Students preparing for the CBSE Class 10 English Exam 2026 can check here the important chapters to study in order to score high in the exam. Check out the marking scheme and important English chapters here…
CBSE Class 10 English Important Chapters: Students preparing for CBSE Class 10 English exam 2026 must be done with their syllabus by now. However, it is important to know the important chapters in order to score high in the examination. CBSE 10th exams 2026 will be held between February 17 and March 11, 2026. CBSE Class 10 English exam 2026 will be conducted on February 21, 2026 in pen and paper format.
CBSE released the CBSE Class 10 English marking scheme 2026 on the official website. It share the weightage given to every chapter and topic in the English subject. With proper planning and strategy in place, students can allocate their study time to those chapters that are high scoring.
To score well in CBSE Class 10 English, prioritize key chapters from First Flight and Footprints Without Feet like "A Letter to God," "The Thief’s Story," and "Madam Rides the Bus". Focus on character-based questions in "The Hundred Dresses" and thematic understanding of "The Proposal".
Also read: CBSE 10th Date Sheet 2026
CBSE Class 10 English Weightage 2026 - Section-wise Marks Distribution
CBSE Board tests students' reading, writing, grammar, and literature skills in the CBSE 10th English exam. Here is a summary of the marks distribution for all chapters. Students can use this table to understand the mark distribution across sections and plan their preparation effectively.
| Section |
Marks |
|---|---|
| Reading |
20 |
| Writing Skills with Grammar |
20 |
| Language through Literature |
40 |
| Total |
80 |
Also Read: CBSE Class 10 Syllabus 2026
Class 10 CBSE English Chapter Wise Weightage
Below is the chapter-wise weightage for CBSE Class 10 English exam. Students can prepare for different chapters according to their marks.
| Book / Chapter |
Marks |
|---|---|
| First Flight (Prose) |
|
| A Letter to God |
2 |
| Nelson Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom |
2 |
| Stories About Flying |
2 |
| From the Diary of Anne Frank |
2 |
| Glimpses of India |
2 |
| Mijbil the Otter |
2 |
| Madam Rides the Bus |
2 |
| The Sermon at Benares |
2 |
| The Proposal (Play) |
2 |
| First Flight Poems |
|
| Dust of Snow |
1 |
| Fire and Ice |
1 |
| A Tiger in the Zoo |
1 |
| How to Tell Wild Animals |
1 |
| The Ball Poem |
1 |
| Amanda |
1 |
| The Trees |
1 |
| Fog |
1 |
| The Tale of Custard the Dragon |
1 |
| For Anne Gregory |
1 |
| Footprints Without Feet Supplementary Reader |
|
| A Triumph of Surgery |
2 |
| The Thief’s Story |
2 |
| The Midnight Visitor |
2 |
| A Question of Trust |
2 |
| Footprints Without Feet |
2 |
| The Making of a Scientist |
2 |
| The Necklace |
2 |
| Bholi |
2 |
| The Book that Saved the Earth |
2 |
| Grammar and Writing Skills |
20 |
| Total Marks |
80 |
Also Read: CBSE 10th Admit card
CBSE Class 10 English 2026 - Marks Distribution for Internal Assessment
The internal assessment is done at school level by the school teachers. It tests students on listening, speaking, and creative activities to develop practical language skills.
| Components of Internal Assessment |
Marks |
|---|---|
| Listening and Speaking Skills |
5 |
| Art-integrated Projects (Role Play, Skit, Dramatization etc.) |
5 |
| Portfolio / Written Work |
5 |
| Subject Enrichment Activities |
5 |
| Total Marks |
20 |
CBSE Class 10 English - Most Important Chapters for High Marks
Here are the important chapters students must read from the Prose (First Flight):
- A Letter to God: Often asked, high-scoring.
- Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom: Key for character/thematic questions.
- Two Stories About Flying: Both parts are frequently tested.
- From the Diary of Anne Frank: High probability for analytical questions.
- Glimpses of India & Madam Rides the Bus: Detailed stories, common for 5-mark questions.
- The Proposal: Essential for long-answer questions.
The list below shares the important Poetry topics from the book First Flight:
- Dust of Snow & Fire and Ice: Simple, high-scoring, and frequently asked.
- A Tiger in the Zoo & The Ball Poem: Frequently asked for thematic analysis.
- The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Often tested for character interpretation.
Check out the important topics students must study from the supplementary book - Footprints Without Feet:
- A Triumph of Surgery: High-frequency, easy to score.
- The Thief's Story: Top priority for, often carries significant weight.
- Footprints Without Feet & The Necklace: Commonly asked for theme-based questions.
- The Midnight Visitor & Bholi: High-probability for character analysis.
Also read: CBSE 10th Pattern 2026
Commonly asked questions
You can get CBSE 10th books from the Board's website- cbse.gov.in. The CBSE class 10 books for all subjects can be downloaded from this page too.
CBSE released the CBSE 10th English syllabus 2026 on the official website. Students can check the official syllabus below:
| Sections | Competencies | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Conceptual understanding, decoding, analyzing, inferring, interpreting and vocabulary | 20 |
| Writing Skill and Grammar | Creative expression of an opinion, reasoning, justifying, illustrating, appropriacy of style and tone, using appropriate format and fluency. Applying conventions, using integrated structures with accuracy and fluency | 20 |
| Language through Literature | Recalling, reasoning, appreciating, applying literary conventions illustrating and justifying etc.. Extract relevantinformation, identifying the central theme and sub-theme, understanding the writers’ message and writing fluently. | 40 |
CBSE Class 10 English Exam 2026 - Study Strategy for High Marks
Students must follow these points to score high in their Class 10 english board exam 2026-
- Focus on Themes & Characters: Instead of just summarizing, understand the deeper meaning and character traits, especially for 5-mark questions.
- Prioritize 5-Mark Chapters: "A Letter to God," "The Proposal," and "Madam Rides the Bus" are among the most important.
- Grammar & Writing Skills: Do not ignore grammar (Tenses, Modals) and writing skills (Letter/Analytical Paragraph), as they constitute a major portion of the 80-mark paper.
- Solve CBSE 10th Previous Year Papers: Focus on The Thief's Story and Nelson Mandela based on past trends.
News & Updates
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
CBSE 10th Phase 2 exam 2026 will be conducted from May 15 to June 1. This is conducted for students who want to improve their scores. Only those who appeared in the first board exams can appear for this.
B
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
A score above 90% is considered outstanding. A score between 80 to 90% is excellent. Score between 75 to 80% is also good.
C
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
Students are required to secure 35% to pass the ICSE Class 10 board exam 2026. The subjects follow an 80:20 evaluation pattern. A total of 80 marks is allotted to the external board exam and 20 to the internal assessment.
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
| Parameter | Your Score | Impact |
| CAT | 72.33%ile | Tier-2/3 Eligibility |
| NMAT | 187 | Target non-Mumbai NMIMS campuses |
| 10th/12th | 72.6% / 65.4% | Average; may limit "Old IIMs" even if scores were higher |
| BE | 77.6% | Strong Point helps in engineering-preferred pools |
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
BSEB has announced the Bihar Board Matric compartment exams 2026. As per the announced date, BSEB class 10th compartment exams 2026 will be held from May 2 to May 6, 2026. Students can check the detailed BSEB class 10th compartment exam date 2026 on this page.
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
HPBOSE 10th result can be downloaded by logging with the required details. Students can check their results online only.
I
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 weeks ago
The process to check HPBOSE 10th result is given below.
- Visit Board's website
- Click link of HP Board Result 2026
- Enter required details
- Result appears on screen
- Download and save it
B
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 weeks ago
After the declaration of HPBOSE 10th result, students need to collect the marksheet from the schools. They can apply for Class 11 admission.
J
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 weeks ago
HPBOSE 10th result comprises student's name, roll number, parents' names, subject-wise marks (theory and practical), total marks, qualifying status (Pass/Fail/Compartment), percentage, and grade.
C
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 weeks ago
HPBOSE 10th result 2026 is declared online. Students can check their results by logging with the required details.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Jasleen Kaur Taneja is an education editorial expert at Shiksha.com. She prepares content for school board exams. She has written 1,800+ articles with 2.8 crore reads.
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