cbse class 11 english core syllabus 2014-2015

EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS Class XI (ENGLISH CORE)

One paper                                                  3 Hours                                                 Marks: 100

Unitwise Weightage

Unit	Areas of Learning                                                                                              Marks
A.	Reading Unseen Passages (Two)                      8+7=15	45
B.	Writing                                                            5+8+7=20
C.	Grammar                                                                     10
D.	Textual Questions (i)     Textbook                                               4+10+6=20 (ii)    Supplementary Reader	20
E.	Long Readin Text-Novel                                   7+8=15	15
F.	Conversation Skills (i)     Listening                                                        5+5=10 (ii)    Speaking	10
G.	Reading Project                                                         10	10
	TOTAL	100

 cbse class 11 english core  syllabus

READING

SECTION - A

Reading Comprehension - 15 Marks

Reading Unseen Passages for Comprehension and Note Making

This section will have two unseen passages followed by a variety of questions. The total length of the two passages shall be around 1100 (600 + 500).

Question 1: Long Reading Passage of 600 Words                                                  08 Marks

Question 1 shall have two sets of questions

a)     6 Questions carrying 1 mark each, out of which two shall be MCQs -  6x1= 6 Marks b)  Vocabulary Testing - 2 Questions carrying one mark each.                                          2x1= 2 Marks

Question 2: Reading Passage of 500 Words for Summary and Note Making         07 Marks

a)     Note making - 5 Marks b) Summary - 2 Marks

 cbse class 11 english core  syllabus

SECTION B Writing Skills - 20 Marks

WRITING                                                                                            20 Marks      40 periods

Question 3: One out of two short writing/composition tasks based on notice/ poster/ advertisement. (50 Words)    05 Marks

Question 4: One out of two compositions in the form of article, speech, report writing or a narrative

(150 - 200 Words)                                                                                                       08 Marks

Question 5: Writing one out of two letters based on verbal input. It would cover all types of letters.

07 Marks

Letter types may include:

(a)         business or official letters (for making enquiries, registering complaints, asking for and giving information, placing orders and sending replies):

(b)     letters to the editor (giving suggestions on an issue) (c)    application for a job

(d)                                                                                                                      letter to the school or colleges authorities, regarding admissions, school issues, requirements /suitability of courses etc.        07 Marks

SECTION C Grammar - 10 Marks

Different grammatical structures in meaningful contexts will be tested. Item types will include gap

filling, sentence re-ordering, dialogue completion and sentence transformation. The grammar syllabus will include determiners, tenses, clauses, modals and Voice. These grammar areas will be tested using the following test types.

Question 6: Error Correction                                                                                     04 Marks Question 7: Editing Task                                                                                                                            04 Marks Question 8: Re - Ordering of Sentences                                                                                                02 Marks

SECTION D

Textual Question - 20 Marks

Questions on the prescribed textbooks will test comprehension at different levels: literal, inferential and evaluative based on the following prescribed textbooks:

1.      Hornbill : Text Book published by NCERT, New Delhi                                      12 Marks

2.      Snapshots : Supplementary Reader published by NCERT, New Delhi              08 Marks

The following have been deleted:

Name of the Text Book	Name of the lessons deleted
Hornbill	1. Landscape of the Soul
	2. The Adventure
	3. Silk Road
	4. The Laburnum Top (Poetry)
Snapshots	5. The Ghat of the only World

Question 9: One out of two extracts based on poetry from the text to test reference to context, comprehension and appreciation.                                                                  01x04 = 04 Marks

Question 10: Five out of six short answer questions (up to 40 words) on the lessons from poetry prose and plays from both Hornbill and Snapshots with 3+3 pattern. (3 questions each from each book)          05X02 = 10 Marks

Question 11: One out of two long answer questions based on the prescribed Text Books both

Hornbill and Snapshots with 1+1 pattern. (150 Words)                           01X06 = 06 Marks

 cbse class 11 english core  syllabus

SECTION E

Long Reading Text - Novel - 15 Marks

With a view to inculcate the habit of reading among the students, CBSE has introduced compulsory reading of a Long Reading Text - Novel in the English Core Course and will be evaluated in both Formative and Summative Assessments.

The long reading text prescribed for class XI is:

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde           (unabridged version 1906 Edition)

or

Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington  2000 Edition

Schools can opt for anyone of the above texts.

There will be two long answer questions on the theme, plot, character and incidents from the prescribed

Novel.

Question 12: Long Answer Question (Approximately 150 Words)                             08 Marks

Question 13: Long Answer Question (Approximately 130 Words)                             07 Marks

SECTION F Conversation Skills - 10 Marks

Formal testing of Conversation skills both listening and speaking will be conducted in Classes IX and

XI by CBSE in collaboration with an external agency.

Conversation Skills                                                                                                    10 marks

(Listening + Speaking)

Conversation Skills will be tested both as part of Formative & Summative Assessment. Out of the 10 marks allotted for Conversation, 05 marks may be used for testing listening and 05 marks for testing speaking. The Conversation Skills Assessment Scale may be used for evaluation.

Listening

The examiner will read aloud either a passage on a relevant theme or a short story. The passage may be factual or discursive. The length of the passage should be around 350 words. The examinees are expected to complete the listening comprehension tasks given in a separate sheet while listening to the teacher. The tasks set may be gap-filling, multiple choice, true or false or short answer questions. There may be ten different questions for half a mark each.

Speaking

Speaking shall be tested either through narration using a sequence of pictures or through description of a picture of people or places. It may also require speaking on a given topic involving a personal experience. Description of a picture (can be pictures of people or places)

NOTE:

The duration of the speaking test should not be less than 5 minutes for each candidate. At the start of the examination the examiner will give the candidate some time to prepare

for the task.

Once the candidate has started speaking, the examiner should intervene as little as possible.

Topics chosen should be within the personal experience of the examinee such as: relating a funny anecdote, retelling the theme of a book read or a movie seen recently. defending characters' actions in the story.

 cbse class 11 english core  syllabus

Listening

The learner:

Conversation Skills Assessment Scale

1.    Has general ability to understand word and phrases in a familiar context but cannot follow connected speech.

2.    Has ability to follow short connected utterances in a familiar context;

3.    Has ability to understand explicitly stated information in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts;

4.    Understands a range of longer spoken texts with reasonable accuracy, and is able to draw inferences;

5.    Shows ability to interpret complex discourse in terms of points of view; adapts listening strategies to suit purposes.

Speaking

The learner:

1.    shows ability to use only isolated words and phrases but cannot operate on connected speech level;

2.    in familiar situations, uses only short connected utterances with limited accuracy;

3.    shows ability to use more complex utterances with some fluency in longer discourse; still makes some errors which impede communication;

4.    organises and presents thoughts in a reasonably logical and fluent manner in unfamiliar situations; makes errors which do not interfere with communication;

5.    c a n  s p o n t a n e o u s l y  a d a p t  s t y l e appropriate to purpose and audience;

makes only negligible errors.

SECTION G Reading Project - 10 Marks

IInculcating good reading habits in children has always been a concern for all stakeholders in education. The purpose is to create independent thinking individuals with the ability to not only create their own knowledge but also critically interpret, analyse and evaluate it with objectivity and fairness. This will also help students in learning and acquiring better language skills.

Creating learners for the 21st century involves making them independent learners who can 'learn, unlearn and relearn' and if our children are in the habit of reading they will learn to reinvent themselves and deal with the many challenges that lie ahead of them.

Reading is not merely decoding information or pronouncing words correctly, it is an interactive dialogue between the author and the reader in which the reader and author share their experiences and knowledge

with each other which helps them to understand the text and impart meaning to the text other than what the author himself may have implied. Good readers are critical readers with an ability to arrive at a deeper understanding of not only the world presented in the book but also of the real world around them. They not only recall what they read but comprehend it too. Their critical reading and understanding of the text helps them create new understanding, solve problems, infer and make connections to other texts and experiences. Reading does not mean reading for leisure only but also for information, analysis and synthesis of knowledge. The child may be encouraged to read on topics as diverse as science and technology, politics and history. This will improve his/her critical thinking skills and also help in improving his/her concentration.

Reading any text should be done with the purpose of:-

1.     reading silently at varying speeds depending on the purpose of reading:

2.     adopting different strategies for different types of texts, both literary and non-literary:

3.     recognising the organisation of a text:

4.     dentifying the main points of a text;

5.     understanding relations between different parts of a text through lexical and grammatical cohesion devices.

6.     anticipating and predicting what will come next.

7.     deducing the meaning of unfamiliar lexical items in a given context:

8.     consulting a dictionary to obtain information on the meaning and use of lexical items:

9.     analysing, interpreting, inferring (and evaluating) the ideas in the text:

10.   selecting and extracting from text information required for a specific purpose.

11.    retrieving and synthesising information from a range of reference material using study skills such as skimming and scanning:

12.   interpreting texts by relating them to other material on the same theme (and to their own experience and knowledge): and

13.   reading extensively on their own for pleasure.

A good reader is most often an independent learner and consequently an independent thinker capable of taking his/her own decisions in life rationally. Such a learner will most assuredly also be capable of critical thinking.

Reading a book should lead to creative and individual response to the author's ideas presented in the book in the form of:-

short review dramatisation of the story commentary on the characters

critical evaluation of the plot, story line and characters

comparing and contrasting the characters within the story and with other characters in stories by the same author or by the other authors

extrapolating about the story's ending or life of characters after the story ends defending characters' actions in the story.

making an audio story out of the novel/text to be read out to younger children. Interacting with the author

Holding a literature fest where various characters interact with each other Acting like authors/poets/dramatists, to defend their works and characters. Symposiums and seminars for introducing a book, an author, or a theme

Finding similar text in other languages, native or otherwise and looking at differences and similarities.

Creating graphic novels out of novels/short stories read

Dramatising incidents from a novel or a story

Creating their own stories

1.   A Reading Project of 10 marks has been introduced in class XI.

2.   Schools may use books of their own choice.

3.   Schools can vary the level but at least one book per term is to be read by every child.

Teachers may opt for:-

One book;

Books by one author; or

Books of one genre; to be read by the whole class.

The Project should lead to independent learning/ reading skills and hence the chosen book/ selection should not be taught in class, but may be introduced through activities and be left for the students to read at their own pace. Teachers may, however, choose to assess a child's progress or success in reading the book by asking for verbal or written progress reports, looking at the diary entries of students, engaging in a discussion about the book, giving a short quiz or a worksheet about the book/ short story. The mode of intermittent assessment may be decided by the teacher as she/he sees fit.

These may be used for Formative Assessment (F1, F2, F3 and F4) only. Various modes of assessment such as conducting Reviews, Discussions, Open Houses, Exchanges, Interact with the Author, writing script for plays can be considered.