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Best Reference Books For CBSE Class 10 English 2026 - Students appearing in the Class 10 CBSE board examination have a common query: 'What are the best CBSE books for Class 10 English?'. The CBSE board prescribes the NCERT books to prepare for the exam. Apart from the NCERT books, there are some other English reference books for class 10. In this article, we have provided an extensive list of Class 10 English reference books and their benefits.
By taking help from a few good reference books of CBSE 10th English, students can increase their chances of grabbing full marks in the CBSE 10th English paper. Read on to know more about Class 10 Best reference books for English, syllabus, exam pattern, and question papers.
CBSE prescribes the NCERT Books for the students appearing in the CBSE 10th exams. In the beginning, you should read these books to grasp the concepts, then you can move on to other reference books for CBSE class 10 English. CBSE prescribed the following NCERT Books.
1. First Flight – Text for Class X
Chapters included:
Prose | Poems |
A Letter to God | Dust of Snow |
Nelson Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom | Fire and Ice |
Stories About Flying | A Tiger in the Zoo |
From the Diary of Anne Frank | How to Tell Wild Animals |
Glimpses of India | The Ball Poem |
Mijbil the Otter | Amanda! |
Madam Rides the Bus | The Trees |
The Sermon at Benares | Fog |
The Proposal (Play) | The Tale of Custard the Dragon |
For Anne Gregory |
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2. Footprints Without Feet – Supplementary Reader for Class X
Chapters included:
A Triumph of Surgery |
The Thief's Story |
The Midnight Visitor |
A Question of Trust |
Footprints Without Feet |
The Making of a Scientist |
The Necklace |
Bholi |
The Book that Saved the Earth |
3. Words and Expressions - 2 (Workbook)-Units 1 to 4 and Units 7 to 11
There are a number of CBSE 10th-class English reference books available, but we have listed some of the best books below. These are the books referred to by experts and toppers.
S.No. | Book Title | Author/Publisher | Purpose |
1 | English Communicative | Oswaal Books | Provides chapter-wise question banks and sample papers aligned with CBSE patterns. |
2 | English Language and Literature | Together With | Offers comprehensive coverage of literature and grammar with practice questions. |
3 | All In One English Language & Literature | Arihant Publications | Combines theory, practice questions, and sample papers; useful for revision. |
4 | Xam Idea Complete Course English | VK Global Publications | Includes detailed explanations, practice questions, and sample papers. |
5 | Educart CBSE Class 10 English Language and Literature | Educart | Provides 100% coverage of all possible questions with theory and practice. |
6 | Golden English Guide | New Age International | Focuses on important points, solved NCERT exercises, and various types of questions. |
7 | High School English Grammar and Composition | P.C. Wren and H. Martin | Detailed explanations of English grammar rules and hundreds of practice exercises. It also includes sections on composition, letter writing, essay writing, story writing, and precis writing. |
Choosing the best book is the first and main step toward your preparation for exams. So, you should keep in mind some points while choosing the best reference books for CBSE class 10 English. Here are some qualities that need to be checked before buying a book for class 10 English:
It is most preferred that the book you are buying must be as per the CBSE class 10 syllabus 2026. As all the questions are asked from the syllabus.
Easy to understand is the main reason to buy the best reference books for CBSE class 10 English. So, ensure that the language of the book has proper examples and problems to grasp the concepts.
The best book defines concepts with concise and articulate information.
For Solutions and Guidance: Students should read English Language and Literature of "Together With" and English Communicative by Oswaal to get the solutions and answers to the questions in the textbook.
For Grammar: For the best English grammar book for class 10 CBSE, students should refer to the “High School English Grammar and Composition Book by Wren and Martin” to prepare for the grammar section. This book consists of well-defined information about all the topics.
For Practicing: Students who want to practice with the types of questions asked in the exam should refer to “Xam Idea Complete Course English for CBSE Class 10 by VK Global” and “All In One English Language & Literature CBSE Class 10 by Arihant Publications”. These books contain many questions on all topics.
Sections | Competencies | Total Marks |
Reading Comprehension | Conceptual understanding, decoding, analyzing, inferring, interpreting, and vocabulary | 20 |
Writing Skills and Grammar | Creative expression of an opinion, reasoning, justifying, illustrating, appropriacy of style and tone, using appropriate format and fluency. Applying conventions, using integrated structures with accuracy and fluency | 20 |
Language through Literature | Recalling, reasoning, appreciating, applying literary convention, illustrating, and justifying, etc. Extract relevant information, identifying the central theme and sub-theme, understanding the writer’s message, and writing fluently. | 40 |
Total | 80 |
Go through the syllabus and read the NCERT Class 10 books of the English subjects to grasp the concepts.
After completing the NCERT book, choose the best reference books for CBSE class 10 English and start reading them to get more information about the topics.
Practice is an important part of preparation, so solve the previous year's CBSE 10th question papers to know about the types and number of questions asked in the exam.
Make notes on important topics/chapters and read them to revise the entire syllabus in a short time. Then, solve CBSE Class 10 English sample papers
Also, check,
If you want to practise with a number of questions and get detailed information about topics then you should use CBSE Class 10 reference books for English.
The written exam of CBSE Class 10 English is held for a total of 80 marks.
A Xam Idea Complete Course English for CBSE Class 10 by VK Global and All In One English Language & Literature CBSE class 10 by Arihant Publications are the best Books for practising purpose.
The CBSE 12th exam dates and CBSE 10th timetable are released by CBSE through its official website, cbse.gov.in.
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