Java Classes Syllabus, Units & Marks

Studying this subject? See the Java Classes course, or read the units below first.

What is the Java Classes syllabus?

Java Classes is organised into 9 units. The full unit list, the topics inside each one and the exam pattern are below, taken from the syllabus we teach to.

Java Classes unit list

What each unit covers

Unit 1: Object-Oriented Foundations

• Object-oriented programming paradigm vs procedural
• Principles of OOP: data abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism
• Objects and classes; class as a composite/user-defined data type
• Introduction to Java: applications vs applets, JVM, byte code, compilation process
• Open source concepts and IDEs (BlueJ, NetBeans)

Unit 2: Java Language Basics

• Character set, tokens, identifiers, literals
• Keywords, escape sequences, ASCII and Unicode
• Primitive data types and variables
• Type conversion: implicit (coercion) and explicit (casting)
• Operators and expressions; operator precedence and associativity

Unit 3: Control Flow and Iteration

• Conditional statements: if, if-else, nested if, switch-case
• Iteration: while, do-while, for loops
• Nested loops
• Jump statements: break and continue
• Building menu-driven and pattern programs

Unit 4: Classes, Objects and Methods

• Defining classes, instance variables and methods
• Constructors: default and parameterised; constructor overloading
• Access specifiers and encapsulation (private data, public accessors)
• User-defined methods; pure and impure methods; method overloading
• Passing parameters: call by value and call by reference; the this keyword
• Static (class) variables and methods

Unit 5: Arrays and Strings

• Single and double dimensional arrays
• Array traversal, searching (linear, binary) and sorting (selection, bubble)
• String class and common methods: length, charAt, substring, indexOf, concat, replace, compareTo, equals
• StringBuffer basics; manipulating and comparing strings
• Wrapper classes, autoboxing and unboxing

Unit 6: Inheritance and Polymorphism

• Base (super) and derived classes; extends keyword
• Member access in derived classes; protected visibility
• super keyword; redefinition and method overriding
• Abstract classes and abstract methods; the Object class
• Single and multilevel inheritance; runtime polymorphism
• Interfaces and multiple implementation

Unit 7: Recursion

• Concept of recursion and the call stack
• Recursive methods: factorial, GCD, Fibonacci, power
• Recursive binary search
• Base case vs recursive case; number-base conversions

Unit 8: Data Structures and Collections

• Stacks, queues and dequeues; implementation via classes
• Defining data structures through interfaces with multiple implementations
• Singly linked lists: algorithm and implementation
• Binary trees and tree traversals (conceptual)
• ArrayList and dynamic collections; iterating over collections

Unit 9: Projects and Exam Practice

• End-to-end Java project: problem analysis, algorithm, coding and testing
• Lab assignments aligned to ICSE Internal Assessment
• Solved ICSE/ISC model and previous-year papers
• Output prediction and debugging exercises

Exam pattern

Modelled on CISCE Java boards. ICSE Computer Applications: 100-mark theory paper (Section A 40 compulsory + Section B 60 with choice) plus 100-mark Internal Assessment (lab assignments + project, marked 50 internal / 50 external). ISC Computer Science: Theory 70 marks + Practical 30 marks.

Practical and project work

Hands-on lab work in BlueJ (v5.4.2+ with JDK 11+) or any JDK-compatible IDE. Mirrors the ICSE Internal Assessment requirement of 20+ laboratory assignments across the year plus one real-life project, and the ISC practical paper where students design, code, and test working Java programs (problem analysis, algorithm, source listing, output).

Reviewed by Kajal Ma'am (MCA), teaching CBSE Computer Science & Informatics Practices since 2006. Weightage per the official CBSE 2026-27 curriculum.