CBSE Class 10 English Language and Literature Question Paper 2026 PDF Download

The English Language and Literature examination is a mandatory paper for most CBSE Class 10 students. It assesses your proficiency in three core areas: Reading Skills, Writing Skills with Grammar, and Language through Literature. This page provides the official PDF of the 2026 English Language and Literature question paper, giving you a clear view of the standards and question styles set by the board.

Examination Structure and Pattern

The theory paper is worth 80 marks and must be completed within 3 hours. The syllabus is organized into the following sections:

• Section A: Reading Skills (20 Marks): This section includes two unseen passages—one discursive (400–450 words) and one case-based factual passage with visual inputs like charts or graphs (200–250 words). It evaluates your ability to comprehend, interpret, and analyze information.
• Section B: Writing Skills and Grammar (20 Marks): This section is split equally:
• Grammar (10 Marks): Focuses on accurate usage of Tenses, Modals, Subject-Verb Concord, Reported Speech, and Determiners through gap-filling, editing, and sentence transformation tasks.
• Writing Skills (10 Marks): Requires one formal letter (based on a given situation) and one analytical paragraph (based on map, chart, or graph cues). Both should be roughly 100–120 words.
• Section C: Language through Literature (40 Marks): This is the core of the paper, testing your knowledge of First Flight and Footprints Without Feet. It includes:
• Extract-based questions: One from prose and one from poetry (5 marks each).
• Short Answer Questions: Four from First Flight and two from Footprints Without Feet (3 marks each).
• Long Answer Questions: One from each book (6 marks each) focusing on theme, character, or plot extrapolation.

Preparation Strategy

1. Understand the Weightage: With 40 marks allocated to literature, your mastery of the First Flight prose, poems, and Footprints Without Feet is crucial. Ensure you can link themes across different chapters.
2. Master the Grammar Rules: Do not treat grammar as a memorization task. Practice editing and transformation exercises regularly to build accuracy in punctuation and syntax.
3. Structure Your Writing: For formal letters and analytical paragraphs, stick to the prescribed formats. Use the 2026 paper to see how specific cues should be expanded into logical paragraphs.
4. Simulate Exam Pressure: Use the official PDF to conduct a timed test. This helps you balance the time required for reading comprehension with the detailed writing tasks in Section B and C.