CS Professional · June 2026 · Paper 1
CS Professional Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) - Principles and Practice June 2026: paper analysis
Our own analysis of the official paper, as of 12 October 2026. The questions and answers belong to ICSI; read them on ICSI's website.
Chapter-wise marks
Where the marks were in this paper (out of 100; internal-choice alternatives not double counted).
What each question tested
In our words, by question number. Open the official paper for the full question.
| Q | Marks | Tests | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(a) | 5 | Validity of a board meeting notice: minimum notice period, conditions for shorter notice, contents and mode of service, consequences of defects | Board Processes through Secretarial Standards |
| 1(b) | 5 | Guidelines of professional conduct for independent directors under the Code for Independent Directors in Schedule IV | Board Effectiveness and Building Better Boards |
| 1(c) | 5 | Role and functions of a lead independent director on a listed company board | Board Effectiveness and Building Better Boards |
| 1(d) | 5 | Evaluating technical and behavioural competencies of directors and board skill diversity | Board Effectiveness and Building Better Boards |
| 2(a) | 5 | Director disclosure of interest in a proposed contract with an entity where the director holds a significant stake | Legislative Framework of Corporate Governance in India |
| 2(b) | 5 | Entities eligible to implement CSR projects for companies and their registration procedure | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) |
| 2(c) | 5 | Information mandatorily reviewed by the audit committee, including auditor letters on internal control weaknesses | Board Committees |
| 3(a) | 5 | Procedure for passing a board resolution by circulation where some directors are interested, and when it is deemed passed | Board Processes through Secretarial Standards |
| 3(b) | 5 | Judicial guidelines and employer obligations for preventing sexual harassment of women at the workplace | Stakeholders Rights |
| 3(c) | 5 | Annual social impact disclosures by a not-for-profit registered on a Social Stock Exchange | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) |
| 4(a) | 5 | RBI corporate governance requirements for NBFCs on appointment of a Chief Risk Officer | Legislative Framework of Corporate Governance in India |
| 4(b) | 5 | Government measures to formalise e-waste management and recycling under the E-Waste Rules | Environment |
| 4(c) | 5 | Gender parity versus gender equality at work and ways to achieve workplace gender equality | Stakeholders Rights |
| 4A(i) | 5 | Protection and relief for a public servant against a false complaint under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas law | Business Ethics, Code of Conduct and Anti-Bribery |
| 4A(ii) | 5 | Role and responsibilities of a registered environmental auditor under the Environment Audit Rules, 2025 | Environment |
| 4A(iii) | 5 | Privacy and disclosure requirements for sensitive personal data under the IT reasonable security practices rules | Data Governance |
| 5(a) | 5 | Interdependence between risk management and internal control | Risk Management |
| 5(b) | 5 | Designing a risk register covering business, financial and regulatory compliance risks | Risk Management |
| 5(c) | 5 | Importance of internal audit within a risk assessment framework | Risk Management |
| 5(d) | 5 | Significance of ESG risk assessment for investors and companies | Risk Management |
| 5A(i) | 5 | Responsibilities and duties of internal auditors in reviewing risks and controls | Risk Management |
| 5A(ii) | 5 | Hazard identification as the first stage of risk analysis and its sources | Risk Management |
| 5A(iii) | 5 | Meaning of operational risk and challenges in mitigating it | Risk Management |
| 5A(iv) | 5 | Responsibility for risk management under the Companies Act and SEBI LODR | Risk Management |
| 6(a) | 6 | Identifying value chain partners covered by BRSR value chain ESG disclosure thresholds | Integrated Reporting Framework, Global Reporting Initiative Framework and Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting |
| 6(b) | 5 | Primary categories of GRI environmental performance indicators | Integrated Reporting Framework, Global Reporting Initiative Framework and Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting |
| 6(c) | 4 | Standards and guidelines available for conducting sustainability audits | Sustainability Audit, ESG Rating and Emerging Mandates from Government and Regulators |
What stood out
- Structure: Part I (Q1 to Q4, 65 marks) on governance and ESG themes, Part II (Q5 or Q5A, 20 marks) a risk management case, Part III (Q6, 15 marks) on sustainability reporting and audit; choices offered in Q4/Q4A and Q5/Q5A.
- Risk Management carried 20 marks on either path, since both Q5 and Q5A were fully risk-based case studies.
- Board-related chapters (Board Effectiveness, Board Processes through Secretarial Standards, Board Committees) together accounted for 30 marks of the compulsory path.
- Mix on the compulsory path: 40 marks case-based, 36 marks application problems, 24 marks theory.
- Recent mandates appeared: the Environment Audit Rules, 2025 (alternative 4A(ii)) and a 6-mark BRSR value chain disclosure applicability exercise.
Practise the chapters that carried the marks
Risk Management, Board Effectiveness and Building Better Boards, Integrated Reporting Framework, Global Reporting Initiative Framework and Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting: study guides and practice questions in the CS Professional format.