CBSE Class 12 English Core — Expected Questions and Formats 2027 | Padhaao Blog

In short: Nobody outside CBSE knows the exact 2027 English Core questions, so this list ranks 25 question types by evidence: the 2026-27 paper design (13 compulsory questions, 80 marks, Reading 22, Writing 18, Literature 40), what teachers reported about the March 12, 2026 paper, and the formats and chapters named in coverage. Writing formats are the most predictable part, so each one gets a template. Every stream writes this paper, so even a few marks gained here lift your overall percentage. Treat it as a practice priority list, not a leak.

Last updated: October 28, 2026. The 2027 date sheet is not out yet. The paper design below is the 2026-27 design, which CBSE kept unchanged.

CBSE Class 12 English Core 2027 — Quick Reference

Parameter	Details
Subject code	301
Theory paper	80 marks, 3 hours
Internal assessment	20 marks
Total questions	13, all compulsory
Section A: Reading Skills	22 marks
Section B: Creative Writing Skills	18 marks
Section C: Literature (Flamingo and Vistas)	40 marks
Pattern status	No change in question paper design and assessment pattern for 2026-27
2026 paper date	Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Reading time	15 minutes before writing

Sources: PW Live English Core sample paper page for the code, 13 questions and the unchanged pattern. Law Prep Tutorial and NDTV for the section marks and 2026 details. These match our English Core weightage guide.

What I could not verify

Item	Status
How the 18 writing marks split across questions	I could not read the official sample paper. Our weightage guide shows a split of 4, 5, 5 and 4 marks. I could not confirm it, so check the official CBSE sample paper
Word limit for each writing task	Law Prep Tutorial says responses are usually 100 to 150 words. Follow the limit printed on the paper
Marks per literature question	Teachers mention 2-mark and 5-mark literature questions. The full split is not confirmed

What the 2026 Paper Showed

Observation	Source
Overall moderate and well balanced. One teacher said easy for students who had practised sample papers	NDTV
MCQs were competency-based, testing comprehension and application rather than recall	NDTV, quoting a Delhi principal
Reading: passages were clear, but some vocabulary questions were tricky, and some case-based and factual MCQs were ambiguous	NDTV (Ghaziabad HOD)
Writing: familiar topics and conventional formats. Students called it lengthy but the topics easy	NDTV
In "Invitation and Replies", it was easy to tell whether to write a card or a letter	NDTV (Bengaluru teacher)
The job application named the paper "The National Times" instead of "national daily", which could confuse students	NDTV (Bengaluru teacher, Set 1)
The report-writing question covered a week-long event, not a one-day event	NDTV (Bengaluru teacher, Set 1)
Literature: prose passages were easier, and students said no poetic devices were asked	NDTV (students)
5-mark literature questions were competency-based but not very difficult for well-practised students	NDTV (Bengaluru teacher)
Extracts were mostly aligned with NCERT, and some 2-mark questions in Set 2 needed more detailed chapter knowledge	NDTV (Bengaluru teacher)
Chapters flagged as important before the exam: The Last Lesson, Deep Water, The Rattrap, Indigo, My Mother at Sixty-Six, A Thing of Beauty, On the Face of It	NDTV live blog

Where reports disagree

Topic	Report A	Report B
Difficulty	NDTV Bengaluru teacher: easy, with thoroughly prepared students able to score above 90 and average students above 75	Law Prep Tutorial: lengthy but manageable. NDTV Ghaziabad HOD: moderate with ambiguous items
Reading	A teacher called Section A easy and in line with sample papers	Another said passages were slightly tricky, and a student called the reading section ambiguous

The safe reading is that the 2026 paper was moderate, long, and gave marks to students who had practised the sample papers.

Section A: Reading Skills (22 Marks)

#	Expected question	Evidence
1	Unseen factual passage with MCQs, inference and vocabulary-in-context questions	2026 paper (competency-based MCQs, tricky vocabulary)
2	Unseen discursive or literary passage with short-answer questions	Section structure
3	Find the word or phrase in the passage that means the same as a given one	2026 paper (vocabulary was tricky)
4	Case-based or factual MCQs on data or text given in the passage	2026 paper (some were ambiguous)
5	Questions testing the writer's tone, purpose or inference	2026 paper (analytical questions)

How to answer

Situation	What to do
MCQ with close options	Return to the passage line. Eliminate options that go beyond what the text says
Vocabulary question	Substitute each option into the sentence. Pick the one that fits the meaning and keeps the sentence natural
Inference question	Answer from what the text implies, not from outside knowledge
Time	Read the questions first, then the passage, so you know what to look for

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Section B: Creative Writing Skills (18 Marks)

The formats below were named in 2026 coverage: invitations and replies, a job application, and a report. Notices and letters are standard CBSE writing tasks. Our weightage guide also lists a letter to the editor and an article, which I could not confirm for 2026.

#	Expected question	Evidence
6	Invitation and reply: decide between a card and a letter and write it	2026 paper
7	Job application with a bio-data or resume	2026 paper (Set 1, Q5B)
8	Report on an event, including a multi-day event	2026 paper (week-long event)
9	Notice	Standard task. Confirm against the sample paper
10	Formal letter: complaint, enquiry, placing an order	Standard task
11	Letter to the editor	Weightage guide. Not confirmed for 2026
12	Article on a social or environmental theme	Weightage guide. Not confirmed for 2026

Templates

Format	Include
Notice	Name of the issuing body, the word NOTICE, date, a short heading, the body (what, when, where, who), and the writer's name and designation. Keep it brief
Invitation (formal)	Host's name, occasion, date, time and venue, and an RSVP line. Write it in the third person
Invitation (informal)	Short, warm, and in the first person. Use it when the question names a friend or relative
Reply to an invitation	Acceptance or regret. Thank the host, confirm or give a reason, and keep it short
Formal letter	Sender's address, date, receiver's address, subject line, salutation, body in short paragraphs, complimentary close, signature
Job application	Reference to the advertisement, the post, a short statement of fit, a line saying a resume is enclosed, and a courteous close. Add the resume as the task requires
Report	Heading, byline, place and date, then the event in the past tense: what, when, where, who, outcome
Article	Title, byline, introduction, two or three body paragraphs and a conclusion

Mistakes the 2026 paper makes easy

Reading the newspaper name wrongly. In the job application, the paper was named in the question itself. Copy the name from the question instead of using a generic one.
Treating a week-long event as a one-day event in a report. Cover the days of the event, not one scene.
Choosing the wrong form for an invitation. Read the question for whether it asks for a card or a letter before you write.
Going over the word limit. The 2026 writing section was described as lengthy, so plan time for it.

Section C: Literature (40 Marks)

#	Expected question	Evidence
13	Extract from a prose chapter with questions on context, meaning and reference	2026 paper (reference-to-context was easy for practised students)
14	Extract from a poem with questions on theme, image and a literary device	Syllabus. In 2026, students said no poetic devices were asked
15	Short answer on The Last Lesson	NDTV important list
16	Short answer on Deep Water	NDTV important list
17	Short answer on The Rattrap	NDTV important list
18	Short answer on Indigo	NDTV important list
19	Short answer on My Mother at Sixty-Six	NDTV important list
20	Short answer on A Thing of Beauty	NDTV important list
21	Short answer or extract from On the Face of It	NDTV important list
22	Competency-based 5-mark question linking a theme across two texts or applying it to a situation	2026 paper (5-markers were competency-based)
23	Character sketch of a person in a Flamingo or Vistas chapter	Syllabus
24	Theme-based short answers from a Vistas chapter	Syllabus
25	2-mark questions needing detailed chapter facts	2026 paper (Set 2)

How to answer

Question	What to do
Extract-based	Read the extract, identify where it comes from, and answer with words from the text. Keep each answer within the marks
2-mark short answer	Two clear points, each tied to the chapter. Do not pad
5-mark competency-based	Open with your stance, support with two or three points from the text, and end with a one-line conclusion
Character sketch	Describe two or three traits, give one event from the chapter for each, and finish with the lesson

The NDTV chapter list is a pre-exam suggestion by a news desk. It is not a prediction of the 2027 paper, so revise every prescribed chapter. The two sets in 2026 showed that detail questions can come from any chapter, and Set 2 had 2-mark questions that needed more chapter knowledge than Set 1.

4-Week Practice Plan

Week	Focus	Questions in this list
Week 1	Reading	1 to 5. One passage a day, timed
Week 2	Writing formats	6 to 12. Write each format twice and check against the template
Week 3	Prose and poetry	13 to 21. Revise each chapter's theme, characters and key lines
Week 4	Competency questions and full papers	22 to 25, then two full timed papers

This is a suggestion, not an official schedule. Our English Core scoring strategy covers time use in more depth.

Paper-Day Time Plan

NDTV's live blog quoted experts suggesting you begin with reading comprehension, move to literature, and then do writing. It also noted that every student works differently, so follow the order you are comfortable with.

Step	Suggested time
Reading time (15 minutes)	Scan the writing tasks and mark which ones you will choose
Reading section	About 35 to 40 minutes
Literature	About 70 minutes
Writing	About 45 minutes, because the 2026 section was lengthy
Review	About 15 minutes for spelling, tenses and word limits

These timings are illustrative. CBSE publishes no per-section time split.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these the exact questions in the 2027 English Core board exam?

No. Nobody outside CBSE knows the 2027 questions. This list ranks question types by evidence from the paper design, what teachers reported about the 2026 paper, and the formats named in coverage. Any page or channel that promises the actual paper is a scam.

What is the paper design for CBSE Class 12 English Core 2027?

English Core (code 301) has 13 compulsory questions for 80 marks in 3 hours. Reading Skills carries 22 marks, Creative Writing Skills 18 and Literature 40. Per PW, CBSE kept the question paper design and assessment pattern unchanged for 2026-27, and 20 marks come from internal assessment.

Which writing formats should I practise?

Practise invitations and replies, job applications, reports and notices first, since 2026 coverage names the first three. Add formal letters, letters to the editor and articles. I could not confirm the last two for 2026, so treat them as standard practice items.

Was the 2026 English Core paper difficult?

Reports varied. One Bengaluru teacher called it easy for students who had practised sample papers and said prepared students could score above 90. Others called it moderate, with tricky vocabulary and ambiguous MCQs in the reading section. Students called the writing section lengthy.

Which literature chapters are most important?

A news desk's pre-exam list named The Last Lesson, Deep Water, The Rattrap, Indigo, My Mother at Sixty-Six, A Thing of Beauty and On the Face of It. That is a suggestion, not a prediction, so revise all prescribed chapters in Flamingo and Vistas.

How many marks does Literature carry?

Literature carries 40 of 80 marks, half the theory paper. Section A carries 22 and Section B carries 18. Our preparation guide for Class 12 English shows how to split study time across the three.

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CBSE Class 12 English Core — Expected Questions and Formats 2027