ISC Class 11 Syllabus 2027 Elective English

ISC YEAR 2027

INDIAN SCHOOL CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATION

ELECTIVE ENGLISH
(850)

February 2025
____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)

MISSION STATEMENT

The Council for the Indian School Certificate
Examinations is committed to serving the nation's
children, through high quality educational
endeavours, empowering them to contribute towards
a humane, just and pluralistic society, promoting
introspective living, by creating exciting learning
opportunities, with a commitment to excellence.

ETHOS OF CISCE

Trust and fair play.
Minimum monitoring.
Allowing schools to evolve their own niche.
Catering to the needs of the children.
Giving freedom to experiment with new ideas
and practices.
Diversity and plurality - the basic strength for
evolution of ideas.
Schools to motivate pupils towards the
cultivation of:
Excellence - The Indian and Global
experience.
Values - Spiritual and cultural - to be the bedrock
of the educational experience.
Schools to have an 'Indian Ethos', strong roots in
the national psyche and be sensitive to national
aspirations.

ELECTIVE ENGLISH (850)

Aims:
1. To provide candidates with a wider course in 2. To expose candidates to a deeper knowledge and
Elective English than offered in the compulsory
appreciation of literary works in English.
English paper.

Classes XI & XII
There will be two papers in the subject:
Paper I - Theory: 3 hours…… 80 Marks
Paper II - Project Work ……. 20 Marks

PAPER I (THEORY): 80 Marks
Candidates will be compulsorily required to answer (iii) Description of each incident in the play
questions based on Prose, Drama and Poetry. or novel and its significance.
For both Class XI & XII: (iv) Important themes and motifs of the text.
• There will be a choice between two of the (v) Relationships between characters and
prescribed novels incidents.
• There will also be a choice between two of the (vi) Patterns and nuances of the text.
prescribed Drama (plays)
(vii) Fantasy and the supernatural.
• The poems prescribed will however be
compulsory. (viii) Stylistic and narrative devices.
1. The questions in the paper will be broadly based (ix) Students’ personal response to and
on the following categories: assessment of the novel/play.
(i) Prose (x) Humour, pathos, tragedy, sarcasm and
so on in the texts.
(ii) Drama
(xi) The novel/play in the context of
(iii) Poetry contemporary society.
The question may be character-based, incident (b) Poetry
based, general broad based, theme based or
require critical evaluation. (i) Different types of poems with their
characteristics and features:
2. Students will need to study and have a
knowledge of the following:  lyric
(a) Prose and Drama  sonnet – both Petrarchan (Italian)
and Shakespearean
(i) Life of the playwright and novelist and
important events therein.  ballad
(ii) Evaluation of characters and the roles  elegy
played by them in the text.  blank verse
 free verse

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 narrative poetry  Type of poem
 pastoral poetry  Setting
 dramatic monologue  Theme
 Mood and atmosphere
 romantic poetry
 Different levels of meaning in the
(ii) All literary devices in detail and how to poem, if any
recognize them:
 Rhyme scheme and its significance
 simile
 Symbolism
 metaphor  Imagery
 personification  Literary devices
 apostrophe  The student’s own personal
 alliteration response to the poem.

 assonance Note: Credit is given for textual detail and for the
candidate’s own response.
 repetition
Candidates are advised to exercise their options with
 irony great care, keeping in view their knowledge and
 imagery understanding of the question(s) chosen. Candidates
are also expected to be precise and to avoid
 enjambment unnecessary details.
 pun Syllabus to be covered in Class XI
 contrast
Prescribed Books
 climax and anti-climax I. Novel: Animal Farm : George Orwell
 onomatopoeia OR
 hyperbole From Heaven Lake: Vikram Seth
 oxymoron II. Drama: Twelve Angry Men: Reginald Rose
OR
 litotes
The Importance of Being Earnest:
 symbolism
Oscar Wilde
(iii) A thorough knowledge of the poets’ III. Poetry: Fireflies (A collection of poems)
lives and styles of writing.
The following poets and poems are to be studied:
(iv) Important themes of the poems.
John Milton: Song on May Morning;
(v) Patterns and nuances of the poems. When I consider how my light is spent (On His
(vi) Fantasy and the supernatural if present Blindness); From Paradise Lost; Book I –
Satan’s speech (lines 242-270); From Paradise
in any poem.
Lost Book IX - Eve’s lines (lines 733 – 785)
(vii) Symbolism and Imagery.
Percy Bysshe Shelley: England in 1819;
(viii) How to write a proper Critical To a Skylark; The Cloud ; Autumn: A Dirge
Evaluation / Appreciation, which must
contain the following components: Thomas Hardy: Neutral Tones; The Man He
Killed; The Going; The Convergence of the
 Life of the poet and how it has Twain
impacted his/her style of writing
 Autobiographical element in the
poem

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William Butler Yeats: No Second Troy; III. Poetry: Fireflies (A collection of poems)
Easter 1916; The Wild Swans at Coole; The The following poets and poems are to be studied:
Second Coming
T.S. Eliot (American-English): The
Wilfred Owen: Arms and the Boy; The Last Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; Preludes; The
Laugh; Anthem for Doomed Youth; Mental Journey of the Magi
Cases
Maya Angelou (American): The Mothering
Dylan Thomas: Death Shall Have No Blackness, Still I Rise, Awaking in New York
Dominion, Poem in October; Fern Hill; Do not
go gentle into that good night Sylvia Plath (American): Mirror; Tulips;
Pursuit
Carol Ann Duffy: War Photographer; In Mrs
Tilscher’s Class; History; Mrs Midas Gieve Patel (Indian): Post Mortem; On Killing
a Tree; From Bombay Central; Squirrels in
Syllabus to be covered in Class XII Washington
Prescribed Books Sujata Bhatt (Indian – emigrated to USA in
I. Novel: The Book Thief: Markus Zusak 1968): Search for My Tongue; The Stare; A
Different History
OR
The Namesake: Jhumpa Lahiri Benjamin Zephania (British-
Jamaican):What If; Faceless; We Refugees
II. Drama: An Enemy of the People: Henrik Ibsen
OR Seamus Heaney (Northern Ireland - moved
to the Irish Republic in 1972):Digging,
Tughlaq by Girish Karnad
Casualty, Whatever You Say Nothing

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PAPER II (PROJECT WORK): 20 Marks
In addition to the syllabus prescribed above for Classes XI and XII, candidates are also required to be assessed in
Project Work.
Details of the same are given below:
PROJECT WORK FOR CLASS XI
The candidates will produce original, creative, Assessment Criteria for the Written Assignment
critical/ analytical, insightful perspectives on any Marks will be awarded as per the criteria given
TWO of the texts (novel/ poetry/ drama – to be taken below (10 Marks):
only from the syllabus to be covered in Class XI) that
they have chosen to study. Assessment Candidates should Marks
Criteria be able to:
Project Work in Class XI (only from the syllabus to 1. Process - Choose 2
be covered in Class XI) is to be assessed internally topic/question.
by the School. - Plan a detailed
Candidates will be required to complete two projects: assignment.
A. One written assignment (800 to 1000 words) - Submit a written
outline for
and approval.
B. One Audio-visual (PPT) presentation (15 to 2. Content - Give an 4
20 minutes duration) interesting
introduction that
A. The written assignment should be organised presents a clear
in the following manner: explanation and
scope of the topic
1. The title of the assignment/ presentation - present
should be in the form of a question that information in a
allows the candidate to explore and critically cohesive well-
analyse the specified text(s). structured manner
- display a
2. The assignment should follow the structure knowledge of the
given below: topic by referring
• An introduction that states the reason to other sources
for choosing that particular topic/ - sum up main
question and text. Teachers could assist points in
by suggesting a list of questions. conclusion
3. Presentation Prepare a document 4
• A brief description of the methods and of 800 to 1000 words
adopted – what did the candidate do to References The document
answer the research question? should have:
• Results – What was the answer to the - a title page
question? What were the candidate’s stating the topic/
findings? question
• Conclusion – A brief discussion on the - an introduction
significance of the project and the - appropriate
candidate’s own perspective / views on headings and
the question. sub-headings
- a well worded
• Candidates should include a conclusion that
bibliography that mentions ALL the ties together all
material that they referred to. the main points
made
TOTAL 10

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B. The Audio-visual presentation (15 to 20 -display a
minutes duration) knowledge of
The Audio-visual Presentation should be topic by
organised in the following manner: referring to
other sources
1. The presentation should be in the form of a - sum up main
powerpoint presentation with 20 to 25 points in
slides. conclusion
2. The presentation is to last between 15 to 20 2. Presentation - display 2
minutes. confidence and
3. The title slide of the presentation should be maintain eye
in the form of a question that allows the contact
candidate to explore and critically analyse - speak clearly,
the specified text(s). The last slide should correctly,
be an acknowledgement of the references distinctly and
used to create the presentation. confidently
- maintain the
4. The presentation should follow the interest of the
structure given below: audience
• An introduction that states the reason for - explain
choosing that particular topic/ question thoughts and
and text. (Teachers could assist by ideas - not read
suggesting a list of questions). from a paper/
• A brief description of the methods off the slides
adopted – what did the candidate do to - use
answer the research question? visual/audio
clips/ pictures/
• Results – What was the answer to the effects and
question? What were the candidate’s animation, etc.
findings? effectively
• Conclusion – A brief discussion on the 3. Discussion - use appropriate 4
significance of the project and the strategies to
candidate’s own perspective / views on initiate
the question. discussion
handle
5. The slide presentation must make judicious questions/
use of AV clips/ pictures, animations comments from
and effects to create interest. the class
- deal
EVALUATION confidently
with question
Criteria for Evaluation by the Teacher posed by
(10 Marks) teacher
Assessment Candidates Marks - effectively
raise a question
Criteria should be able to: and increased
1. Organisation/ - state topic and 4 the class’
content scope of knowledge of
presentation in the topic
the introduction through the
- explain what presentation
s/he intends to TOTAL 10
cover within
the allotted
time

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List of suggested assignments for Project Work: 3. The texts that you have read have protagonists that
have shaped the plot, setting, relationships and
1. Choose a text from the ones prescribed in your
conclusion. If you were given a chance to choose
syllabus, and conduct a thorough research on the
a protagonist from one of the characters in the
background, social-cultural and political milieu,
same text, who would it be, and why? How would
the author’s own life experiences, his emotional
he/she shape the plot, setting, relationships and
and psychological concerns that might have
the conclusion of your chosen text?
influenced /impacted or affected his/ her piece of
writing. 4. Compare and contrast the technical novelties of
any two poets prescribed in your syllabus.
2. How have the genre, stylistic techniques, and
characters- their costumes, personalities, and
language spoken by them, helped the text chosen Note: The Powerpoint presentation and the
by you emerge as an engrossing and an engaging written assignment should not be based on the
piece of literary work? same text.

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