ICSE Class 10 English Syllabus 2024-25 | Revised PDF Download

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) regularly revises its Board exam syllabus for every subject. Last year for the 2023-2024 board exam also CISCE revised its syllabus by reducing it by around 20-30%. For the years 2024-2025, the syllabus has been changed to great deal. So students are advised to follow the syllabus for 2024-2025 for the current academic session. 

If you are looking for the English Paper Class 10 ICSE Syllabus for the session 2024-25., you can download the free PDF 2024-25 from the links provided below.

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ICSE Class 10 English Syllabus 2024-2025

English falls in the Group I Category, which has all the compulsory list of subjects to be studied by the ICSE Students. There will be two papers for English 

Paper 1: English Language 

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There will be five questions in this paper: 

• Composition of about 300– 350 words for a total of 20 marks. It may include descriptive, narrative, and argumentative essays, to test student's ability to express ideas and knowledge. 
• Letter writing, Notice and Email writing of 10 marks include formal letters, informal letters, notices about events, meetings, and Emails to companies, and schools. 
• An unseen prose passage is about 500 words and contains 20 marks weightage, including Multiple-choice, short answer, and a question asking for 50 50-word summary. 
• Grammar is of 20 marks in the exam and may include fill-in-the-blanks, sentence correction rewriting sentences, etc. 

All five questions are compulsory so you are required to answer all five questions. 

Paper 2: Literature in English

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Candidates will be required to answer questions based on the prescribed textbooks, which include Drama, Prose (Short Stories), and Poetry.

Drama: Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare 

Julius Caesar is a tragic play by William Shakespeare that shows the political conspiracy against the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, his rule lasted for less than one year before his famous assassination by political rivals such as Gaius Cassius. Key characters include Brutus, Cassius, and Mark Antony, who played major roles in creating political rivalry. 

The questions set will be central to the text. Candidates will be required to show that they have understood the passage and can clearly respond in their own words.

Excerpts may be given from the drama and prose texts leading to questions.

Poetry

 The Poetry part includes five poems:

1. Haunted House by H.W. Longfellow: Reflecting the memories and spirits present at the house, also conveys a sense of nostalgia and the presence of the past. 
2. The Glove and the Lions by Leigh Hunt: Tells the story of a lady who throws her glove into a lion’s den to test her suitor’s bravery.
3. When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou: It expresses the impact of losing individuals and the feeling of emptiness that follows such losses.
4. A Considerable Speck by Robert Frost: Frost describes noticing a speck on his manuscript, he marks the beauty of life and the human experience of awareness and existence. 
5. The Power of Music by Sukumar Ray: It explores the power of music, the poem conveys how music keeps boundaries and brings people together.

Short Stories

1. With the Photographer by Stephen Leacock: A story where the narrator visits a photographer for a portrait, the photographer’s expression towards unnatural poses leads to a frustrating and comical experience. 
2. The Elevator by William Sleator: This suspenseful story revolves around Martin, a boy with a phobia of elevators, and leads to a chilling climax that leaves his fear. 
3. The Girl Who Can by Ama Ata Aidoo: It follows a young girl named Adjoa, who has thin legs and dreams of running, despite her grandmother’s doubts and societal expectations, Adjoa discovers her talent and wins a race.
4. The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury: The story features Leonard Mead, who enjoys walking alone at night in a society where people are obsessed with television.
5. The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet: A young boy named Franz attends his last French lesson in Alsace, as the region is seized by Prussia, the story highlights themes of patriotism and the importance of language. 

A poem, or lines from poems, will be given and questions will be set to test the candidates’ responses. The questions will focus on the content, understanding and the personal response of candidates to the entire poem as a whole.

Paper 1: English Language ( Internal Assessment): Detail Overview 

The Internal Assessment for Paper 1: English Language is as follows: 

• Schools will plan, carry out, and record the following evaluations of candidates' speaking and listening skills
• Students have to submit two assessments in the year.

Pattern of Assessment

a) Listening Skills

A passage of about 300 words is read aloud by the examiner twice, the first time at normal reading speed (about 110 words a minute) and the next time at a slower speed. Candidates may make brief notes during the readings. They then answer an objective type test based on the passage, on the paper provided. The recommended number of candidates at a sitting is 30.

b) Speaking Skills

Each candidate is required to make an oral presentation for about two minutes, which will be followed by a discussion on the subject with the examiners, for about three minutes. 

Subjects for presentation may include narrating an experience, providing a description, giving directions on how to make or operate something, expressing an opinion, giving a report, relating an anecdote, or commenting on a current event. 

A candidate may refer to brief notes in the course of the presentation but reading or excessive dependence on notes will be penalized.

Paper 2: English Literature ( Internal Assessment): Detail Overview 

The Internal Assessment for Paper 2: English Literature is as follows: 

• Schools will set, assess, and record written assignments by the candidates 
• Students have to submit two or three assignments of reasonable length (not exceeding 1500 words in total).
• The assignments/projects are to be evaluated by the subject teacher and by an external examiner. 
• The Internal Examiner and the External Examiner will assess the assignments independently.
• The assignment will be of a total of 20 Marks where 10 marks for Internal Evaluation ( by the internal examiner) and 10 marks for External Evaluation (by the external examiner).

Download ICSE English Syllabus Class 10

The CISCE has provided the detailed syllabus of English for Class 10 on their official website as well. Here are steps to download the syllabus:

1. Visit the official CISCE website.
2. Navigate to the Examinations section and select ICSE.
3. Now select Regulations and syllabuses and select the year 2025 
4. Select an English subject and you will get your ICSE English Syllabus Class 10 

Tips for scoring good marks in ICSE English Class 10

Scoring good marks in English Paper 1 & English Paper 2 is pretty easy all you have to do is- 

• Finish your syllabus on time and practice reading and writing regularly 
• Along with that participate in various activities like debates and writing competitions conducted by your school. It will help with improving your English Language. 
• Solve previous years' questions to understand the paper pattern
• Get your answers evaluated by your elder brother or sister, teacher, or friend. This will help you with a fair evaluation.
• Work on your mistakes, listening and writing skills, and grammar by regularly practising English sample papers. 

These simple yet effective exercises will help you score good marks on the ICSE Board Exam English Paper. So, follow these tips and score good marks on your English paper. 

Here is a para for you from the poem “Nine Gold Medals” by David Roth to help you “athletes” stay motivated for the ICSE Class 10 Board Exams “Game”. 

“The athletes had come from all over the country,

To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze.

Many weeks and months of training.

All coming down to these games.

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The blocks were all lined up for those who would use them,

The hundred-yard dash and the race to be run.

These were nine resolved athletes in the back of the starting line,

Poised for the sound of the gun.”

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All the best, folks!!