CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 (Subject Code 301) has been released by the Central Board of Secondary Education for the 2026-27 academic session. It is a 100-mark course – 80 marks theory (Reading Skills 26, Grammar and Creative Writing Skills 23, Literature 31) across a 3-hour exam, plus 20 marks Internal Assessment (Listening 5, Speaking 5, Project Work 10). Download the official CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus PDF and see the full unit-wise breakdown below.
CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 PDF
The complete curriculum is as follows.
CBSE Senior Secondary Syllabus 2027 English Core View Download





















CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 – Marks Weightage (Section-wise)
The CBSE Class 11 English Core exam carries 100 total marks – 80 for the theory paper and 20 for Internal Assessment.
| Section | Competencies | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A – Reading Skills | Conceptual understanding, decoding, analyzing, inferring, interpreting, appreciating literary conventions and vocabulary, summarizing | 26 |
| B – Grammar and Creative Writing Skills | Conceptual understanding, application of rules, analysis, reasoning, appropriate style/tone/format, evaluation and creativity | 23 |
| C – Literature Text Book and Supplementary Reading Text | Recalling, reasoning, appreciating literary convention, inference, analysis, creativity with fluency, critical thinking | 31 |
| Internal Assessment | Listening (5) + Speaking (5) + Project Work (10) | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 – Grammar and Writing Topics Covered
Under Grammar and Creative Writing Skills (23 marks), the following topics are prescribed for CBSE Class 11 English Core.
CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 – Literature (Hornbill and Snapshots)
Literature carries 31 marks, drawn from the two prescribed NCERT readers – Hornbill (main reader) and Snapshots (supplementary reader).
Prescribed Textbooks: Hornbill – English Reader, and Snapshots – Supplementary Reader, both published by the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi.
CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 – Exam Pattern (Question-wise Breakdown)
The CBSE Class 11 English Core question paper is divided into three sections. The detailed scheme and weightage to content is as follows.
| Section | Topic | Question Type | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| A – Reading | Unseen passage (factual/descriptive/literary) – comprehension, inference, vocabulary | MCQ / Objective | 10 |
| A – Reading | Unseen case-based factual passage with verbal/visual inputs (statistical data, charts) | MCQ / Objective | 8 |
| A – Reading | Note Making and Summarization (based on a 200-250 word passage) | Short/Long Answer | 8 |
| B – Grammar | Gap filling (Tenses, Clauses); re-ordering/transformation of sentences (7 of 8 questions) | Short Answer | 7 |
| B – Creative Writing | Classified Advertisement (up to 50 words) | Short Answer | 3 |
| B – Creative Writing | Poster (up to 50 words) | Short Answer | 3 |
| B – Creative Writing | Speech (120-150 words) based on verbal/visual cues | Long Answer | 5 |
| B – Creative Writing | Debate (120-150 words) based on visual/verbal inputs | Long Answer | 5 |
| C – Literature (Hornbill) | Poetry extract (1 of 2) – comprehension, interpretation, appreciation | Short Answer | 3 |
| C – Literature (Hornbill) | Prose extract (1 of 2) – comprehension, evaluation, appreciation | Short Answer | 3 |
| C – Literature (Snapshots) | Prose extract (1 of 2) – comprehension, inference, appreciation | Short Answer | 4 |
| C – Literature (Hornbill) | Short answer questions (Prose + Poetry, 2 of 4), 40-50 words each | Short Answer | 6 |
| C – Literature (Snapshots) | Short answer question (1 of 2), 40-50 words | Short Answer | 3 |
| C – Literature (Hornbill) | Long answer question (1 of 2), Prose/Poetry, 120-150 words | Long Answer | 6 |
| C – Literature (Snapshots) | Long answer question (1 of 2), 120-150 words | Long Answer | 6 |
CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 – Continue Your Preparation
Once you have reviewed the syllabus, practice with the CBSE Class 11 Sample Papers and refer to the NCERT Books for Class 11 and NCERT Solutions for Class 11 to prepare for your exams.
Frequently Asked Questions
The CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 (Subject Code 301) is the official curriculum released by CBSE for the 2026-27 academic session. It covers Reading Skills, Grammar and Creative Writing Skills, and Literature (Hornbill and Snapshots), for a total of 100 marks (80 theory plus 20 Internal Assessment).
The subject code for English Core in CBSE Class 11 is 301.
The CBSE Class 11 English Core theory exam is of 80 marks (3 hours), plus 20 marks for Internal Assessment (Listening 5, Speaking 5, Project Work 10), making a total of 100 marks.
The prescribed textbooks are Hornbill (English Reader) and Snapshots (Supplementary Reader), both published by NCERT, New Delhi.
Literature Text Book and Supplementary Reading Text carries 31 marks out of 80 in the theory exam – drawn from 10 Hornbill lessons and 5 Snapshots chapters.
CBSE Class 11 Syllabus 2026-27 (All Subjects)
You study more subjects besides English Core in 11th class. The subject-wise syllabus for CBSE Class 11 students is as follows.
CBSE Syllabus 2026-27 (Class-wise)
The class-wise syllabus for CBSE board students is as follows.
CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027 – An Overview
The important things to know about this curriculum are as follows.
| Aspects | Details |
|---|---|
| Education Board | CBSE |
| Class | Class 11 |
| Subject | English Core |
| Study Material Here | CBSE Syllabus for Class 11 English Core |
| All Curriculum for This Class | CBSE Syllabus for Class 11 |
| All Curriculum for This Board | CBSE Syllabus |
| Full Name of CBSE | Central Board of Secondary Education |
| NCERT Books | NCERT Books for Class 11 |
| NCERT Solutions | NCERT Solutions for Class 11 |
If you have any queries on CBSE Class 11 English Core Syllabus 2027, then please ask in comments below.

