Persistence, consistency, hard work and in-depth study ~ these are the attributes of the toppers from Bengal that helped them to come up with outstanding performances in the ICSE and ISC examinations. Dewang Kumar Agarwal, who is a student of science stream, topped the ISC with Vibha Swaminathan from Mallya Aditi International School, Bengaluru.

Dewang said, “I continued studying till the moment I was satisfied that I have learnt and understood the topic very well.”

“I have never believed in studying for a particular number of hours. One needs to study in depth and understand the topic very well. There is no substitute for hard work. I want to pursue a career in Computer Science and want to explore more options in life. In my leisure time I swim to keep myself fit, listen to music and read books .” he said.

Anwesha Chattopadhyay from Garden High School, Kolkata who stood all India joint second in ICSE and joint first in Bengal wants to pursue a career in academics. Biryani lover Anwesha believes in enjoying life. “Singing songs and reading books are my hobbies. I never did late night study nor started before dawn. I spent quality time with my friends and family. I used to sit for preparatory examinations in private coaching centres for practice.”

Nirjhar Das of WWA Cossipore English School who stood second along with three others in West Bengal in ISC with 99.75 per cent has a special interest in theatre. “I performed regularly in Sishu Kishore Academy. Apart from study, I love to play football.”

Raj Ghosh, of Purwanchal Vidyamandir, Kakurgachi, who stood joint second in ICSE wants to become a doctor. “My favourite subject is Biology. I am opting for the science stream. When I have leisure time I play computer games and read story books.

Among the 24 candidates who bagged the third position in the all India rankings, eight are from Bengal.

In ICSE. A total of 35769 candidates and in ISC 24791 candidates appeared from West Bengal, The pass percentage for the state in ICSE is 97.82 and 96.88 in ISC, whereas the overall pass percentage is 98.54 per cent and 96.52 per cent respectively.

In both examinations, girls outperformed boys in Bengal.

In the ICSE, the pass percentage among girls is 98.38 per cent; for boys, it is 97.39 per cent.

In ISC, pass percentage among girls is 98.05 per cent whereas 95.91 per cent of boys passed.

Overall, a total of 1,96,271 students appeared in the ICSE and 86,713 in ISC.

The ICSE Class X examinations were conducted from February 22, while the ISC Class XII examinations held from February 4.

For the first time this year, like in the CBSE system, CISCE will conduct compartmental examination for the students who fail in a few subjects in ICSE and ISC.

The compartmental examination will be conducted from 15 to 17 July. Schools are asked to register their candidates eligible for taking the compartmental examination online by mid-June and the result will be declared in the Month of August.

Students of Class XII, who pass in English and two other subjects but fail in fourth subject and students of Class X, who pass in English and three other subjects, but fails in the fifth subject, won’t have to waste a year as they will be eligible to sit for the compartmental examinations. But the candidates will be permitted to appear for only one subject in the compartmental examination.

The online module for submitting requests for re-checks of the results within seven days of the declaration of the results (from 7 May to 13 May.