ISC 2026 Geography Question Paper for Class 12

About this paper

This is the ISC Class 12 Geography paper (code 853) set by CISCE for the 2026 board examination. It carries 70 marks, runs for three hours plus fifteen minutes of reading time, and has 13 compulsory questions in three sections, with internal choices in two Section B questions and one Section C question. In Section A all of Question 1 is answered on an outline map of India, printed after the questions, followed by assertion–reason, analogy and reasoning items. Sections B and C draw on short scenarios and data: a coast-to-coast road trip, a flight from Itanagar to Ahmedabad, an Annual Survey of Industries graph for 2023–24, aviation traffic figures, a pie chart on reasons for out-migration, and the 'Drone Didi' women flying agricultural drones near Varanasi.

Exam

ISC Class 12

Subject

Geography

Year

2026

Paper code

853

Maximum marks

70

Time allowed

3 hours + 15 min reading

Questions

13

Pages

12

Answers included

No, questions only

Paper pattern

• Section A

  14 marks

  Question 1 map work on an outline map of India (10 marks) and Question 2 assertion–reason, analogy and multiple-choice items (4 marks); one mark per subpart

• Section B

  28 marks

  Questions 3–9, short answers of four marks each; internal choice in two questions

• Section C

  28 marks

  Questions 10–13, long answers of seven marks each; internal choice in one

Topics covered

• Map work on India
• Location and physiography
• Climate and rainfall variability
• Settlements and urban sprawl
• Water conservation and biogas
• Industries and industrial regions
• Forestry and social forestry
• Regional development
• Transport and communication
• Migration
• Agriculture and the second Green Revolution

Questions from this paper

1. The Punjab plain is a gift of the fluvial processes. Justify the statement by giving two reasons.
2. Analyse any two reasons for the high variability of rainfall in Jaisalmer.
3. There is a gradual shift of the sugar industry from North India to Peninsular India. Briefly explain any two reasons for this transition.
4. Examine any two factors that have led to the growth of Bengaluru as the 'Capital of Electronics'.
5. Explain two reasons for the presence of a dense railway network in the Northern Plains.
6. Discuss any three problems caused by migration from rural to urban areas.