CBSE Class 10 English Exam Analysis 2026 OUT; Check Difficulty Level, Students' Reactions & Paper Pattern

CBSE 10th 2026 ( CBSE 10th )

DeskCalelnderExam On - 17 Feb '26 - 11 Mar '26

Anangsha
Anangsha Patra
Deputy Manager – Editorial
Updated on Feb 21, 2026 13:34 IST
CBSE conducted the CBSE Class 10 English exam on February 21 from 10.30 AM to 1.30 PM. The English paper was moderate in terms of difficulty. Mostly questions were based on CBSE 10 th syllabus of NCERT level. Read here for more details on CBSE Class 10 English exam analysis 2026.

CBSE conducted the CBSE Class 10 English exam on February 21 from 10.30 AM to 1.30 PM. The English paper was moderate in terms of difficulty. Scroll down to read CBSE 10th Class English paper analysis 2026.

CBSE Class 10 English Exam Analysis 2026

CBSE Class 10 English Exam Analysis 2026; Check Difficulty Level

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the CBSE Class 10 English exam on February 21 from 10.30 AM to 1.30 PM. The English paper was moderate in terms of difficulty. Mostly questions were based on CBSE 10 th syllabus of NCERT level. The reading and writing sections were manageable. The literature section included direct questions from prescribed chapters. CBSE Class 10 English overall exam 2026 was a balanced paper.

CBSE Class 10 English exam evaluates students across reading, writing, grammar, and literature sections. CBSE Class 10 English question paper 2026 was designed to assess comprehension, expression, and understanding of prescribed texts. Students were required to answer both objective and descriptive questions within three hours. Read below for more details on CBSE Class 10 English exam analysis 2026.

Table of contents
  • CBSE 10th Class English Exam Analysis 2026 by Experts
  • CBSE Class 10 English Exam Pattern 2026
  • CBSE Class 10 English Question Paper Format 2026
  • How is CBSE Class 10 Exam Analysis 2026 Useful?

CBSE 10th Class English Exam Analysis 2026 by Experts

We have provided below CBSE Class 10 English paper analysis 2026 by experts. 

Vinnita Maheshwari, subject matter expert, Lancers Army Schools said, "The English paper was moderate to easy .Most of the questions were directly based on the prescribed syllabus. The comprehension was scoring. A few question required analytical thinking ,however nothing was out of syllabus."

Gitanjali, Subject matter expert, Seth M. R. Jaipuria schools said, "The Class 10 English Language and Literature paper was a balanced. The overall difficulty was moderate."

Ravisha Bhargava Educator Senior Years Shiv Nadar School Noida said, "The short-answer questions were slightly challenging. The reading comprehension section was straightforward and easy to attempt. The grammar section ranged from easy to moderate in difficulty. The writing section included an analytical paragraph and letter writing. The literature section comprised a balanced mix of direct and extrapolatory questions"

Ms Gurpreet Kaur, TGT English, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Lucknow, "The overall question paper was easy to moderate in difficulty level, maintaining a balanced approach between competency-based and concept-driven questions."

Rachana Takshak, HOD English, DPS Sector 45 Gurugram said, "The English paper was overall clear, balanced, and student-friendly. Most students found the paper direct and manageable. However,  a few variations were observed. The pattern of the Reading section differed slightly from the model issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education. In Writing Skills, a Factual Description of a Place was included, though the syllabus specifies Person/Object. In Grammar, the jumbled sentence question contained two separate sentences without punctuation, making the structure unclear."

Also Read: CBSE 10th Syllabus 2026

CBSE Class 10 English Exam Pattern 2026

 According to CBSE exam pattern, the paper carried 80 marks. The remaining 20 marks are allotted for internal assessment conducted by schools. The paper is divided into three sections. CBSE 10th exam pattern details are shared below.

  • Section A (Reading Skills): 20 Marks across 2 questions
  • Section B (Grammar and Creative Writing Skills): 20 Marks across 3 questions
  • Section C (Literature): 40 Marks across 6 questions
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CBSE Class 10 English Question Paper Format 2026

The section-wise distribution of questions in CBSE Class 10 English question paper is given below.

Section Question Numbers Details Marks

A. Reading Skills

Q1–2

Two passages (discursive & factual/case-based) with comprehension Qs

22

B. Writing Skills

Q3–6

- Q3: Application (3 marks)
- Q4: Factual description (4 marks)
- Q5: Letter to editor (choice-based, 7 marks)
- Q6: Article writing (choice-based, 8 marks)

22

C. Grammar

Q7–9

- Q7: Fill in the blanks (3 marks)
- Q8: Omission (4 marks)
- Q9: Transformation (rearranging/reporting – 3 marks)

10

D. Literature

Q10–12

- Q10: Extract-based (2 out of 3 extracts, 8 marks)
- Q11: Short answer Qs (5 out of 6, 10 marks)
- Q12: Long answer Q (choice-based, 8 marks)

26

Total

Q1–12

 

80

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How is CBSE Class 10 Exam Analysis 2026 Useful?

Understanding the difficulty level and topics can help in prioritising revision.

  • It helps in reviewing section wise difficulty levels
  • Identify frequently asked chapters
  • Students can learn time management tricks for the next exams
  • They can know how much to secure in the exam
About the Author
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Anangsha Patra
Deputy Manager – Editorial
Anangsha Patra is MA in Mass Communication & Journalism with more than 10 years of experience in the field of Journalism, Content Writing and Editing. At Shiksha.Com, she works as Deputy Manager-Content for the Sark
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Answered Yesterday

Instead of compartment exams, the board has started conducting the MPBSE class 10th 2nd main exams. The board is expected to announce the MP Board class 10th second main result (compartment) in August 2026.

M

Md Shahzad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 days ago

Eery year, the state education board releases the BSEB Matric compartment result in the last week of May. However, at least a day before the final result, the board will announce an exact Bihar Board 10th class compartment result 2026 date and time.

M

Md Shahzad

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

Students cannot solely rely on sample papers for CBSE 10th preparation. They  need to refer to good books also. Be thorough with the exam pattern. Know the syllabus.

I

Indrani Thakur

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 3 days ago

CBSE 10th sample papers are released by the examination authority. We provide the direct link to download CBSE 10th sample papers.

B

Bhumika Arora

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 3 days ago

CBSE 10th question paper format has been revised. The exam carries 80 marks theory paper which is divided in 5 sections-A to E.  The paper includes around 30-38 questions carrying a mix of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-mark answers.

ComponentWeightageDetails

Competency-Based Questions

50%

These include case-based questions, source-based integrated questions, application-driven MCQs. This test understanding of real-life contexts rather than memory recall.

Objective-Type Questions

20%

Standard objective questions that is designed to assess conceptual clarity quickly and precisely

Short & Long Answer Questions

30%

Traditional short and long answer questions is now reduced in weightage

I

Ishita Aggarwal

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 3 days ago

CBSE 10th Board exams sample papers are available both online and offline. Students can get it from bookstores also. The online sample papers are available on this page.

M

Mani Shukla

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 3 days ago

In CBSE Class 10 exam, 50% questions are competency-based questions like MCQs. 20 per cent are objective-type and 30% are short/long descriptive questions. The paper carries 80 marks with 30 questions.

 

 

 

C

Chanchal Jain

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 3 days ago

It is recommended to solve 8 to 10 CBSE 10th exam per subject. This builds confidence of candidates. Practising the same also improves speed.

 

B

Bhumika Lama

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 3 days ago

27 of 80 counts as a passed by CBSE in Class 10 exams. It is needed to get at least a 33 percent in each subject.

A

Anangsha Patra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

In 2025, several students achieved perfect or near-perfect scores in the CBSE Class 10th examinations. Aarav Malhotra (Noida), Shristi Sharma (Panchkula) attained a perfect 100 per cent.

 

 

 

J

Jasleen Harsha

Contributor-Level 7