CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus Explained In Detail

EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS

ENGLISH (CORE) 

Background

Students are expected to have acquired a reasonable degree of language proficiency in English by the time they come to class XI, and the course will aim, essentially, at promoting the higherorder language skills.

For a large number of students, the higher secondary stage will be a preparation for the university, where a fairly high degree of proficiency in English may be required. But for another large group, the higher secondary stage may be a preparation for entry into the world of work. The Core Course should cater to both groups by promoting the language skills required for academic study as well as the language skills required for the workplace.

Objectives

The general objectives at this stage are;

♦ to listen to and comprehend live as well as recorded oral presentations on a variety of topics.

♦ to develop greater confidence and proficiency in the use of language skills necessary for social and academic purposes.

♦  to participate in group discussions/interviews, making short oral presentations on given topics.

♦  to perceive the overall meaning and organisation of the text (i.e., the relationships of the different "chunks" in the text to each other).

♦  to identify the central/main point and supporting details, etc. to build communicative competence in various registers of English.

♦ to promote advanced language skills with an aim to develop the skills of reasoning, drawing inferences, etc. through meaningful activities.

♦ to translate texts from mother tongues (s) into English and vice versa.

♦ to develop ability and knowledge required in order to engage in independent reflection and enquiry.

♦ To develop the capacity to appreciate literary use of English and also use English creatively and imaginatively.

At the end of this stage learners will be able to do the following:

♦  read and comprehend extended texts (prescribed and nonprescribed) in the following genres: fiction, science fiction, drama, poetry, biography, autobiography, travel and sports literature, etc.

♦  text based writing (i.e., writing in response to questions or tasks based on prescribed or unseen texts), understand and respond to lectures, speeches, etc.

♦  write expository/argumentative essays of 250-500 words, explaining or developing a topic, arguing a case, etc.

♦ write formal/informal letters and applications for different purposes.

♦  write items related to the workplace (minutes, memoranda, notices, summaries reports; filling up of forms, preparing CVs, email messages, etc.).

♦  taking/making notes from reference materials, recorded talks etc.

Language Item

The Core Course should draw upon the language items suggested for classes IX-X and delve deeper into their usage and functions. Particular attention may, however, be given to the following areas of grammar:

♦ the uses of different tense forms for different kinds of narration (e.g. media commentaries, reports, programmes, etc.).

♦  the use of passive forms in scientific and innovative writings

♦  converting one kind of sentence/clause into a different kind of structure as well as other items to exemplify stylistic variations in different discourses

♦  modal auxiliaries uses based on semantic considerations.

Methods and Techniques

The techniques used for teaching should promote habits of selflearning and reduce dependence on the teacher. In general, we recommend a multiskill, learnercentred, activity based approach, of which there can be many variations. The core classroom activity is likely to be that of silent reading of prescribed/selected texts for comprehension, which can lead to other forms of language learning activities such as role play, dramatization, group discussion, writing, etc. although many such activities could be carried out without the preliminary use of textual material. It is important that students be trained to read independently and intelligently, interacting actively with texts, with the use of reference materials (dictionaries, thesauruses, etc.) where necessary. Some prereading ctivity will generally be required, and the course books should.

suggest suitable activities, leaving teachers free to devise other activities when desired. So also, the reading of texts should be followed by post reading activities. It is important to remember that every text can generate different readings. Students should be encouraged to interpret texts in different ways. Group and pair activities can be resorted to when desired, but many useful language activities can be carried out individually. In general, teachers should encourage students to interact actively with texts and with each other. Oral activity (group discussion, etc.) should be encouraged.

SECTION – A
Reading Comprehension

Reading Unseen Passages for Comprehensionand Note Making

This section will have two unseen passages followed by a variety of questions.

The total length of the two passages shall be around 1100 (600+500).

Question 1 : Long Reading Passage of 600 words

Question 1 shall have two sets of questions

a) 6 Questions carrying 1 mark each, out of which two shall be MCQs–

b) Vocabulary Testing – 2 Questions carrying one mark each.

Question 2: Reading Passage of 500 Words for Summary and Note Making

a) Note making 

b) Summary

SECTION B
Writing Skills 

Question 3: One out of two short writing/composition tasks based on notice / poster/ advertisement. (50 Words)

Question 4: One out of two compositions in the form of article, speech, report writing or a narrative (150 200 Words)

Question 5: Writing one out of two letters based on verbal input. It would cover all types of letters.

Letter types may include:
(a) business or official letters (for making enquiries, registering complaints, asking for and giving information, placing orders and sending replies):
(b) letters to the editor (giving suggestions on an issue)
(c) application for a job
(d) letter to the school or colleges authorities, regarding admissions, school issues, requirements /suitability of courses etc

SECTION C
Grammar

Different grammatical structures in meaningful contexts will be tested. Item types will include gap filling, sentence reordering, dialogue completion and sentence transformation. The grammar syllabus will include determiners, tenses, clauses, modals and Voice. These grammar areas will be tested using the following test types.

Question 6: Error Correction 

Question 7: Editing Task 

Question 8: Re Ordering of Sentences

SECTION D
Textual Question

Questions on the prescribed textbooks will test comprehension at different levels: literal, inferential and evaluative based on the following prescribed textbooks:
1. Hornbill: Text Book published by NCERT, New Delhi 12 Marks
2. Snapshots : Supplementary Reader published by NCERT, New Delhi

The following have been deleted:

Question 9: One out of two extracts based on poetry from the text to test reference to context, comprehension and appreciation.

Question 10: Five out of six short answer questions (up to 40 words) on the lessons from poetry, prose and plays from both Hornbill and Snapshots with 3+3 pattern.

(3 questions each from each book)

Question 11: One out of two long answer questions based on the prescribed

Text Books both Hornbill and Snapshots with 1+1 pattern. (150 Words)

SECTION E
Long Reading Text Novel

With a view to inculcate the habit of reading among the students, CBSE has introduced compulsory reading of a Long Reading Text Novel in the English
Core Course and will be evaluated in both Formative and Summative Assessments.

The long reading text prescribed for class XI is:

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (unabridged version 1906 Edition)
                                               or
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington 2000 Edition (Schools can opt for anyone of the above texts).

There will be two long answer questions on the theme, plot, character and Incidents from the prescribed Novel.

Question 12: Long Answer Question (Approximately 150 Words) 

Question 13: Long Answer Question (Approximately 130 Words)

SECTION F

Conversational Skills 

Formal testing of Conversational skills both listening and speaking will be conducted in Classes IX and XI by CBSE in collaboration with an external agency, Conversation Skills 
(Listening + Speaking)
Conversation Skills will be tested both as part of Formative & Summative Assessment. Out of the 10 marks allotted for Conversation, 05 marks may be used for testing listening and 05 marks for testing speaking. The Conversation Skills 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 gapfilling, 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 the 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 anecdote, retelling the theme of a book read or a movie seen recently.
 

                                                                  Conversation Skills Assessment Scale

Listening
The learner:
1. Has general ability to understand word and phrases in a familiar context but cannot follow connected speech. .
2. Has ability to follow short connected utterances in a familiar context;
3. Has ability to understand explicitly stated information in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts;
4. Understands a range of longer spoken texts with reasonable accuracy, and is able to draw inferences;
5. Shows ability to interpret complex discourse in terms of points of view; adapts listening strategies to suit purposes.

Speaking
The learner:
1. shows ability to use only isolated words and phrases but cannot operate on connected speech level;
2. in familiar situations, uses only short connected utterances with limited accuracy;
3. shows ability to use more complex utterances with some fluency in longer discourse; still makes some errors which impede communication;
4. organises and presents thoughts in a reasonably logical and fluent manner in unfamiliar situations; makes errors which do not interfere with communication;
5. can spontaneously adapt style appropriate to purpose and audience; makes only negligible errors.

SECTION G
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 information 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 hfclps 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 topics 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 nonliterary:
3. recognising the organisation of a text:
4. identifying the main points 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 unfamiliar lexical items in a given context:
8. consulting a dictionary to obtain information on the meaning and use of lexical items:

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 characters' 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 assessment may be decided by the teacher as she/he sees fit. These may be used for Formative Assessment (Fi, 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

CONVERSATION SKILL

(Listening + Speaking)
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 gapfilling 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 anecdote, 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 nonliterary;
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 items
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 assessment may be decided by the teacher as she/ he 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 energizing activity/game, the teacher may give them simple instructions 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 Austen

6. Indian Tales : Rudyard Kipling

7. Great Expectations : 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 Point Someone, What not to do at IIT : Chetan Bhagat

17. Pride and Prejudice : Jane Austen

18. Swami and Friends : RK Narayan

19. The Maneater of Malgudi : RK Narayan

20. Round the moon : Jules Verne

21. The Count of Monte Christo : Alexander

22. Wuthering Heights : Emily Bronte.

23. Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea : Jules Verne

24. The Moonstone : Wilkie Collins.

25. The Mill on the Floss : George Eliot

26. The Three Musketeers : Alexandre Dumas

27. Treasure Island : RL Stevenson

28. The Invisible Man : HG Wells.

29. The Prisoner of Zenda : Anthony Hope

30. The Swiss Family Robinson : Johann David Wyss

31. Little Women : Lonisa M. Alcott

32. Animal Farm : George Orwell

33. Gullivers Travels : Jonathan Swift

34. Moby Dick : Herman Melville

35. Robinson Crusoe ; Daniel Defoe

36. The Time Machine : HG Wells

37. Beastly Tales : Vikram Seth

38. David Copperfield : Charles Dickens

39. Heidi : Johana Spyri

40. The Wizard of (O Z ) : Frank L. Baum

41. Black Beauty : Anna Sewell

42. The Hound of the Baskervilles : Arthun Conan Doyle

43. The Water Babies : Charles Kingstey

44. Tales From Shakespeore Books 1 and 2.

45. Diary of Anne Frank Anne Frank

46. Three Men in the Boat Jerome K. Jerome

47. Wings of Fire A.

P.J. Abdul Kalam

Please click the link below to download pdf file for CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus Explained in Detail.