three documents. Gather them before the school applies, and keep copies.

• A disability certificate from the Chief Medical Officer's office or a medical authority authorised by the State or Central Government.
• A detailed evaluation report with specific recommendations, from a National Institute, a Composite Regional Centre, a District Disability Rehabilitation Centre, or a Central or State Government hospital or clinic; where none is available, from a professional registered with the Medical Council of India, a State Medical Council or the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).
• A letter of recommendation from the Principal.

A UDID card is listed as 'helpful information', not a requirement. CISCE may reject documents that do not come from government-authorised bodies or RCI-registered professionals, so check a private professional's registration before the assessment, not after. The UDID card and disability certificate explains how certification works.

The guidelines state no minimum percentage beyond the Act's definition and no rule on how recent the evidence must be, so ask the school both questions. And because CISCE wants specific recommendations, ask the assessing professional to set out the concessions they recommend and why, not only a diagnosis.

The application runs through the school. These steps follow the guidelines; the school may add its own forms.

1. Arrange the assessment and certificate, with recommendations that match what your child actually uses in class.
2. Write to the Head of School with copies of the documents, naming the concessions you are asking for.
3. The Principal writes the letter of recommendation CISCE requires.
4. The Head of School applies online through CISCE's CAREERS portal: E-registration, then the ICSE or ISC menu, then 'Special Difficulty Request'.
5. Ask the school to confirm in writing what CISCE approved, for which subjects and papers.
6. Use the approved concessions in the school's unit tests and pre-boards before the board examination.

The guidelines say concessions are 'recommended for internal and external theory/practical/viva examinations', so it is reasonable to ask for them in school tests too. We found no published deadline for the Special Difficulty Request. Treat that as a reason to start early: at the start of class IX for the ICSE and class XI for the ISC, which leaves time for an assessment if one is needed.

Two changes applied from the 2025 examinations: extra time rose from 15 to 20 minutes per hour, and below-benchmark disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning came in under Table 5. More changes apply from the 2027 examinations, according to CISCE letter CISCE/CES/Letter/2025/006 of 12 February 2025, which released the 2027 Regulations. We read that letter from a copy published on a school's website rather than on CISCE's own site, so check the detail with your school.

From 2027, results read 'Qualified' or 'Not Qualified'; ISC candidates must pass five or six subjects, including English, in place of four; Applied Mathematics is introduced at ISC; and schools are pointed to the 2024 guidelines for the language exemption and concessions. The ISC pass rule is worth discussing when choosing class XI subjects. None of the CISCE documents we reviewed says a marksheet or pass certificate records the use of concessions.

Where the guidelines are silent, the school is the right source. Take these questions to the examinations coordinator or counsellor, and ask for the answers in writing.

• Which version of the CISCE guidelines are you working from?
• By when do you need our documents, and when will you submit the request?
• How recent must the evaluation report be, and does CISCE expect a percentage on the certificate?
• Which concessions will you request for each subject, including practicals and the viva?
• If my child is exempted from the second language, what will they study instead?
• Will the concessions apply in unit tests and pre-boards, and who will write or prompt there?
• For ADHD: how has CISCE treated similar applications from this school?

A concession is only as good as the practice behind it: extra time helps a student who has planned papers with it, and a writer helps one who has practised dictating. Special Minds introduces remedial tutors and special educators who help students practise with their concessions through classes IX to XII; see board exam support for a learning disability. We do not assess children or arrange certificates.