CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26, Detailed Topics, Download PDF

CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26, Detailed Topics, Download PDF

Garima SihagUpdated on 02 Sep 2025, 04:07 PM IST

The Central Board of Secondary Education has curated the CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26, which includes the topics the students need to study throughout the academic year. Students can download the CBSE 12th English core syllabus 2026 PDF from the official website, at cbseacademic.nic.in. The English core subject will be conducted in the month of March 2026. To prepare for the CBSE class 12 exam, the students must go through the topic sections along with the marking scheme.

This Story also Contains

  1. CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26 (Theory & Internal Marks)
  2. Detailed CBSE 12th Class English Syllabus 2025-26
  3. CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26: Prescribed Books
CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26, Detailed Topics, Download PDF
CBSE Class 12 syllabus 2026

Download CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26 PDF

The CBSE English syllabus for Class 12th is curated to help the students acquire language proficiency, understand the use of language skills necessary for social and academic purposes, and develop effective listening, communication, and reading skills.

CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26 (Theory & Internal Marks)

The CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26 is divided into two parts: Internal assessment and theory paper. The theory paper carries 80 marks, and the Internal assessment carries 20 marks, which are further divided into three sections:

  • Listening Skills: 5 Marks

  • Speaking Skills: 5 Marks

  • Project Work: 10 Marks

Here is a quick overview of the CBSE Class 12 syllabus 2026 for the candidates:

Subject

English Core

Subject Code

301

Class

12

Total Marks

100

Theory: 80 marks

Project: 20 marks

Duration of the examination

3 hours

Sections

2 sections

CBSE 12th English Syllabus 2025-26 (Section-wise)

The students can go through the section-wise marking scheme for the Reading comprehension, literature, and writing sections.

Section

Marking Scheme

Reading Comprehension

22 marks

Literature

40 marks

Writing Section

18 marks

Detailed CBSE 12th Class English Syllabus 2025-26

English is a compulsory subject for science, commerce, and arts stream students. It is mandatory to study as per the prescribed English syllabus for Class 12th CBSE 2026. The detailed CBSE 12th Class English Syllabus 2025-26 has been discussed here for the students.

Sections

Particulars

Marks

Section A: Reading comprehension

One unseen passage to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, and inference, and vocabulary assessment.

12 marks

One unseen case-based factual passage with verbal/visual inputs like statistical data, charts, etc, to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis, and evaluation

10 marks

Section B: Creative writing skills

Notice up to 50 words (Content/Accuracy of spelling and grammar)

4 marks

Formal/informal invitation and reply.

4 marks

Letters based on verbal/visual input, including an application for a job with bio data or a resume.

5 marks

Article/Report writing (Descriptive and analytical nature)

5 marks

Section C: Literature textbook and supplementary reading text

One poetry extract out of two, from Flamingo

6 marks

One prose extract out of two from the Vistas book

4 marks

One prose extract out of two from Flamingo

6 marks

Short answer type questions (from Prose and Poetry from Flamingo)

5 x 2 = 10 marks

Short answer type question from Prose (Vistas)

2 x 2 = 4 marks

One Long answer-type question, from Prose/Poetry (Flamingo), to be answered in 120-150 words.

1 x 5 = 5 marks

One Long answer-type question, based on the chapters from the book Vistas, to be answered in 120-150 words

1 x 5 = 5 marks

CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2025-26: Prescribed Books

The students who are going to appear in the CBSE Class 12th examination must follow the NCERT Class 12 books, which include Flamingo and Vistas. Here is the chapter-wise breakdown of the books.

Flamingo: English Reader published by NCERT

Prose

Poetry

The Last Lesson

My Mother at Sixty-six

Lost Spring

Keeping Quiet

Deep Water

A Thing of Beauty

The Rattrap

A Roadside Stand

Indigo

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

Poets and Pancakes

-

The Interview

-

Going Places

-

Vistas: Supplementary Reader by NCERT

  • The Third Level

  • The Tiger King

  • Journey to the End of the Earth

  • The Enemy

  • On the Face of it

  • Memories of Childhood - The cutting of my long hair, We too are human beings.

Also check,

CBSE 12 Class Free Mock Test
Boost your exam preparation with our CBSE 12 Class Free Mock Test, designed as per the latest exam pattern.
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CBSE Class 12 English Preparation Tips 2026

English is a very interesting subject, and if attention is paid, students can easily score 90+ in this subject, which will enhance their overall percentage. Therefore, they are advised to refer to these simple but effective CBSE Class 12 Preparation Tips, which will help them to score high.

  • Complete the English Syllabus Class 12 CBSE on time and do not mug up.

  • Students must refer to the CBSE Class 12 date sheet to know the exam date and timing to prepare accordingly.

  • Read the entire chapter, be it prose or poetry and try to understand the theme of the same. Later, try to summarise the entire chapter in simple words and note it down.

  • Remember, if you’ll be able to conclude the entire chapter in a paragraph, it means you’ve understood it well. Therefore, you can elaborate on it too, if needed.

  • In addition to completing the CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus, students must solve the CBSE 12th question papers. This will help them to know the exam pattern, difficulty level, and marking scheme of the question paper.

  • Revise religiously the entire CBSE 12th English syllabus 2025.

  • Students must remember that a proper revision is key to scoring 90+ marks.

  • They must clear all the doubts on time and revise devotedly, which will give a final touch to their preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is it mandatory to cover the entire CBSE Class 12 syllabus 2024-25?
A:

English is the mandatory subject for all stream students and it is a scoring subject. So, students should cover the entire CBSE 12th syllabus 2024 to score good marks and improve their overall pass percentage.

Q: Is the core and elective syllabus the same?
A:

No, CBSE Class 12 English syllabus 2024-25 for core and elective subjects is different.

Q: Where can I download CBSE Class 12 English elective syllabus 2024?
A:

Students can download the PDF English syllabus of CBSE Board of the elective from this page.

Q: What are the passing marks of CBSE Class 12th?
A:

Students must score 33 per cent marks in the subject in order to pass the CBSE Class 12th English exam.

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Questions related to CBSE Class 12th

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CBSE Class 12th ?

Yes, you can switch from Science in Karnataka State Board to Commerce in CBSE for 12th. You will need a Transfer Certificate from your current school and meet the CBSE school’s admission requirements. Since you haven’t studied Commerce subjects like Accountancy, Economics, and Business Studies, you may need to catch up before or during 12th. Not all CBSE schools accept direct admission to 12th from another board, so some may ask you to join Class 11 first. Make sure to check the school’s rules and plan your subject preparation.



Hello

For the 12th CBSE Hindi Medium board exam, important questions usually come from core chapters like “Madhushala”, “Jhansi ki Rani”, and “Bharat ki Khoj”.
Questions often include essay writing, letter writing, and comprehension passages. Grammar topics like Tenses, Voice Change, and Direct-Indirect Speech are frequently asked.
Students should practice poetry questions on themes and meanings. Important questions also cover summary writing and translation from Hindi to English or vice versa.
Previous years’ question papers help identify commonly asked questions.
Focus on writing practice to improve handwriting and presentation. Time management during exams is key to answering all questions effectively.

Hello,

If you want to improve the Class 12 PCM results, you can appear in the improvement exam. This exam will help you to retake one or more subjects to achieve a better score. You should check the official website for details and the deadline of this exam.

I hope it will clear your query!!

For the 2025-2026 academic session, the CBSE plans to conduct board exams from 17 February 2026 to 20 May 2026.

You can download it in pdf form from below link

CBSE DATE SHEET 2026

all the best for your exam!!

Hii neeraj!

You can check CBSE class 12th registration number in:

  • Your class 12th board exam admit card. Please do check admit card for registration number, it must be there.
  • You can also check the registration number in your class 12th marksheet in case you have got it.
  • Alternatively you can also visit your school and ask for the same in the administration office they may tell you the registration number.

Hope it helps!