Guide · groups and subjects
SSC and HSC groups and subjects: what is compulsory, what is optional
From Class 9 to 12 every student has a group — science, humanities or business studies. Some subjects everyone reads, some belong to one group, some are chosen; one of the chosen is the optional subject — the optional and the 4th subject are the same thing.
Checked against the boards' rules on
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Three kinds of subject
- Compulsory — everyone in the group reads it; nothing to choose.
- Only optional — if chosen, only ever as the optional (4th) subject, like agriculture.
- Compulsory or optional — taken either way; like biology and higher mathematics in science: one compulsory, the other optional.
SSC (Class 9–10): ten subjects
A subject of two papers (Bangla, English) counts as one. Classes 9 and 10 read the same subjects.
| Group | Compulsory — all take it | Compulsory or optional — either way | Only optional (4th) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every group | Bangla, English, Mathematics, Information and Communication Technology, Religion and Moral Education | — | Agriculture Studies, Home Science |
| Science | Bangladesh and Global Studies, Physics, Chemistry | Biology, Higher Mathematics | — |
| Humanities | General Science | History of Bangladesh and World Civilization, Geography and Environment, Civics and Citizenship, Economics | — |
| Business Studies | General Science, Accounting, Finance and Banking, Business Entrepreneurship | — | — |
In science, say: eight compulsory, biology or higher mathematics as a compulsory subject, and one optional — ten in all. In humanities, three of history, geography, civics and economics as compulsory and one as the optional.
HSC (Class 11–12): seven subjects
Bangla, English and ICT for all; three subjects of the group as compulsory and one as the optional — each in two papers.
| Group | Compulsory — all take it | Compulsory or optional — either way | Only optional (4th) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every group | Bangla, English, Information and Communication Technology | — | — |
| Science | Physics, Chemistry | Biology, Higher Mathematics | Geography |
| Humanities | — | Economics, Civics and Good Governance, History, Islamic History and Culture, Islamic Studies, Sociology, Social Work, Logic, Psychology, Geography | — |
| Business Studies | Accounting, Business Organization and Management, Finance, Banking and Insurance | — | Production Management and Marketing, Economics, Geography |
A rule at some colleges: in science, with geography as the optional subject, the compulsory one is biology, not higher mathematics. An institution can set such a rule in the software itself.
The two years of HSC and the test exam
- Class 11 reads the 1st paper of each subject, Class 12 the 2nd.
- The test exam of Class 12 is on every paper of the two years; the two papers make one grade.
- The final exams of Class 10 and 12 are taken by the boards — SSC and HSC.
Done for you in the software
In BDEducationManager, once the group of a student is set at admission or on edit, the compulsory subjects come by themselves, the optional (4th) subject is asked for, and the list is checked against ten or seven. Marks, results, mark sheets and admit cards give each student their own subjects only.
Questions
Are the optional subject and the 4th subject the same?
Yes, the same thing. A student has one optional (4th) subject; its point less 2 is added to the GPA.
How many subjects are taken at SSC?
Ten — Bangla and English, of two papers each, counted once. One of them is the optional (4th) subject.
How many at HSC?
Seven — Bangla, English, ICT, three of the group and one optional. Each has two papers (ICT one).
In science, with agriculture as the optional — biology or higher mathematics?
One of the two is taken as compulsory — which one, the student or the institution decides.
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