CBSE Class 10 English Syllabus 2026

Every year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts standardised exams to assess students' academic performance in Class 10. Conducted nationwide, the Class 10 board exams are mandatory to get admitted into higher secondary as well. That’s why the students need to prepare for these exams year-round with utmost determination. At Aakash Digital, we offer expert guidance and exhaustive study materials to help nail this prep.

Often, when it comes to Class 10 exam preparations, students tend to focus on core subjects like maths and science. But what students miss out is that language papers like English will offer an opportunity to boost their overall score. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the CBSE Class 10 English syllabus for efficient board exam preparations.

For students to learn in a structured way, the CBSE Class 10 English syllabus is divided into three sections. Each section offers a focused improvement in reading, writing, and literature analysing.

Section A: Reading Skills

Section A of the Class 10th English syllabus is responsible for assessing the comprehension, interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, and vocabulary efficiency of a student. To do so, students are asked to read a comprehension (an unseen passage).

The questions are presented in multiple-choice and short-answer formats.

Note that the short answers should be 30-40 words. There are two components to this section:

• Discursive passage of 400-450 words
• Case-based factual passage of 200-250 words.

Section B: Writing Skills and Grammar

Section B of the Class 10th English syllabus is responsible for assessing the grammar and writing skills of a student. For instance, to assess the accurate use of spelling, punctuation, and grammar, students are asked to carry out gap-filling, editing, and transformation exercises.

Keep in mind that a student has to answer ten questions out of 12. Here’s a list of grammatical items that get assessed in this section.

• Determiners
• Tenses
• Modals
• Subject – verb concord
• Reported speech
  • Commands and requests
  • Statements
  • Questions

As for writing, students are asked to write a formal letter and an analytical paragraph. Keep in mind that a student has to answer one question from each writing prompt. Here’s a sample template for these questions.

• Write a formal letter based on a given situation in 100-120 words.
• Write an analytical paragraph in 100-120 words on a given map/ chart/ graph/cue.

Section C: Language through Literature

Section C is responsible for assessing the students' understanding of literary texts in accordance with the extraction of relevant information and the central theme. Here are the three components of this section.

Reference to the Context

Students are asked to answer MCQs, very short answer questions (one word/ one sentence), and short answer questions (30-40 words) to assess inference, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and vocabulary. The questions will be:

• One in two extracts from prose.
• One in two extracts from poetry.
• First Flight (Prose/Poem)

Students are asked to answer four out of five short-answer type questions in 40-50 words and one out of two long-answer type questions in 100-120 words from the book First Flight to assess creativity and imagination.

• Footprints Without Feet

Students are asked to answer two out of three short-answer type questions in 40-50 words each and one out of two long-answer type questions in 100-120 words from Footprints Without Feet to assess interpretation and extrapolation beyond the text.

Here’s a table for the reference books for the First Flight section.

Here’s a table for the Class 10 English syllabus 2026 reference books for the Footprints Without Feet section.

To assess students’ academic performance in accordance with the Class 10 English syllabus 2026, CBSE conducts internal assessments and board examinations with a 20:80 mark distribution.

Internal Assessment

Board Exams

Every subject is vital for you to score a better overall rank, especially a less demanding subject like English. Yet, by all means, consistent preparation with determination and focus is vital for you to get desirable outcomes. More importantly, Class 10 board exams offer a concrete foundation for the rest of your academic career. So, you can’t take any chances when it comes to board exam preparations.

We, at Aakash Digital, offer exceptional courses with personalised academic support. Whether for better board exam results or conceptual understanding for competitive exams like NEET or JEE, learn with us for a bright future.