English

This is a complete, free study companion for English — built around what the exam actually asks. The topics examiners repeat most are Julius Caesar Act III: Antony's funeral speech and irony of 'honourable men', Julius Caesar Act V: Brutus, Cassius, Philippi and the meaning of honourable death, and The Elevator: Martin's fear, father's attitude and horror ending. The syllabus runs to 22 chapters. Below you'll find the full topic-frequency ranking, the exam paper pattern, every chapter, a step-by-step study plan, and the official downloads — everything in one place.

Everything here is free. We're an independent student resource, not the official ICSE & ISC body, so always confirm the current syllabus and exam dates on the official ICSE & ISC website before you rely on them.

Key information

Level: Class 10
Programme: CL10
Exam: Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
Conducted by: Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)

Most important topics (by past-paper frequency)

#	Topic	Times asked	Likelihood
1	Julius Caesar Act III: Antony's funeral speech and irony of 'honourable men'	5	50%
2	Julius Caesar Act V: Brutus, Cassius, Philippi and the meaning of honourable death	5	50%
3	The Elevator: Martin's fear, father's attitude and horror ending	5	50%
4	The Last Lesson: language, patriotism and M. Hamel's final class	5	50%
5	The Glove and the Lions: courtly love, courage and Count de Lorge's action	5	50%
6	A Considerable Speck: respect for intelligent life and the narrator's moral response	5	50%
7	Functional Grammar: verb forms, prepositions and sentence transformation	5	50%
8	Composition Writing: narrative, descriptive, reflective, argumentative and discursive essays	5	50%
9	Formal and Informal Letter Writing: format, tone, purpose and clarity	4	40%
10	Notice and Email Writing: concise event communication and formal invitation	4	40%
11	Unseen Prose Comprehension: inference, vocabulary and evidence-based answers	4	40%
12	Summary Writing: selection of points and concise continuous prose	3	30%

Based on how often each topic appeared in official previous-year question papers.

What you will study (chapters)

Chapter 1: Composition Writing
Chapter 2: Formal and Informal Letter Writing
Chapter 3: Notice Writing and Email Writing
Chapter 4: Unseen Prose Comprehension
Chapter 5: Summary Writing
Chapter 6: Functional Grammar, Structure and Usage
Chapter 7: Julius Caesar: Act III
Chapter 8: Julius Caesar: Act IV
Chapter 9: Julius Caesar: Act V
Chapter 10: With the Photographer
Chapter 11: The Elevator
Chapter 12: The Girl Who Can
Chapter 13: The Pedestrian
Chapter 14: The Last Lesson
Chapter 15: Haunted Houses
Chapter 16: The Glove and the Lions
Chapter 17: When Great Trees Fall
Chapter 18: A Considerable Speck
Chapter 19: The Power of Music
Chapter 20: Listening Skills
Chapter 21: Speaking Skills
Chapter 22: Literature Written Assignments

Official textbook

English — official textbook / study material — Free download from the official source.

How to study English and score well

Start with the highest-frequency topics — In English, Julius Caesar Act III: Antony's funeral speech and irony of 'honourable men', Julius Caesar Act V: Brutus, Cassius, Philippi and the meaning of honourable death, The Elevator: Martin's fear, father's attitude and horror ending, and The Last Lesson: language, patriotism and M. Hamel's final class appear again and again in past papers. Master these first — they return the most marks for the time you put in.
Practise with previous-year papers — Solve the last 5–10 years of ICSE & ISC English papers under timed, exam-like conditions. Past papers show exactly which topics repeat and how questions are worded.
Revise actively, not passively — Write a one-page summary for each of the 22 chapters — key definitions, formulas and the points examiners reward — then re-test yourself instead of re-reading.
Mark your answers with the official scheme — After each practice paper, score yourself against the official marking scheme. It shows how marks are awarded step-by-step, so you learn to present answers the way examiners expect.

Exam tips: how to score higher in English

Where students lose marks: rushing the high-weightage questions, skipping the steps the marking scheme rewards, and saving easy sections for last. Read the whole paper first, attempt your strongest section early to bank marks, and always show your working.

Manage your time: split your time in proportion to the marks each section carries, keep a few minutes at the end to check, and never leave a question blank — a partial, structured answer still earns partial marks.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important topics in English?

Based on past papers, the most frequently asked topics include Julius Caesar Act III: Antony's funeral speech and irony of 'honourable men', Julius Caesar Act V: Brutus, Cassius, Philippi and the meaning of honourable death, The Elevator: Martin's fear, father's attitude and horror ending. The full ranked list with how often each appears is in the "Most important topics" section above.

Where can I download English previous-year question papers?

Official ICSE & ISC previous-year question papers are available on the official ICSE & ISC website. Open the Question Papers section for the direct link, plus the exam pattern and the topics that repeat most.

How can I prepare for English faster?

Start with the highest-frequency topics, learn the exam pattern so you know how each section is marked, and practise with past papers. A subject-aware study tutor can quiz you on exactly these topics.

A Gyani AI tutor trained on the English syllabus and past papers can quiz you on the most-asked topics and show you exactly what to revise.