ISC EXAM CLASS 12TH LATEST UPDATE

Finally, wait is over and The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has officially released the date sheet for ISC (Class 12) board examinations for 2025. This year class 12th board exam will be started from 13 February 2025 and will last upto 05 April 2025, it will take around 52 days to complete the class 12th board exam. The first exam will be held on 13 February 2025 for Environmental Science subject and the last exam will be held on 05 April 2025 for Art subject. The Indian School Certificate Examination results will be declared in the month of May.

Official Syllabus

The subject of English has two components, English Language and Literature in English. Each of these components will consist of a Theory Paper of 80 Marks and Project Work of 20 Marks.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

There will be two papers in the English Language:

Paper I: Theory (3 hours): 80 Marks

paper II: Project Work: 20 Marks

PAPER I: THEORY - 80 Marks

Question One:

A composition on one of a number of subjects..… 20 Marks

Question Two:

(a) Directed writing (article writing, book review, film review, review of cultural program, speech writing, report writing, and personal profile) based on suggested points. …15 Marks

(b) Proposal Writing based on a given situation. The proposal should include (i) An Introduction (ii) Objectives (iii) a List of measures to be taken. A concluding statement is desirable. …10 Marks

Question Three:

Short-answer questions to test grammar, structure, and usage. ...15 Marks

Question Four: 

Comprehension. …20 Marks

NOTE: It is recommended that in Paper 1, about 45 minutes should be spent on Question one, 55 minutes on Question two, 30 minutes on Question three, and 50 minutes on Question four. 

Question One

Candidates will be required to select one composition topic from a choice of five topics. The choice will normally include narrative, descriptive, argumentative, discursive topics, and short stories.

The required length of the composition is 400 – 450 words.

The main criteria by which the compositions will be marked are as follows:

(a) The quality of the language employed, the range and appropriateness of vocabulary and sentence structure, syntax, the correctness of grammatical constructions, punctuation, and spelling.

(b) The degree to which candidates have been successful in organizing the content of the composition as a whole and in individual paragraphs.

Question Two

There are two parts to this question and both parts are compulsory.

(a) The piece of directed writing will be based on the information and ideas provided. The required length will be about 300 words.

The range of subjects may include article writing, book review, film review, review of the cultural program, speech writing, report writing, and personal profile.

Skills such as selecting, amplifying, describing, presenting reasoned arguments, re-arranging, and re-stating may be involved. The candidates’ ability in the above skills, including format, will be taken into account as well as their ability to handle language appropriately in the context of the given situation.

(b) Candidates will be required to write a proposal based on a given situation. The proposal should include an introduction, objectives, and a list of measures to be taken. A concluding statement is desirable. The candidates will also be marked on linguistic ability.

Question Three

All the items in this question are compulsory and their number and type/pattern may vary from year to year. They will consist of short-answer, open-completion items, or any other type, which will test the candidates’ knowledge of the essentials of functional English grammar and structure. Only two or three types will be included in any one examination.

Question Four

A passage of about 500 words will be provided. Questions based on the passage will be as follows:

• Questions that test the candidates’ knowledge of vocabulary and ability to understand the content and infer information and meanings from the text.

• A question that elicits the main ideas of all or part of the passage.

In this part of the question, the candidate will be required to frame a summary (keeping to a word limit), in a coherent manner. Marks will be awarded for expression and the candidate’s ability to summarise clearly in complete sentences. Marks will be deducted for linguistic errors.

It is recommended that this part be done in grid form.

The use of abbreviations will not be accepted. All questions are compulsory.

PAPER II: PROJECT WORK - 20 Marks

In addition to the syllabus prescribed, candidates are also required to be assessed in Project Work.

PROJECT WORK FOR CLASS XII

Project Work in Class XII consists of the assessment of candidates in three projects, one each on Listening, Speaking, and Writing skills. 

Listening and Speaking skills are to be assessed internally, by the School, during English coursework in Class XII.

Writing Skills are to be assessed externally by the Visiting Examiner, appointed locally, and approved by the Council. 

Details of assignments for Project Work are given below:

Listening Skills (to be internally assessed by the subject teacher)

An unseen passage of about 500 words may be read aloud, twice, the first time at normal reading speed (about 110 words a minute) and the next

ISC EXAM CLASS 12TH LATEST UPDATE

Finally, wait is over and The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has officially released the date sheet for ISC (Class 12) board examinations for 2025. This year class 12th board exam will be started from 13 February 2025 and will last upto 05 April 2025, it will take around 52 days to complete the class 12th board exam. The first exam will be held on 13 February 2025 for Environmental Science subject and the last exam will be held on 05 April 2025 for Art subject. The Indian School Certificate Examination results will be declared in the month of May.

Official Syllabus

The subject of English has two components, English Language and Literature in English. Each of these components will consist of a Theory Paper of 80 Marks and Project Work of 20 Marks.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

There will be two papers in the English Language:

Paper I: Theory (3 hours): 80 Marks

paper II: Project Work: 20 Marks

PAPER I: THEORY - 80 Marks

Question One:

A composition on one of a number of subjects..… 20 Marks

Question Two:

(a) Directed writing (article writing, book review, film review, review of cultural program, speech writing, report writing, and personal profile) based on suggested points. …15 Marks

(b) Proposal Writing based on a given situation. The proposal should include (i) An Introduction (ii) Objectives (iii) a List of measures to be taken. A concluding statement is desirable. …10 Marks

Question Three:

Short-answer questions to test grammar, structure, and usage. ...15 Marks

Question Four: 

Comprehension. …20 Marks

NOTE: It is recommended that in Paper 1, about 45 minutes should be spent on Question one, 55 minutes on Question two, 30 minutes on Question three, and 50 minutes on Question four. 

Question One

Candidates will be required to select one composition topic from a choice of five topics. The choice will normally include narrative, descriptive, argumentative, discursive topics, and short stories.

The required length of the composition is 400 – 450 words.

The main criteria by which the compositions will be marked are as follows:

(a) The quality of the language employed, the range and appropriateness of vocabulary and sentence structure, syntax, the correctness of grammatical constructions, punctuation, and spelling.

(b) The degree to which candidates have been successful in organizing the content of the composition as a whole and in individual paragraphs.

Question Two

There are two parts to this question and both parts are compulsory.

(a) The piece of directed writing will be based on the information and ideas provided. The required length will be about 300 words.

The range of subjects may include article writing, book review, film review, review of the cultural program, speech writing, report writing, and personal profile.

Skills such as selecting, amplifying, describing, presenting reasoned arguments, re-arranging, and re-stating may be involved. The candidates’ ability in the above skills, including format, will be taken into account as well as their ability to handle language appropriately in the context of the given situation.

(b) Candidates will be required to write a proposal based on a given situation. The proposal should include an introduction, objectives, and a list of measures to be taken. A concluding statement is desirable. The candidates will also be marked on linguistic ability.

Question Three

All the items in this question are compulsory and their number and type/pattern may vary from year to year. They will consist of short-answer, open-completion items, or any other type, which will test the candidates’ knowledge of the essentials of functional English grammar and structure. Only two or three types will be included in any one examination.

Question Four

A passage of about 500 words will be provided. Questions based on the passage will be as follows:

• Questions that test the candidates’ knowledge of vocabulary and ability to understand the content and infer information and meanings from the text.

• A question that elicits the main ideas of all or part of the passage.

In this part of the question, the candidate will be required to frame a summary (keeping to a word limit), in a coherent manner. Marks will be awarded for expression and the candidate’s ability to summarise clearly in complete sentences. Marks will be deducted for linguistic errors.

It is recommended that this part be done in grid form.

The use of abbreviations will not be accepted. All questions are compulsory.

PAPER II: PROJECT WORK - 20 Marks

In addition to the syllabus prescribed, candidates are also required to be assessed in Project Work.

PROJECT WORK FOR CLASS XII

Project Work in Class XII consists of the assessment of candidates in three projects, one each on Listening, Speaking, and Writing skills. 

Listening and Speaking skills are to be assessed internally, by the School, during English coursework in Class XII.

Writing Skills are to be assessed externally by the Visiting Examiner, appointed locally, and approved by the Council. 

Details of assignments for Project Work are given below:

Listening Skills (to be internally assessed by the subject teacher)

An unseen passage of about 500 words may be read aloud, twice, the first time at normal reading speed (about 110 words a minute) and the next time at a slower speed. The passage may be taken from any novel, newspaper, magazine article, journal, and so on but not from an ICSE or ISC textbook. Students may make brief notes during the readings followed by answering objective-type questions based on the passage, on the paper provided.

Speaking Skills (to be internally assessed by the subject teacher)

Students are to be assessed through an individual presentation of about three minutes followed by a discussion with the subject teacher, for another two or three minutes.

Some of the themes which may be addressed are: 

1. Narrating an experience 

2. Giving directions or instructions on how to make or operate something 

3. Providing a description 

4. Giving a report 

5. Expressing an opinion or a theme-based conversation

Writing Skills (to be externally assessed by the Visiting Examiner)

A piece of written work of about 500 words must be produced. 

List of suggested assignments for Project Work: 

1. The text of a brochure 

2. A product description 

3. A process description (e.g. instruction to operate a device, a recipe, a scientific experiment) 

4. Description of a sporting event 

5. An autobiographical experience 

6. Review of a television serial

EVALUATION 

Marks (out of a total of 20) should be distributed as given below:

1. Internal Evaluation by Teacher
• Listening Skills (Aural) - 5 Marks 
• Speaking Skills (Oral) - 5 Marks 

2. Evaluation by Visiting Examiner of Writing Skills -  10 Marks

TOTAL 20 Marks

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH (PRESCRIBED TEXTS)

There will be two papers in Literature in English:

Paper I: Theory (3 hours): 80 Marks

Paper II: Project Work: 20 Marks

PAPER I: THEORY – 80 Marks

Candidates will be required to answer five questions as follows:

One textual question (compulsory) on the Shakespeare play together with four other questions on the three texts.

Question 1 compulsory.... 20 Marks, four other questions, each carrying 15 Marks.

(Note: Candidates are reminded that infringement of the rubric will certainly invite penalty during the marking of answer scripts.)

The textual question, which will be set on the Shakespeare play, will contain three short passages and candidates will be required to answer questions set on two of the passages. These Questions may require candidates to explain words and phrases, rewrite passages in modern English, or relate an extract to the work as a whole.

The rest of the questions on the Shakespeare play and on the other prescribed texts will be set on the episodes, the plot or plots, themes or ideas, characters, relationships, and other prominent literary qualities of the texts prescribed.

NOTE: The Class XII - ISC Examination paper will be set on the entire syllabus prescribed for the subject.

Syllabus to be covered in Class XII for the ISC Examination - Literature in English

I. Drama: The Tempest: William Shakespeare (Complete drama)

II. Echoes: A Collection of ISC Short Stories (Evergreen Publications (India) Ltd, New Delhi).

1. Salvatore – W. Somerset Maugham

2. Fritz – Satyajit Ray

3. Quality – John Galsworthy

4. To Build a Fire – Jack London

5. The Story of an Hour – Kate Chopin

6. The Chinese Statue – Jeffrey Archer

7. A Gorilla in the Guest Room - Gerald Durrell

8. The Singing Lesson – Katherine Mansfield

9. The Sound Machine – Roald Dahl

10. B. Wordsworth – V.S. Naipaul

III. Reverie: A Collection of ISC Poems (Evergreen (India) Ltd, New Delhi)

1. The Darkling Thrush – Thomas Hardy

2. Birches – Robert Frost

3. The Dolphins – Carol Ann Duffy

4. The Gift of India – Sarojini Naidu

5. Crossing the Bar – Alfred, Lord Tennyson

6. John Brown – Bob Dylan

7. Desiderata - Max Ehrmann

8. Dover Beach – Matthew Arnold

9. The Spider and the Fly – Mary Botham Howitt

10. We are the Music Makers – Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy

For the ISC Examination, the complete syllabus covered in Classes XI and XII will be examined for Literature in English (English Paper – 2).

PAPER II: PROJECT WORK - 20 Marks

In addition to the syllabus prescribed above for Classes XII, candidates are also required to be assessed in Project Work. Project Work consists of the assessment of Writing Skills in Classes XII. The objective is to produce original, creative, and insightful perspectives on drama/short stories/poems.

PROJECT WORK FOR CLASS XII

Project Work in Class XII consists of an assessment of Writing Skills which are to be assessed internally by the subject teacher and externally by the Visiting Examiner appointed locally and approved by the Council.

Candidates will be required to undertake one written assignment of 1000-1500 words, which should be structured as given below:

A. The written assignment must be given a title in the form of a question which should allow the candidate to explore the drama or the chosen short stories/poems in depth.

B. The written assignment must follow the structure given below:

• Introduction:
- Explanation of the question that has been framed
- Reason for choosing the text
- Brief explanation of how the candidate intends to interpret the chosen text and literary materials used in the process

• Main Body – organized and well-structured treatment of the question using appropriate sub-headings.

• Conclusion – comprehensive summary of the points made in the main body.

Note: The text/texts analyzed in the Class XI Project Work must not be repeated in Class XII.

EVALUATION

Marks (out of a total of 20) should be distributed as given below:

1. Internal Evaluation by Teacher - 10 marks
2. Evaluation by Visiting Examiner - 10 marks 

TOTAL 20 marks

List of suggested assignments for Project Work:

1. Analysis of a theme from any short story/poem in the prescribed texts. 

2. Analysis of a character from the drama or any short story/poem in the prescribed texts. 

3. Background – historical, cultural, literary context and relevance of the writer/poet chosen. 

4. Summary/paraphrase of the chosen text. 

5. Appreciation of literary qualities of the chosen text. 

6. Identifying with a character in the chosen text and presenting his/her personal perspective. 

7. Imagining an alternate outcome or ending or extension of the chosen text and its impact on the plot/setting/characters/mood and tone. 

8. A script for dramatization, based on the short story/poem chosen. 

9. Writing a short story based on a poem.

10. Comparing and contrasting two characters/themes from different short stories/poems of the prescribed texts.

Note: No Question Paper for Project Work will be set by the Council.

LIST OF PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOKS

ENGLISH (Compulsory)

Paper 1. Language No specific book is recommended for background reading.

Paper 2. Literature in English: Prescribed Texts (For Classes XII)

Candidates will be required to answer five questions as follows:

One textual question (compulsory) on The Tempest, together with four other questions on the three texts.

I. The Tempest: William Shakespeare

II. Echoes: A Collection of ISC Short Stories (Evergreen Publications (India) Ltd, New Delhi).

1. Salvatore – W. Somerset Maugham

2. Fritz – Satyajit Ray

3. Quality – John Galsworthy

4. To Build a Fire – Jack London

5. The Story of an Hour – Kate Chopin

6. The Chinese Statue – Jeffrey Archer

7. A Gorilla in the Guest Room - Gerald Durrell

8. The Singing Lesson – Katherine Mansfield

9. The Sound Machine – Roald Dahl

10. B. Wordsworth – V.S. Naipaul

III. Reverie: A Collection of ISC Poems (Evergreen (India) Ltd, New Delhi)

1. The Darkling Thrush – Thomas Hardy

2. Birches – Robert Frost

3. The Dolphins – Carol Ann Duffy

4. The Gift of India – Sarojini Naidu

5. Crossing the Bar – Alfred, Lord Tennyson

6. John Brown – Bob Dylan

7. Desiderata - Max Ehrmann

8. Dover Beach – Matthew Arnold

9. The Spider and the Fly – Mary Botham Howitt

10. We are the Music Makers – Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy

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