English — Syllabus & Chapters

The complete syllabus for English — every chapter you need to study, and how the exam paper is structured.

What you will study (chapters)

Chapter 1: Aural Comprehension from Stories Poems Narratives and Talks
Chapter 2: Discussion Debate Speech and Presentation Skills
Chapter 3: Oral Expression Pronunciation Voice Modulation and Non-verbal Cues
Chapter 4: Media Listening Interpretation and Source-aware Presentations
Chapter 5: Reading Literary and Non-literary Texts for Meaning
Chapter 6: Inference Central Idea Character Speaker and Theme
Chapter 7: Poetry Drama Prose and Figurative Language Appreciation
Chapter 8: Extensive Reading across Themes Cultures and Contexts
Chapter 9: Paragraphs Short Compositions and Picture-based Writing
Chapter 10: Messages Invitations Notices Applications and Informal Letters
Chapter 11: Narrative Descriptive Imaginative and First-person Writing
Chapter 12: Process Writing Planning Revising Editing and Rewriting
Chapter 13: Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns and Pronoun Agreement
Chapter 14: Subject-verb Agreement Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Chapter 15: Tenses Verb Shifts and Sentence Patterns
Chapter 16: Vocabulary Affixes Roots Dictionary Skills and Figures of Speech

Frequently asked questions

How many chapters are there in English?

The English syllabus has 16 chapters, listed in full above. Cover the high-weightage chapters first using the exam pattern as a guide.

How do I know which English chapters carry the most marks?

Compare the chapter list above with the exam pattern and the last few years of question papers — the topics that appear most often and the units with the highest marks are where to focus first. Always confirm weightage against the official syllabus for your exam year.

Has the English syllabus changed this year?

Boards occasionally revise the syllabus or remove topics for a session. Always download the official syllabus for your exact exam year from the official ICSE & ISC portal rather than relying on an older copy or a social-media list.

How can I prepare for English faster?

Begin with the most-frequently-asked topics and the last few years of question papers, then test yourself under timed conditions. If you want guided help, you can use the free AI study tutor for English — practise past-paper questions and get instant feedback — or a focused English study guide that condenses the syllabus into the topics that matter most — both are free to start.