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: Listening to Stories, Poems, Narratives and Lectures
Chapter 2: Comprehension of Spoken Texts and Clarification
Chapter 3: Group Discussion, Debate, Speech, Drama and Presentation
Chapter 4: Language Use in Media, Advertising and Public Contexts
Chapter 5: Speech Adaptation, Voice Modulation and Non-Verbal Expression
Chapter 6: Dictation of Chunks of Language
Chapter 7: Literary and Non-Literary Texts for Comprehension
Chapter 8: Reading for Inference Across Themes and Registers
Chapter 9: Intensive Reading of Texts
Chapter 10: Extensive Reading of Texts
Chapter 11: Messages, Invitations, Paragraphs, Letters and Applications
Chapter 12: Picture-Based Short Compositions
Chapter 13: Narrative and Descriptive Writing
Chapter 14: Creative Writing: Stories, Poems and Dialogues
Chapter 15: Organisation and Sequencing of Ideas
Chapter 16: Linkers, Closure and Process Writing
Chapter 17: Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Chapter 18: Subject-Verb Agreement
Chapter 19: Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Chapter 20: Tenses, Sequence, State and Condition
Chapter 21: Correct and Incorrect Shifts in Verb Tense
Chapter 22: Vocabulary in Context
Chapter 23: Affixes, Roots and Word Meaning
Chapter 24: Dictionary and Reference Skills
Chapter 25: Figures of Speech in Context
Chapter 26: Novels, Stories and Biographical Reading
Chapter 27: Myths, Legends, Folktales and Indian Writing
Chapter 28: Adventure, Imagination, Creativity and Graphic Novels

Frequently asked questions

How many chapters are there in English?

The English syllabus has 28 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.