CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus

EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS

CLASS XI (ENGLISH CORE)

ONE PAPER

SECTION-A

READING

Reading unseen Passage for Comprehension and Note-making 20 Marks 40 periods.

This section will have three unseen passages followed by a variety of questions. The questions will include those on vocabulary such as word formation and inferring meaning for 05 marks. The total length of the three passages shall be around 1100 words.

The passage could be any of the following three types :-

a) Factual passage e.g. instruction, descriptions, reports.

b) Discursive passages e.g. agrumentative, persuasive or reflective

c) Literary passage e.g. excerpts from biographics, novel, poems or essays of subjective type.

Q.1 and Q.2 will be two unseen texts - one from prose and the other from poetry. The total length of these two texts will be around 600 words. Each of these extracts will be for 6 marks - five marks for local, global and inferential comprehension in the form of Multiple Choice Questions and one mark for vocabulary.

Q.3 will have a prose passage of about 500 words and it will be used for note making (5 marks) and testing vocabulary (3 marks)

SECTION : B

Writing 

4. One out of two short writing tasks based on personal response to a verbal stimulus in the form a narrative or a story (100 -150 words) 

5. One out of two compositions based on a visual and/or verbal input (in about 150-200 words). The output may be descriptive, reflective or argumentative in nature such as an article for publication in a newspaper or a school magazine, a speech or a report either from a 3rd person point of view or as recounting of an experience/incident in the writer’s life.

6. Writing One out of two letter based on given input. Letter types include

(a) letter to the editor (giving suggestions or opinions on a issue of public interest) or (b) letter to the school / colleges authorities or private authorities regarding admissons, school issues, requirements/suitablity of courses and problems related to the common man. 

SECTION : C

Grammar 

Different grammatical structures in meaningful contexts will be tested. Item types will include gap-filling, sentence-reordering, dialoguecompletion. The grammar syllabus includes determiners, tenses, clauses, modals and voice. These grammar areas will be tested using the following test types :

7. Error Correction / Omission. 

8. Dialogue Completion 

9. Reordering of sentences

SECTION : D

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS 40 marks
Questions on the prescribed textbooks will text comprehension at different levels; literal, inferential and evaluative based on the following prescribed text books :
1. Hornbill : Text book, published by NCERT, New Delhi.
2. Snapshots : Supplementary Reader, published by NCERT, New Delhi.

10. One out of two extracts basd on poetry from the text to test comprehension & appreciation using four multiple choice questions. (MCQ).

11. Five out of six short answer questions on the lessons from poetry, prose and plays (at least 2 questions will be from poetry, 1 from play and remaining from prose). (Upto 40 words) 

12. One out of two long answer type questions based on the prose text to test global comprehension and extrapolation beyond the set text / and across two texts (Expected word limit would be about 100-125 words). 

13. One out of two long answer type questions based on Supplementary Reader to test comprehension of theme, character and incidents. (upto 100 words.)

14 Two out of three short answer questions on Supplementary Reader (upto 30 words).

Prescribed Books
1. Hornbill - Text book published by NCERT, New Delhi
2. Snapshots - Supplementary Reader published by NCERT, New Delhi.

CONVERSATION SKILL
(Listening + Speaking) 10 marks
Conversation Skills will be tested both as part of Formative & Summative Assessment. Out of the 10 marks alloted for Conversation, 05 marks may be used for testing listenting and 5 marks for testing speaking. The Conversation Skill Assessment Scale may be used for evaluation.

Listening
The examiner will read aloud either a passage on a relevant theme or a short story. The passage may be factual or discursive. The length of the passage should be around 350 words. The examinees are expected to complete the listening comprehension tasks given in a separate sheet while listening to the teacher. The tasks set may be gap-filling multiple Choice,
true or false or short answer questions.
There may be ten different questions for half a mark each.

Speaking
Speaking shall be tested either through narration using a sequence of pictures or through description of a picture of people or places. It may also require speaking on a given topic involving a personal experience.
Description of a picture (can be pictures of people or places)

NOTE :
* The duration of the speaking test should not be less than 5 minutes for
each candidate.
* At the start of examination, the examiner will give the candidate some time to prepare for the task.
* Once the candidate has started speaking, the examiner should intervene as little as possible.
* Topics chosen should be within the personal experience of the examinee such as : relating a funny anedote, retelling the theme of a book read or a movie seen recently.

                                        Conversation Skill Assessment Scale

Reading Project

Inculcating good reading habits in children has always been a concern for all stakeholders in education. The purpose is to create independent thinking individuals with the ability to not only create their own knowledge but also critically interpret, analyse and evaluate it with objectivity and fairness. This will also help students in learning and acquiring better language skills. Creating learners for the 21st century involves making them independent learners who can ‘learn, unlearn and relearn’ and if our children are in the habit of reading they will learn to reinvent themselves and deal with the many challenges that lie ahead of them.

Reading is not merely decoding informaton or pronouncing words correctly, it is an interactive dialogue between the author and the reader in which the reader and author share their experiences and knowledge with each other which helps them to understand the text and impart meaning to the text other than what the author himself may have implied. Good readers are critical readers with an ability to arrive at a deeper understanding of not only the world presented in the book but also of the real world around them. They not only recall what they read but comprehend it too. Their critical reading and understanding of the text helps them create new understanding, solve problems, infer and make connections, to other texts and experiences. Reading does not mean reading for leisure only but also for information, analysis and synthesis of knowledge. The child may be encouraged to read on topic as diverse as science and technology, politics and history. This will improve his/ her critical thinking skills and also help in improving his/her concentration.

Reading any text should be done with the purpose of :-

1. reading silently at varying speeds depending on the purpose of reading:

2. adopting different strategies for different types of texts, both literary and non-literary;

3. recognising the organisation of a text;

4. identifying the main point of a text;

5. understanding relations between different parts of a text through lexical and grammatical cohesion devices.

6. anticipating and predicting what will come next.

7. deducing the meaning of unfamilar lexical items in a given context:

8. consulting a dictionary to obtain information on the meaning and of lexical tems;

9. analysing, interpreting, inferring (and evaluating) the ideas in the text:

10. selecting and extracting from text information required for a specific purpose.

11. retrieving and synthesising information from a range of reference material using study skills such as skimming and scanning.

12. interpreting texts by relating them to other material on the same theme (and to their own experience and knowledge) : and

13. reading extensively on their own for pleasure.

A good reader is most often an independent learner and consequently and independent thinker capable of taking his/her own decisions in life rationally. Such a learner will most assuredly also be capable of critical thinking.

Reading a book should lead to creative and individual response to the author’s ideas presented in the book in the form of :-

* Short review

* dramatisation of the story

* commentary on the characters.

* critical evaluation of the plot, story line and characters.

* comparing and contrasting the characters within the story and with other characters in stories by the same author or by the other authors.

* extrapolating about the story’s ending or life of characters after the story ends.

* defending character’s actions in the story.

* making an audio story out of the novel/text to be read out to younger children.

* Interacting with the author.

* Holding a literature fest where various characters interact with each other

* Acting like authors/poets/dramatists, to defend their works and characters.

* Symposiums and seminars for introducing a book, an author, or a theme.

* Finding similar text in other languages, native or otherwise and looking at differences and similarities.

* Creating graphic novels out of novels/short stories read

* Dramatising incidents from a novel or a story.

* Creating their own stories.

1. A Reading Project of 10 marks has been introduced in class XI.
2. Schools may use books of their own choice.
3. Schools can vary the level but at least one book per term is to be read by every child.

Teachers may opt for :-

* One book;

* Books by one author; or

* Books of one genre; to be read by the whole class.

The project should lead to independent learning / reading skills and hence the chosen book/selection should not be taught in class, but may be introduced through activities and be left for the students to read at their own pace. Teachers may, however, choose to assess a child’s progress or success in reading the book by asking for verbal or written progress reports, looking at the diary entries of students, engaging in a discussion about the book, giving a short quiz or a worksheet about the book/short story. The mode of intermittent assessement may be decided by the teacher as she/ her sees fit.

These may be used for Formative Assessment (F1, F2, F3 and F4) only. Various modes of assessment such as conducting Reviews, Discussions, Open Houses, Exchanges, Interact with the Author, writing script for plays can be considered.

How to Improve Listening and Speaking Skills :

The listening comprehension and speaking skill sessions need not be kept only for the final term. Enough practice, specifically for these skills can start right from the first term.

* Five minutes activity may be started and the teacher may give a set of five instructions to the students in pairs and ask them to tell their partners these instructions in that order and later in the reverse order.

* When the class is exhausted, as an evergizing activity/game, the teacher may give them simple instruction related to the work of daily routine.

* The students may be asked to read the news bulletin in the class.

* Every year in the beginning of the session, the teacher can set some points for self introduction and frame them is an interesting activity instead of saying “Tell us about yourself”.

* Later, topics like personal choices” why I like this book/T.V. serial/favourite player etc may follow. Sometimes this activity is conducted best in pairs and each one is asked to speak what his / her partner has said. It will build up their confidence level.

* Group discussion/debate gives ample opportunity for students to speak freely, at the same time it should be monitored that participation is maximum and no student is left behind.

* The teacher can tell the students to choose a topic they like in pairs or individually work on the project. Sufficient time is given to collect and organise the matter. Then they can present the project. The best ones can be shown to the whole school.

* Role plays are always a favourite with students. Under the guidance of the teacher, students write dialogues for a story lesson from their text books and enact the story. The students can also be given situations something like a college inerview, debate, election manifesto of head boy / girl etc.

* Teacher can have a few clippings, pictures and sketches from newspaper or magazines. These can be used to make students speak out and go for narration or description. Some interesting pictures would generate enthusiasm among students and their creative skill as well as expression ability would be tapped. The teacher must / be cautious that no student remains untouched from the activities suggested. Just try to make your class activity oriented and keep it alive.

SUGGESTED READINGS

The following title and some other can be used by students to enhance their reading skill and simultaneously teachers can ask their students to prepare various types of projects like Book review, Extended Ending, Adding character, giving twist to plot, etc.

1. A tale of two cities : Charles Dickens

2. Around the world in Eighty Days : Jules Verne

3. Kim : Rudyard Kipling

4. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : RL Stevenson

5. Emma : Jane Ansten

6. Indian Tates : Rudyard Kipling

7. Great Expectation : Charles Dickens

8. Jane Eyre : Charlotte Bronte

9. Short Stories by Ruskin Bond : Ruskin Bond

10. Delhi is not far : Ruskin Bond

11. Huckleberry Finn : Mark Twain

12. Kidnapped : RL Stevenson

13. Oliver Twist : Charles Dickens

14. King Solomon’s Mines : Sir Henry Rider Haggard

15. Stories from India Under the Banyan : NBT

16. Five points someone, What not to do at IIT : Chetan Bhagat

17. Poems by Vikram Seth.

18. Pride and Prejudice : Jane Austen

19. Swami and Friends : RK Narayan

20. Rebecca : Daphne du Maurier.

21. The Maneater of Malgudi : RK Narayan

22. Round the moon : Jules Verne

23. The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn : Mark Twin

24. The Count of Monte Cristo : Alexandre

25. Wuthering Heights : Emily Bronte.

26. Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea : Jules Verne

27. The Moonstone : Wilkie Collins.

28. The Mill on the Floss : George Eliot

29. The Three Musketeers : Alexandre Dumas

30. Treasure Island : RL Stevenson

31. The Invigible Man : HG Wells.

32. The Prisoner of Zenda : Anthony Hope

33. The Swiss Family Robinson : Johann David Wyss

34. The scarlet Pimpernel : Baroners Orczy

35. Little Women : Lonisa M. Alcott

36. Animal Farm : George Orwell

37. Farewell to Arms : Ernest Hemingway

38. Gullivers Travels : Jonathan Swift

39. Mohy Dick : Herman Melville

40. Robinson Crusor ; Daniel Defoe

41. The Time Machine : HG Wells

42. Beastly Tales : Vikram Seth

43. David Copperfield : Charles Dickens

44. Heidi : Johana Spyri

45. The Wizard of O2 : Frank L. Baum

46. Black Beauty : Anna Sewell

47. The Hound of the Baskervilles : Arthun Conan Doyle

48. The Water Babies : Charles Kingstey

49. Stories From the Bible : Book 1 and 2.

50. Tales From Shakespeore - Books 1 and 2.

Please refer to attached file for CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus