CBSE Class 12 English Elective Syllabus for Board Exam 2026-27, Download PDF Here

Section A

I. Reading Comprehension 20 Marks 

This section will have two unseen passages and a poem: 

• 12 Multiple Choice Questions / Objective Type Questions, out of 15, from a literary or discursive passage, of about 950-1000 words to assess comprehension, interpretation, inference, analysis, appreciation and vocabulary. 1x12 =12 marks 

• 4 out of 5 multiple choice questions / Objective Type Questions, to test interpretation, inference and appreciation of a poem of about 10-12 lines. 1x4=4 marks 

• 4 out of 5 multiple choice questions / Objective Type Questions, from a case-based factual passage (with visual input- statistical data, chart etc.), of 100-120 words to test interpretation, analysis and evaluation. 1x4= 4 marks

Section B 

II. Applied Grammar 8 Marks 

• Eight multiple choice questions / Objective Type Questions, out of ten, involving transformation of sentences. 1x8=8 marks 

III. Creative Writing 20 Marks 

• Three Long Writing Tasks, out of four, to be answered in 120-150 words each as discursive and interpretative writing. 5x3=15 marks 

• One Long Writing Task out of two to be answered in 120-150 words: An essay on an argumentative/discursive topic such as an article/report/speech pertaining to contemporary topics/issues. 5x1=5 marks 

Section C

This section will have a variety of assessment items including Multiple Choice Questions, Objective Type Questions, Short Answer Type Questions and Long Answer Type Questions to assess comprehension, analysis, interpretation and extrapolation beyond the text. 

IV. Textbook 22 Marks 

• Reference to the Context 

i. One Prose extract, out of two, to assess literary appreciation and analysis. 6x1=6 marks 

ii. One Poetry extract, out of two, to assess literary appreciation and analysis.6x1=6 marks

• One Short Answer Question, out of two, to be answered in 30-40 words, to assess Understanding, analysis and critical appreciation. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. 2x1=2 marks 

• One Short Answer Question, out of two, to be answered in 40-50 words, to assess understanding, analysis and critical appreciation. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking and draw inferences in poetry and prose. 3x1=3marks 

• One Long Answer Question, out of two, to be answered in 120-150 words each, to assess deeper understanding, interpretation, appreciation and drawing inferences. Questions to elicit creative responses and assess ability to form personal points of view. 5x1=5 Marks

Fiction 10 Marks

• One Short Answer Question, out of two, to be answered in 30-40 words, to test understanding and appreciation and seek comments, interpretation, evaluation and appreciation of characters, events, episodes and interpersonal relationships. 12x1=2 marks 

• One Short Answer Question, out of two, to be answered in 40-50 words, to test understanding and appreciation and seek comments, interpretation, evaluation and appreciation of characters, events, episodes and interpersonal relationships. 3x1=3 marks 

• One Long Answer Question, out of two, to be answered in 120-150 words, to test in depth understanding, interpretation, appreciation and drawing of global inferences from the given text, with reference to characters /events/ incidents and episodes, leading to creative rendering, forming and defending of personal points of view. 5x1=5 marks 

Note-Students can select one of the two prescribed texts.

V. Seminar 20 Marks  

• Presentation - book review /a play /a short story/a novel/novella (tale, fable, parable) to be followed by a question-answer session.  

• Poetry reading to be followed by interpretative tasks based on close reading and literary analysis of the text. Critical review of a film or a play  

• Conducting a theatre workshop to be followed by a discussion

Download CBSE Class 12 English Elective Syllabus 2026-27 PDF

1. Kaleidoscope - Text book published by NCERT 

Short Stories  

• I Sell my Dreams  

• Eveline  

• A Wedding in Brownsville

Poetry  

• A Lecture Upon the Shadow  

• Poems by Milton  

• Poems by Blake  

• Kubla Khan  

• Trees  

• The Wild Swans of Coole  

• Time and Time Again

Non fiction  

• Freedom  

• The Mark on the Wall  

• Film-making  

• Why the Novel Matters  

• The Argumentative Indian

Drama  

• Chandalika- RABINDRANATH TAGORE

2. Fiction 

A Tiger for Malgudi 

OR 

The Financial Expert by R.K. Narayan (Novel)

Section

Competencies

Total Marks

Percentage Weightage

Reading Comprehension

Conceptual understanding, decoding, Analyzing, inferring, interpreting, appreciating, literary, conventions and vocabulary, summarizing and using appropriate format/s 

20

25%

Applied Grammar

Applying appropriate language conventions comprehension using structures interactively, application, accuracy

8

10%

Creative Writing

Reasoning, appropriate style and tone, using appropriate format and fluency, inference, analysis, evaluating,creativity with Fluency.

20

25%

TextBook

Recalling, reasoning, appreciating literary convention, inference, analysis, creativity with fluency 

22

27.5%

Fiction

Recalling, reasoning, appreciating literary conventions, illustrating with relevant quotations from the text, inferring, analyzing, evaluating and creating, giving opinions, justifying with fluency

10

12.50%

Total

80

100%

Seminar

Seeking information and clarifying, illustrating with relevant quotations from the texts, reasoning, diction, articulation clarity of pronunciation, using appropriate language conventions Addressing participants using appropriate titles or nomenclatures and overall fluency

20

Grand Total

100