SOF International Social Studies Olympiad (ISSO): 2024-25

Posted by Olympiad Tester on Apr 08, 2024

The SOF International Social Studies Olympiad (ISSO) is an annual competition designed to evaluate students' knowledge in history, geography, political Science, and economics across grades 3 to 10. The syllabus for the ISSO Olympiad is aligned with the guidelines established by CBSE/ICSE and state boards.

By participating in the ISSO Olympiad, students undergo assessment of their subject knowledge and development of their decision-making, and critical analysis skills.

Registration for the ISSO is typically managed by school administrators, involving the completion of an application form by candidates. As part of the registration process, applicants are required to submit the necessary application fee. Following the conclusion of the exam, the answer key is published on the official website. This article aims to provide comprehensive information related to the ISSO exam.

Important Dates & Highlights

Exam Name: ISSO (International Social Studies Olympiad
Organizer: SOF (Science Olympiad Foundation)
No of levels: ISSO is a single level exam
1st Exam date for ISSO: 10th Dec, 2024
2nd Exam date for ISSO: 23rd Jan, 2025
ISSO Result date: To be announced

ISSO - Eligibility Criteria

All students in Grade 3 to 10.
All schools are eligible to become SOF ISSO Level 1 centres, for free.

ISSO Registration

Registered schools must submit the filled up registrations forms to SOF within the due date.

Roll Numbers:

The School Registration Form (SRF) and Students' Registration Sheet (SRS) should be submitted to SOF by respective schools within the stipulate deadline.
On verification, SOF will generate roll numbers for all registered students.

Registration Fee:

School students in India, Nepal, Bangladesh & Bhutan: Rs 125 (including GST)
Schools may charge an additional Rs 25 for incidental expenses
Students suffering from any major physical disability, or children of martyred defence personnel are exempt from registration fees.

Exam Pattern for SOF ISSO 2024-2025

Aspirants of the ISSO exam should familiarize themselves with the exam format. The number of questions and difficulty level vary based on the students' respective classes. Candidates can refer to the exam pattern listed below or on the SOF ISSO platform:

Exam Duration: The exam will last for 1 hr.
Exam Mode: The school along with SOF personnel, administers the exam in a paper-and-pencil format.
Type of questions: MCQ (Multiple-choice questions.)
Sections: The exam has two sections: Social Studies and Achiever's section.
Exam Medium: English

Exam Syllabus for ISSO 2024-2025

Students wanting to excel in the ISSO exam should be familiar with its syllabus. The Science Olympiad foundation (SOF) has published the ISSO syllabus on its official website.

Class 3 Syllabus

Section 1 (Social Studies) : Basic Needs, Festivals and Celebrations, People Who Help Us, Solar System and Our Earth, Our Environment, India – Our Motherland, India – Our Heritage, Our Ancestors – Early Life and Civilisation, Connecting People.

Section 2 (Achiever's Section): Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions based on above

No of questions: Section 1 - Thirty, Section 2 - Five. Total questions - Thirty five

Marks per question: Section 1 - One, Section 2 - Two. Total marks - Forty

Class 4 Syllabus

Section 1 (Social Studies) : Our Country – Physical and Political Divisions, India – Resources and Climate, Our Rich Heritage, People Who Made a Difference, Our Constitution and Government, Our History, Earth and Environment, Transport and Communication.

Section 2 (Achiever's Section): Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions based on above

No of questions: Section 1 - Thirty, Section 2 - Five. Total questions - Thirty five

Marks per question: Section 1 - One, Section 2 - Two. Total marks - Forty

Class 5 Syllabus

Section 1 (Social Studies) : Our Earth, Our Environment, Weather and Climate, Our Country, Our Freedom Struggle, Great Achievers, The United Nations, Inventions and Discoveries, Agriculture and Industries, Transport and Communication, Evolution of Mankind.

Section 2 (Achiever's Section): Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions based on above

No of questions: Section 1 - Forty five, Section 2 - Five. Total questions - Thirty five

Marks per question: Section 1 - One, Section 2 - Three. Total marks - Sixty

Class 6 Syllabus

Section 1 (History) : Studying the Past, The Early Humans, The First Cities and the Vedic Age, The Early Kingdoms and New Ideas, The First Empire – The Maurya, Life in Towns and Villages, New Empires and Kingdoms, Culture and Science.

Section 2 (Geography) : Planet Earth, its Major Domains and Landforms, Globes and Maps, Our Country – India .

Section 3 (Political and Social life) : Diversity and Discrimination, Government and Key Elements of a Democratic Government, Local Government and Administration, Livelihoods – Rural and Urban.

Section 4 (Achiever's Section): Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions based on all the above sections.

No of questions: Section 1 - Twenty, Section 2 - Fifteen, Section 3 - Ten, Section 4 - Five. Total questions - Fifty

Marks per question: Section 1 to Section 3 - One, Section 2 - Three. Total marks - Sixty

Class 7 Syllabus

Section 1 (History) : Sources of Medieval Indian History, New Kings and Kingdoms, The Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, Mobile and Settled Communities, Bhakti Movement, Sufism and Regional Cultures, New Political Formations in the Eighteenth Century.

Section 2 (Geography) : Earth and Our Environment, Air and Water, Human-Environment Interactions - Life in the Tropical and the Sub-tropical Regions, Deserts.

Section 3 (Political and Social life) : Democracy and Equality, State Government, Unpacking Gender, Understanding Media, Markets Around us.

Section 4 (Achiever's Section): Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions based on all the above sections.

No of questions: Section 1 - Twenty, Section 2 - Fifteen, Section 3 - Ten, Section 4 - Five. Total questions - Fifty

Marks per question: Section 1 to Section 3 - One, Section 2 - Three. Total marks - Sixty

Class 8 Syllabus

Section 1 (History) : Modern India-Sources and Significance, The Establishment of Company Power, Rural Life and Tribal Societies, The Revolt of 1857-58, Education and British Rule, Women, Caste and Reforms, Freedom Struggle in India.

Section 2 (Geography) : Resources (Natural, Man-made and Human Resources), Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources, Agriculture and Industries.

Section 3 (Political and Social life) : The Indian Constitution and Secularism, Parliamentary Government and the Judiciary, Social Justice and the Marginalised, Economic Presence of the Government.

Section 4 (Achiever's Section): Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions based on all the above sections.

No of questions: Section 1 - Twenty, Section 2 - Fifteen, Section 3 - Ten, Section 4 - Five. Total questions - Fifty

Marks per question: Section 1 to Section 3 - One, Section 2 - Three. Total marks - Sixty

Class 9 Syllabus

Section 1 (History) :The French Revolution, Socialism In Europe and the Russian Revolution, Nazism and the Rise of Hitler, Forest Society and Pastoralists in the Modern World.

Section 2 (Geography) : India – Physical Features and Climate, Drainage, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife, Population.

Section 3 (Political Science) : What Is Democracy? Why Democracy?, Constitutional Design and Democratic Rights, Elections and Working of Institutions.

Section 4 (Economics) : The Story of Village Palampur, People as Resource, Poverty and Food Security in India.

Section 5 (Achiever's Section): Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions based on all the above sections.

No of questions: Section 1 - Fifteen, Section 2 - ten, Section 3 - Ten, Section 4 - ten, Section 5 - Five. Total questions - Fifty

Marks per question: Section 1 to Section 4 - One, Section 5 - Three. Total marks - Sixty

Class 10 Syllabus

Section 1 (History) : Nationalism in Europe and India, Globalisation and Industrialisation, Print Culture and the Modern World

Section 2 (Geography) : Resources and Development, Forest, Wildlife and Water Resources, Agriculture and Industries, Minerals and Energy Resources, Lifelines of National Economy.

Section 3 (Political Science) : Power Sharing and Federalism, Gender, Religion and Caste, Political Parties, Outcomes of Democracy.

Section 4 (Economics) : Development and Sectors of the Indian Economy, Money and Credit, Globalisation and Consumer Rights.

Section 5 (Achiever's Section): Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions based on all the above sections.

No of questions: Section 1 - Fifteen, Section 2 - ten, Section 3 - Ten, Section 4 - ten, Section 5 - Five. Total questions - Fifty

Marks per question: Section 1 to Section 4 - One, Section 5 - Three. Total marks - Sixty

ISSO Sample papers

Students aspiring to get good national and international ranks in the upcoming ISSO exam should solve the sample papers of Olympiadtester and the ones issued by SOF. Our sample papers are designed based on the previous year question papers.

SOF ISSO Results & Awards

International level

#1 International rank (08 awards) - Rs 50,000 each + International Gold Medal + Certificate of Outstanding Performance
#2 International rank (08 awards) - Rs 25,000 each + International Silver Medal + Certificate of Outstanding Performance
#3 International rank (08 awards) - Rs 10,000 each + International Bronze Medal + Certificate of Outstanding Performance

Zonal level

Rank #1 (208 awards) - Rs 5000 each + Zonal Gold Medal + Certificate of Zonal Excellence
Rank #2 (208 awards) - Rs 2500 each + Zonal Silver Medal + Certificate of Zonal Excellence
Rank #3 (208 awards) - Rs 1000 each + Zonal Bronze Medal + Certificate of Zonal Excellence
Rank #4 to 10 (1456 awards) - Gifts worth Rs 500 each + Medal of distinction + Certificate of distinction
Rank #11 to 25 (3120 awards) - Medal of distinction + Certificate of distinction
Rank #26 and above (for everyone) - Participation certificate + Comprehensive performance report