'No need to Panic' on CBSE Class 10 English Paper 2026 Difficulty Level: Subject Expert Suggests

Sakunth Kumar

Updated On: February 19, 2026 09:16 AM

CBSE Class 10 English Exam 2026 will take place on February 20. After the mixed reactions to the 10th Mathematics paper, students are now worried about the difficulty level of the English question paper. Here's what subject expert suggests. 
'No need to Panic' on CBSE Class 10 English Paper 2026 Difficulty Level: Subject Expert Suggests'No need to Panic' on CBSE Class 10 English Paper 2026 Difficulty Level: Subject Expert Suggests

'No Need to Panic'. Here's what students appearing for the CBSE Class 10 English exam 2026 need to understand. While the Class 10 Mathematics paper led to mixed reactions among students , with many rating the paper as 'Tough', students are now worried about the difficulty level of the English question paper. Many students appear for English Language and Literature rather than English Communicative, and as the exam date gets closer, students are assuming that the English paper might be tougher than in previous years. However, students need not worry about the difficulty level, and a good last-minute review or revision shall help you gain more marks.

Analyzing Previous Years' CBSE Class 10 English Paper Difficulty Level

A detailed analysis of previous years' difficulty level shall help students to set expectations on 10th English paper and prepare for the exam accordingly.
Year Difficulty Level Section-wise Difficulty
2025 Moderate to Easy
  • Reading Section - Slightly tougher than the previous year (2024) due to analytical and time-consuming questions
  • Writing & Grammar - Easy due to more straightforward questions
  • Literature - Moderate to Easy - Overall balanced paper
2024 Easy to Moderate
  • Reading Section - Not too difficult, but tricky
  • Writing & Grammar - Direct and family topics
  • Literature - Mostly speech-based questions, but doable and easy
2023 Easy to Moderate
  • Reading Section - Slightly tough due to tricky passages
  • Writting & Gerammar - Simple & Easy
  • Literature - Most questions were direct and from the textbook

Expectations on CBSE Class 10 Question Paper 2026: Subject Expert's Take

As a subject expert in English, I personally feel that the CBSE 10th English Paper 2026 will be moderate , and students need to be very careful with the reading section as the passages given sometimes are tricky and require a lot of time to understand. Practice more case-based passages from the reading system to improve accuracy & understanding skills. As a part of last-minute preparation, practicing more discursive passages and case-based passages shall help students improve understanding skills, and this saves time during answering questions on the exam day. Students need not worry about the Grammar & Literature section. Just go with the textbook for the Literature section, as you can expect direct questions. Just make sure to practice grammar questions one day before the exam. Try to spend 2-3 hours on this part, but dedicate more time to the reading section. 'Writing section' is not a worry for students, and you can expect questions like 'Write a l;etter to Editor'.

About the Subject Expert |

Sakunth Kumar, being a B.Ed graduate, a former English Teacher and CollegeDekho subject matter expert for the English subject, has almost 10 years of experience in analyzing English board exam papers of CBSE, ICSE, AP Inter & SSC and TG Inter & SSC.

Keep visiting CollegeDekho for the latest Education News on entrance exams, board exams and admissions. You can also write to us at our email ID news@collegedekho.com.

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