CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26 - CBSE 12th Class English Syllabus Download PDF

CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26: The Central Board of Secondary Education has released the Class 12 English Syllabus for the academic year 2025-26 on the official website. The English syllabus is designed in such a way that it improves the reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills of students. The students can check the syllabus in detail to make a study plan. The students will have to prepare the syllabus for a theory paper of 80 marks. They will have the chance to score 20 marks through the internal assessment. When preparing for the board exams, students can also pay attention to the CBSE Class 12 Exam Pattern 2025-26 . This will give them an idea about the marks allotted to each of the sections in the syllabus.

After completing the syllabus students can download the CBSE Class 12 English Previous Year Question Paper and CBSE Class 12 English Sample Paper 2025-26. They can start solving the questions from the question papers and get an idea about the types of questions asked in the exam. This will improve your chances of scoring high marks. For more details related to the CBSE Class 12 English syllabus, students can go through the article in detail.

CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26 PDF

CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26 has been released on the official website of CBSE. The CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus for the academic year 2025-26 is mostly the same. No changes have been made to the syllabus. As per the CBSE curriculum, there are two subjects for the English Language: English core and English Elective. Check the direct PDFs of both here:

CBSE Class 12 English Core Syllabus 2025-26 PDF
CBSE Class 12 English Elective Syllabus 2025-26 PDF

CBSE Class 12 English Core Syllabus 2025-26

A descriptive paper will be conducted on 80 marks for the English Core subject and the internal assessment, which includes listening & Speaking skills, will be conducted on 20 marks. The detailed syllabus for CBSE Class 12 English Core subject is as follows:

Section A

I Reading Comprehension through Unseen Passage (12+10 = 22 Marks)
1. One unseen passage to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, and inference. Vocabulary assessment will also be assessed via inference. The passage may be factual, descriptive, or literary.
2. One unseen case-based factual passage with verbal/visual inputs like statistical data, charts, etc. to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, inference, and evaluation.
Note: The combined word limit for both passages will be 700-750 words. Multiple Choice Questions / Objective Type Questions and Short Answer type Questions (to be answered in 40-50 words) will be asked.

Section B

II. Creative Writing Skills
3. Notice, up to 50 words. One out of the two given questions to be answered. (4 Marks: Format :1 / Content: 2 / Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar: 1 ).
4. Formal/Informal Invitation and Reply, up to 50 words. One out of the two given questions to be answered. (4 Marks: Format: 1 / Content: 2 / Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar :1 ).
5. Letters based on verbal/visual input, are to be answered in approximately 120-150 words. Letter types include an application for a job with bio-data or a resume. Letters to the editor (giving suggestions or opinions on issues of public interest). One out of the two given questions to be answered. (5 Marks: Format: 1 / Organisation of Ideas: 1/Content: 2 / Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar :1 ).
6. Article/ Report Writing, descriptive and analytical in nature, based on verbal inputs, to be answered in 120-150 words. One out of the two given questions to be answered. (5 Marks: Format: 1 /Organisation of Ideas: 1/Content: 2 / Accuracy of Spelling and Grammar :1 )

Section C

Literature Text Book and Supplementary Reading Text: 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, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and extrapolation beyond the text.
7. One Poetry extract out of two, from the book Flamingo, to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, inference and appreciation. (6x1=6 Marks)
8. One Prose extract out of two, from the book Vistas, to assess comprehension, interpretation,analysis, evaluation and appreciation. (4x1=4 Marks)
9. One prose extract out of two from the book Flamingo, to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, inference and evaluation. (6x1=6Marks)
10. Short answer type questions (from Prose and Poetry from the book Flamingo), to be answered in 40-50 words each. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. Five questions out of the six given, are to be answered. (5x2=10 Marks)
11. Short answer type questions, from Prose (Vistas), to be answered in 40- 50 words each. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. Any two out of three questions to be done. (2x2=4 Marks)
12. One Long answer type question, from Prose/Poetry (Flamingo), to be answered in 120-150 words. Questions can be based on incident/theme/passage/extract/event as reference points to assess extrapolation beyond and across the text. The question will elicit analytical and evaluative responses from the student. Anyone out of two questions to be done (1x5=5 Marks)
13. One Long answer type question, based on the chapters from the book Vistas, to be answered in 120-150 words, to assess global comprehension and extrapolation beyond the text. Questions to provide analytical and evaluative responses using incidents, events, and themes, as reference points. Anyone out of two questions to be done. (1x5=5 Marks)
Also Read - CBSE Class 12 Grading System 2025-26

CBSE Class 12 English Elective Syllabus 2025-26

A descriptive paper will be conducted on 80 marks for the English Elective and 20 marks are conserved for the seminar, which would involve the articulation clarity of pronunciation. The detailed syllabus for CBSE Class 12 English Elective subject is as follows:

Section A

Reading Comprehension- 20 Marks
This section will have two unseen passages and a poem:
1. 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. (1 X 12 =12 Marks)
2. 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)
3. 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. (1 X 4= 4 Marks)

Section B

Applied Grammar 8 Marks
4. Eight multiple choice questions / Objective Type Questions, out of ten, involving the transformation of sentences. (1x8 =8 Marks)
Creative Writing 20 Marks
5. Three Long Writing Tasks, out of four, to be answered in 120-150 words each as discursive and interpretative writing. (5x3=15 Marks)
6. 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.
Textbook 22 Marks
7. 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)
8. 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)
9. 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=3 Marks)
10. 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
11. 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. (2x1=2 Marks)
12. 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 . (3 x1=3 Marks)
13. 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)
Students can select one of the two prescribed texts.

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 is 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.
Also Read - CBSE Class 12 Marksheet 2025-26

CBSE Class 12 English Deleted Syllabus

The CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus has been revised to remove the following chapters and topics:

Section	Deleted Topics
Section A – Reading	Note-Making and Summarizing
Section B – Writing Skills	Advertisements, Posters, Business and Official Letters, Debate, Speech
Section C – Literature	Flamingo – An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Vistas – Should Wizard Hit Mommy Evans Tries an O’Level

CBSE Class 12 English Question Paper Pattern 2025-26

The CBSE Class 12 English question paper will be designed to test the following parameters:

Section	Parameters	Marks
Reading Skills	Understanding concepts, decoding, analyzing, inferring, interpreting, appreciating literary conventions and vocabulary, summarizing, and employing appropriate format/s	22
Writing Skills	Understanding of concepts, rule application, analysis, reasoning, appropriate style and tone, use of appropriate format and fluency, inference, analysis, evaluation, and creativity	18
Literature	Recalling, reasoning, critical thinking, appreciating literary convention, inference, analysis, and creativity with fluency	40
	Total	80
Internal Assessment	Listening Skills Speaking Skills	5 5
	Project Work	10
	Grand Total	100

Also Read - CBSE Class 12 Syllabus 2025-26

For more information about CBSE class 12 exams, students can keep visiting CollegeDekho.