CBSE Class 11 English Syllabus 2023

CBSE Class 11 English Syllabus: CBSE releases the syllabus for Class 11 every year with modifications as per the latest educational standards. Since CBSE follows the NCERT curriculum, students are advised to follow the NCERT books to complete the syllabus. The CBSE Class 11 English is quite comprehensive and will help students better command English speaking, writing and conversational skills.

By following the CBSE Class 11 English syllabus, students will be able to score better in exams. Following the syllabus will also help students get an idea about the exam pattern and marks division that the subject follows. The CBSE Class 11 English syllabus will help students understand what the Board expects from students for their exam preparation. Continue reading to find complete details on the 11th CBSE English syllabus.

Practice All CBSE Class 11 Exercise Questions with Hints & Solutions Here!

Pro Tip: At Embibe, we believe that all students have the right to personalised guidance. Embibe offers personalised attention to all the CBSE Class 11 students to help them prepare for their exams and score good marks.

English Syllabus Class 11 CBSE 2023

English in CBSE Class 11 is divided into two – Core and Elective. Therefore, students appearing for the Class 11 exams must follow the syllabus for both of them carefully, as they are crucial for exam preparation. These concepts will also be useful for their higher studies, so students must refer to each of them and prepare accordingly.

Check the detailed Class 11 CBSE English syllabus for 2023:

CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus for 2023

CBSE follows the NCERT curriculum, so it is important for students appearing for the CBSE 11th exams to follow the NCERT books. The NCERT books for English Core subject covers all the important topics students must refer to for their exam preparation. It is advisable that students follow the syllabus thoroughly, for they will also need it in their Class 12 exam preparation.

Section A: Reading Skills

Reading Comprehension through Unseen Passage: 18 Marks

I. One unseen passage to assess comprehension, interpretation inference and vocabulary. The passage may be factual, descriptive or literary.

II. One unseen case-based passage with verbal/visual inputs like statistical data, charts etc.

Note: The combined word limit for both passages will be 600-750.
Multiple Choice Questions / Objective Type Questions will be asked. (10+8 = 18 Marks)

III. Note Making and Summarization based on a passage of approximately 200-250 words.

i. Note Making: 5 Marks

• Title
• Numbering and indenting
• Key/glossary
• Notes

ii. Summary (up to 50 words): 3 Marks

• Content
• Expression

Section B

IV. Grammar: 7 Marks
i. Questions on Gap filling (Tenses, Clauses)
ii. Questions on re-ordering/transformation of sentences

V. Creative Writing Skills and Grammar (16 Marks)

Short Writing Task

• Classified Advertisements up to 50 words. One out of the two given questions to be answered (3 Marks: Format: 1 / Content: 1 / Expression: 1)

Short Writing Task

• Poster up to 50 words. One out of the two given questions is to be answered.(3marks:Format : 1 / Content : 1 / Expression : 1)

Writing a Speech

• Speech in 120-150 words based on verbal/visual cues related to some contemporary / age-appropriate topic.

Writing a Debate

• Debate based on visual/verbal inputs in 120-150 words. The theme should be contemporary topical issues. One out of the two given questions is to be answered. (5 Marks: Format: 1 / Content: 2 / Expression: 2)

Section C

• This section will have a variety of assessment items, including Multiple Choice Questions, Objective Type Questions, Short Answer Type Questions and Long Answer Type Questions to assess comprehension, analysis, interpretation and extrapolation beyond the text.

VI. Reference to the Context

i. One Poetry extract out of two from the book Hornbill to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis and appreciation. (3×1=3 Marks)
ii. One Prose extract out of two from the book Hornbill to assess comprehension, interpretation, analysis and appreciation. (3×1=3 Marks)
iii. One prose extracts out of two from the book Snapshots to assess comprehension, interpretation and analysis. (4×1=4 Marks)

VII. Two Short answer type questions (one from Prose and one from Poetry from the book Hornbill), out of four, to be answered in 40-50 words. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. (3×2=6 Marks)

VIII. One Short answer type question, from the book Snapshots, to be answered I n 40- 50 words. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. Any 1 out of 2 questions to be done. (3×1=3 Marks)

IX. One Long answer type question, from Prose/Poetry Hornbill, to be answered in 120-150 words. Questions can be based on incident/theme/passage/extract/event as reference points to assess extrapolation beyond and across the text. The question will elicit an analytical and evaluative response from students. Any 1 out of 2 questions to be done. (1×6=6 Marks)

X. One Long answer question based on the chapters from the book Snapshots to be answered in 120-150 words to assess global comprehension and extrapolation beyond the text. Questions to provide evaluative and analytical responses using incidents, events, and themes as reference points. Any 1 out of 2 questions to be done. (1×6=6 Marks)

Prescribed Books for CBSE Class 11 English Core

1. Hornbill: English Reader published by National Council of Education Research and Training, New Delhi

• The Portrait of a Lady (Prose)
• A Photograph (Poem)
• “We’re Not Afraid to Die… if we can be together
• Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues •The Laburnum Top (Poem)
• The Voice of the Rain (Poem) •Childhood (Poem)
• The Adventure
• Silk Road (Prose)
• Father to Son

2. Snapshots: Supplementary Reader published by National Council of EducationResearch and Training, New Delhi

• The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse (Prose)
• The Address (Prose)
• Mother’s Day (Play)
• Birth ( Prose)
• The Tale of Melon City

Internal Assessment for CBSE Class 11 English Core 2023

• Assessment of Listening Skills – 05 marks
• Assessment of Speaking Skills – 05 Marks
• Project Work – 10 Marks

Test your CBSE Class 11 Concepts with Unlimited Practice Questions

Pro Tip: At Embibe, we believe that all students have the right to personalised guidance. Embibe offers personalised attention to all the CBSE Class 11 students to help them prepare for their exams and score good marks.

CBSE Class 11 English Elective Syllabus for 2023

Elective English is a crucial part of the CBSE Class 11 English syllabus. It is advisable that students carefully follow the syllabus and prepare for the exam accordingly. This is mostly because the syllabus will be useful later, especially for their competitive exam preparation or even in higher education, i.e., during college level. Students can have a look at the English Elective syllabus of Class 11 below:

Section A: Reading

Two unseen passages and a poem

• 12 out of 15 questions from a literary or discursive passage of about 950-1000 words. (1×12=12 marks)
• 8 questions to test interpretation and appreciation of a poem of about 10-12 lines. (1×8=8 marks)
• 5 out of 7 questions from a case-based passage (with visual input- statistical data, chart etc.) of 100-120 words to test interpretation. (1×5=5 marks)

Section B: Creative Writing Skills 

• An Essay on an argumentative/discursive/reflective/descriptive topic, leading to creative rendering, forming and defending of opinions, to be answered in 120-150 words. (5 marks)
• Article on one out of two topics to be answered in 120-150 words. Contemporary topical issues to be a part of Article writing. (5 marks)
• Speech on one out of two topics to be answered in 120-150 words.Contemporary topical issues to be a part of Speech writing. (5 marks)

Section C

This section will have a variety of assessment items, including Multiple Choice Questions, Objective Type Questions, Short Answer Type Questions and Long Answer Type Questions to assess comprehension, analysis, interpretation and extrapolation beyond the text.

Book-Woven Words

• Reference to the Context
  • One Prose extract out of two to assess comprehension, Literary, appreciation and inference.
  • One Poetry extracts out of two to assess comprehension, Literary, appreciation and inference. (5+5=10 Marks)

• Two Short Answer Question out of three to be answered in 30-40 words to assess understanding, analysis and critical appreciation. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. (2×2=4 marks)

• Two Short Answer Question out of three to be answered in 50-60 words to assess understanding, analysis and critical appreciation. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. (3×2=6marks)

Arms and the Man – [Drama]

• Two Long Answer Questions out of three to be answered in 80-100 words to appreciate characters, events and episodes. Questions to provide analytical responses using incidents, events, and themes as reference points. (5×2=10 marks)

Fiction

• One Short Answer Question out of two is to be answered in 30-40 words to critically appreciate characters, events, episodes and interpersonal relationships and to form their opinions with reference to content, events and episode. (2 marks)
• One Short Answer Question out of two to be answered in 50-60 words to assess understanding, analysis and critical appreciation. Questions should elicit inferential responses through critical thinking. (3 marks)
• One Long Answer Question out of two will be answered in 120-150 words to test literary appreciation and draw inferences. Questions should elicit creative responses and develop the ability to form opinions. (5 marks)

Seminar (20 Marks)

• Presentation – book review /a play /a short story novel/novella (tale, table, parable) to be followed by a question-answer session.
• Poetry reading is to be followed by interpretative tasks based on close reading and literary analysis of the text.
• A critical review of a film or a play.
• Conducting a theatre workshop to be followed by a discussion

Prescribed Books for CBSE Class 11 English Elective:

• Textbook: Woven Words published by NCERT
• Fiction: The Old Man and the Sea (Novel unabridged) by Ernest Hemingway
• Drama: Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw

Book-Woven Words – Short Stories

• The Lament -Anton Chekhov
• A Pair of Mustachios -Mulk Raj Anand
• The Rocking-horse Winner- D.H. Lawrence
• The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
• Pappachi’s Moth
• The Third and FinalContinent

Book-Woven Words – Poetry

• The Peacock- Sujata Bhatt
• Let me Not to the Marriage of True Minds William Shakespeare
• Coming- Philip Larkin
• Telephone Conversation – Wole Soyinka
• The World is Too Much With Us
• Mother Tongue
• Hawk Roosting
• Ode to a Nightingale

Book-Woven Words-Essays

• My Watch
• My Three Passions
• Patterns of Creativity
• Tribal Verse
• What is a Good Book?
• The Story
• Bridges

FAQs on CBSE Class 11 English syllabus

Below are some frequently asked questions on CBSE Class 11 English syllabus:

In the article above, we have provided complete information regarding the CBSE Class 11 English syllabus. Students must carefully follow it for better exam preparation. For any further information on CBSE Class 11 exams, subscribe to Embibe.