Aglasem Schools

3. ENGLISH (CORE) (Code No. 301)

(2017-18)
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 higher-order 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 and comprehend live as well as record in writing oral presentations on a variety of topics
 to develop greater confidence and proficiency in the use of language skills necessary for social and
academic purpose
 to participate in group discussions, interviews by making short oral presentation 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 tongue(s) into English and vice versa
 to develop ability and knowledge required in order to engage in independent reflection and enquiry

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

 read and comprehend extended texts (prescribed and non-prescribed) in the following genres: 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, 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 etc.
 filling up of forms, preparing CV, e-mail messages., making notes from reference materials, recorded
talks etc.

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

The use of passive forms in scientific and innovative writings.

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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.

Specific Objectives of Reading

Students are expected to develop the following study skills:
 refer to dictionaries, encyclopaedia, thesaurus and academic reference material
 select and extract relevant information, using reading skills of skimming and scanning
 understand the writer's attitude and bias
 comprehend the difference between what is said and what is implied
 understand the language of propaganda and persuasion
 differentiate between claims and realities, facts and opinions
 form business opinions on the basis of latest trends available
 comprehend technical language as required in computer related fields
 arrive at personal conclusion and comment on a given text specifically
 develop the ability to be original and creative in interpreting opinion
 develop the ability to be logically persuasive in defending one's opinion
 making notes based on a text

Develop literary skills as enumerated below:

 personally respond to literary texts
 appreciate and analyse special features of languages that differentiate literary texts from non-literary
ones
 explore and evaluate features of character, plot, setting, etc.
 understand and appreciate the oral, mobile and visual elements of drama
 identify the elements of style such as humour, pathos, satire and irony, etc.
 make notes from various resources for the purpose of developing the extracted ideas into sustained
pieces of writing

Listening and Speaking

Speaking needs a very strong emphasis and is an important objective leading to professional competence.
Hence, testing of oral skills must be made an important component of the overall testing pattern. To this
end, speaking and listening skills are overtly built into the material to guide the teachers in actualization of
the skills.

Specific Objectives of Listening

Students are expected to develop the ability:
 to listen to lectures and talks and to be able to extract relevant and useful information for a specific
purpose.
 to listen to news bulletins and to develop the ability to discuss informally on a wide ranging issues like
current national and international affairs, sports, business, etc.
 to respond in interviews and to participate in formal group discussions.
 to make enquiries meaningfully and adequately and to respond to enquiries for the purpose of travelling
within the country and abroad.

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 to listen to business news and to be able to extract relevant important information.

 to develop the art of formal public speaking.

Guidelines for Assessment in Listening and Speaking Skills

A. Activities:
 Activities for listening and speaking available at www.cbseacademic.in are to be used for
developing listening and speaking skills of students.
 Subject teachers should also refer to books prescribed in the syllabus.
 In addition to the above, teachers may create their own material for assessing the listening and
speaking skills.

B. Parameters for Assessment:

The listening and speaking skills are to be assessed on the following parameters:
i. Interactive competence (Initiation & turn taking, relevance to the topic).
ii. Fluency (cohesion, coherence and speed of delivery).
iii. Pronunciation
iv. Language (accuracy and vocabulary).

C. Schedule:
 The practice of listening and speaking skills should be done throughout the academic year.
 The final assessment of the skills is to be done as per the convenience and schedule of the school.

D. Record keeping:
The record of the activities done and the marks given must be kept for three months after the
declaration of result of class XI, for any random checking by the Board.
No recording of speaking skills is to be done.

Specific Objectives of Writing

 to write letters to friends, pen friends, relatives, etc.
 to write business and official letters.
 to send faxes, e-mails[formal].
 to open accounts in post offices and banks.
 to fill in railway/airline reservation forms.
 to write on various issues to institutions seeking relevant information, lodge complaints, express thanks
or tender apology.
 to write applications, fill in application forms, prepare a personal bio-data for admission into colleges,
universities, entrance tests and jobs.
 to write informal reports as part of personal letters on functions, programmes and activities held in
school (morning assembly, annual day, sports day, etc.)
 to write formal reports for school magazines/events/processes/ or in local newspapers about events or
occasions.
 to express opinions, facts, arguments in the form a speech or debates.
 to draft papers to be presented in symposia.

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 to take down notes from talks and lectures.

 to write examination answers according to the requirement of various subjects.
 to summarise a text.

About Reading
Inculcating good reading habits in children has always been a concern for all stakeholders in education. The
purposes 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 the author share their experiences and
knowledge with each other. 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.

Consequently, they become independent thinkers capable of taking their own decisions in life rationally.
Hence, a few activities are suggested below which teachers may use as a part of the reading project.
 Short review
 Dramatization of the story
 Commentary on the characters
 Critical evaluation of the plot, storyline 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 read 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 aloud.
 Interacting with the author
 Holding a literature fest where students role-play as various characters to interact with each other
 Role playing as authors/poets/dramatists, to defend their works and characters
 Symposiums and seminars for introducing a book, an author, or a theme
 Creating graphic novels out of novel or short stories they read
 Dramatizing incidents from a novel or a story
 Creating their own stories
 Books of one genre to be read by the whole class.

Teachers may select books suitable to the age and level of the learners. Care ought to be taken to choose
books that are appropriate in terms of language, theme and content and which do not hurt the sensibilities
of a child.

Teachers may later suggest books from other languages but dealing with the same themes as an extended
activity. The Project should lead to independent learning/reading skills and hence the chosen book should
not be taught in class, but may be introduced through activities and be left for the students to read at their

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own pace. Teachers may, however, choose to assess a student's progress or success in reading the book by
asking for verbal or written progress reports, looking at their diary entries, engaging in a discussion about
the book, giving a short quiz or a work sheet about the book/short story. The mode of assessment may be
decided by the teachers as they see fit.

These may be used for internal assessments only. It may be noted that this reading project is apart from
the long reading texts which have been prescribed for the Term-end Assessments.

Methods and Techniques

The techniques used for teaching should promote habits of self-learning and reduce dependence on the
teacher. In general, we recommend a multi-skill, learner-centred, 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
(dictionary, thesaurus, etc.) where necessary. Some pre-reading activity 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.

ENGLISH CORE (CODE NO. 301)

CLASS – XI
(2017-18)
SECTION - A

READING COMPREHENSION 45 Periods

 Very short answer +/ Short answer and MCQ type questions:
Two unseen passages (including poems) with a variety of questions including 04 marks for vocabulary
such as word formation and inferring meaning. The total range of the 2 passages including a poem or a
stanza, should be around 900-1000 words.
1. 550-600 words in length (for note-making and summarising)
2. 350-400 words in length (to test comprehension, interpretation and inference)
An unseen poem of about 28-35 lines.
The passages could be of any one of the following types:
 Factual passages, e.g., illustrations, description, reports
 Discursive passages involving opinion, e.g., argumentative, persuasive
 Literary passages e.g. extracts from fiction, biography, autobiography, travelogue, etc. In the case of a
poem, the text may be shorter than the prescribed word limit.

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SECTION B
WRITING SKILLS AND GRAMMAR
Writing 60 Periods
Short Answer Questions: Based on notice/ poster/ advertisement
 Long Answer Questions: Letters based on verbal/visual 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/opinions on an issue)
(c) application for a job with a bio-data or resumé
(d) letter to the school or college authorities, regarding admissions, school issues, requirements /
suitability of courses, etc.
 Very Long Answer Question: Composition in the form of article, speech, report writing or a narrative

GRAMMAR
Different grammatical structures in meaningful contexts will be tested. Item types will include gap filling,
sentence re-ordering, dialogue completion and sentence transformation. The grammar syllabus will include
determiners, tenses, clauses, modals and Change of Voice. These grammar areas will be tested using the
following short answer type and MCQ type questions.
 Error Correction, editing tasks,
 Re - ordering of sentences,
 Transformation of sentences

SECTION C

LITERATURE AND LONG READING TEXTS/NOVELS 70 Periods

Questions to test comprehension at different levels: literal, inferential and evaluative
1. Hornbill: Textbook published by NCERT, New Delhi
2. Snapshots: Supplementary Reader published by NCERT, New Delhi
The following have been deleted:

Textbooks Name of the lessons deleted

Hornbill 1. Landscape of the Soul
2. The Adventure
3. Silk Road
4. The Laburnum Top (Poetry)
Snapshots 5. The Ghat of the only World
 Very Short Answer Questions - Based on an extract from poetry to test reference to context
comprehension and appreciation.
 Short Answer Questions - Based on prose, poetry and plays from both the texts.

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 Long Answer Question - Based on prescribed texts to test global comprehension and extrapolation
beyond the texts to bring out the key messages and values.
 Long Answer Questions - Based on theme, plot, incidents or events from the prescribed novels.
 Long Answer Question - Based on understanding appreciation, analysis and interpretation of the
characters.
Note: Values-based questions may be given as long answers in the writing or literature sections.

Extended Reading Texts: (either one)

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 which will be evaluated in the Term-end
Assessments. Schools can opt for either one of the texts.
Author
i) The Canterville Ghost Oscar Wilde (unabridged 1906 Edition)
ii) Up from Slavery Booker T. Washington (unabridged 2000 Edition)

Assessment of Listening and Speaking Skills 45 Periods

It is recommended that listening and speaking skills should be regularly practiced in the class.

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QUESTION PAPER DESIGN 2017-18

CLASS XI
ENGLISH CORE XI (Code No. 301) Time- 3 hours Marks - 80+20=100

Typology Typology of MCQ Very Short Short Long Long Very Long Total Over
questions/ learning I mark Short Answer Answer Answer- Answer- Answer marks all %
outcomes Answer Question Question 1 2 150 - 200
Question 3 marks 4 marks 80 - 120-150 words
1 mark 100 words (HOTS)
words 6 marks 10 marks
5 marks

Conceptual
understanding,
decoding,
Reading analysing, inferring,
Skills interpreting,
6 6 1 — 1 — — 20 20
appreciating ,literary
conventions and
vocabulary,
summarising and using
appropriate format/s

Reasoning,
appropriacy of style
and tone, using
appropriate format
and fluency inference,
Writing analysis, evaluation
Skills and and creativity,
— 10 — 1 — 1 1 30 30
Grammar appreciation applying
of languages
conventions,
comprehension
using structures
integratively,
accuracy and fluency

Recalling, reasoning,
Literary
appreciating a literary
Text books
conventions,
and long — 3 3 — — 3 — 30 30
inference, analysis,
reading
evaluation, creativity
text /novel
with fluency

Assessment Interaction, reasoning,

of diction,
Listening articulation, clarity,
— — — — 4 — — 20 20
and pronunciation and
Speaking overall fluency
Skills

TOTAL 6x1=6 19x1=19 4x3=12 1x4=4 5x5=5 4x6=24 1x10=10 100 100

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ENGLISH CORE (CODE NO. 301)

CLASS – XII
(2017-18)
SECTION A

READING COMPREHENSION 30 Marks

Reading Unseen Passages and Note making
Two unseen passages with a variety of very short answer / short answer or MCQ type questions to test
comprehension, interpretation and inference. Vocabulary such as word formation and inference of meaning
will also be tested.
The total length of the two passages will be between 1100 - 1200 words. The passage will include two of the
following:
a) Factual passages, e.g., instructions, descriptions, reports.
b) Descriptive passages involving opinion, e.g., argumentative, persuasive or interpretative text.
c) Literary passages, e.g., extract from fiction, drama, poetry, essay or biography. A poem could be of 28-
35 lines.
 The passages can be literary, factual or discursive to test comprehensions. The length of one
passage should be between 600-700 words.
d) A third passage of 400-500 words for note-making and abstraction.

SECTION B

WRITING SKILLS 30 Marks

 Short Answer Questions, e.g., advertisement and notices, designing or drafting posters, writing formal
and informal invitations and replies.
 Long Answer Questions: Letters based on verbal / visual input.

Letter types include

 Business or official letters (for making enquiries, registering complaints, asking for and giving
information, placing orders and sending replies)
 Letters to the editor (giving suggestions or opinion on issues of public interest)
 Application for a job

Very Long Answer Questions: Two compositions based on visual and/or verbal Input may be descriptive or
argumentative in nature such as an article, a debate or a speech or a report

SECTION C

LITERATURE TEXTBOOKS AND LONG READING TEXT 40 Marks

Flamingo and Vistas
 Very Short Answer Questions - Based on an extract from poetry to test comprehension and
appreciation.

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 Short Answer Questions - Based on prose / drama / poetry from both the texts.
 Long Answer Question - Based on texts to test global comprehension and extrapolation beyond the
texts to bring out the key messages and values.
 Long Answer Question - Based on texts to test global comprehension along with analysis and
extrapolation.
 Long Answer Question - Based on theme, plot and incidents from the prescribed novels.
 Long Answer Question - Based on understanding appreciation, analysis and interpretation of the
character sketch.

Prescribed Books
1. Flamingo: English Reader published by National Council of Education Research and Training, New Delhi
2. Vistas: Supplementary Reader published by National Council of Education Research and Training, New
Delhi
Note: Long answer questions based on values can be given in the writing section or in the literature
section.
Textbooks Name of the lessons deleted
Flamingo 1. Poets and Pancakes
2. The Interview
3. A Road Side Stand (Poetry)
Vistas 4. The Third Level
5. Journey to the End of the Earth
3. Extended Reading Text: (Either one) Author
i) The Invisible Man (unabridged) H.G. Wells
ii) Silas Marner (unabridged) George Eliot

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QUESTION PAPER DESIGN 2017-18

CLASS XII
English CORE XII (Code No. 301) Time-3 hours Marks -100

Typology Typology of MCQ Very Short Short Long Long Very Total Over
questions/ I Short Answer Answer Answer- Answer- Long marks all %
learning mark Answer Question Question 1 2 Answer
outcomes Question 3 marks 4 marks 80 - 120- 150 -
1 mark 100 150 200
words words words
5 marks 6 marks (HOTS)
10
marks

Conceptual,
understanding,
decoding,
Analysing,
inferring,
Reading interpreting,
Skills appreciating 6 16 1 — 1 — — 30 30
,literary
conventions and
vocabulary,
summarising and
using appropriate
format/s

Reasoning,
appropriacy of
style and tone,
using appropriate
Writing format and
— — — 1 — 1 2 30 30
Skills fluency,
inference,
analysis,
evaluation and
creativity.

Recalling,
reasoning,
Literary appreciating
Text literary
books and conventions,
— 4 4 — — 4 — 40 40
long inference,
reading analysis,
text/novel evaluation,
creativity with
fluency

TOTAL 6x1=6 20x1=20 5x3=15 1x4=4 1x5=5 5x6=30 2x10=20 100 100

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