CBSE Board Exam 2026 English Sample Paper With Revised Pattern

Detailed structure of CBSE 10th English sample paper 2026

The official CBSE Class 10 English sample paper 2026 (Language and Literature) broadly follows this internal structure, which you must know before attempting the paper.​

Section A – Reading Skills (20 marks)

• Discursive passage (10 marks):
  Around 400–450 words with MCQs and short answer questions testing central idea, tone, inference and vocabulary.

• Case-based factual passage (10 marks):
  About 200–250 words, often with charts, tables or data visuals, and a mix of objective and short answers to check interpretation of data.

Practicing the CBSE Board Exam 2026 English sample paper regularly will train you to read faster and pick answers directly from the passage without getting confused.

Section B – Writing Skills and Grammar (20 marks)

Grammar (10 marks) in the CBSE Class 10 English sample paper 2026 usually includes:

• Gap filling: tenses, modals, determiners, subject–verb concord, reported speech

• Editing/omission: error correction in a short passage

• Sentence reordering or transformation

Writing skills (10 marks) generally have:

• Formal letter (5 marks): e.g., letter of complaint, enquiry, placing order or editorial letter within 100–120 words.​

• Analytical paragraph (5 marks): based on a graph, chart, map or given data, also of about 100–120 words.​

Using the CBSE Board Exam 2026 English sample paper, you can practice these fixed formats again and again until your structure and word limit become perfect.

Section C – Literature (40 marks)

According to the latest CBSE Class 10 English exam pattern 2026, Section C is divided like this:​

• Reference to context (10 marks):
  Two extracts (one from prose/drama, one from poetry) with MCQs or short questions on meaning, inference, vocabulary and literary devices.

• Short answer questions (18 marks):

• First Flight: 4 out of 5 questions, 3 marks each

• Footprints Without Feet: 2 out of 3 questions, 3 marks each

• Long answer questions (12 marks):

• First Flight: 1 out of 2 questions, 6 marks

• Footprints Without Feet: 1 out of 2 questions, 6 marks​

The CBSE Board Exam 2026 English sample paper helps you learn which type of textual questions are asked repeatedly and how much depth is expected in each answer length.

Revised pattern: what has actually changed for 2026

For many students, “revised pattern” sounds scary, but the core blueprint of the CBSE Class 10 English exam for 2026 is very similar to the 2025 pattern. The main changes are in focus and question style rather than total marks or sections.

• More competency-based questions:
  Greater use of case-based, situation-based, inference and real-life context questions in reading and literature.

• Balanced mix of objective and subjective items:
  MCQs, very short answers and short notes are blended with 40–50 word and 100–120 word answers.

• Weightage clarity:
  The official exam pattern now clearly highlights 20 marks for reading, 20 for writing+grammar and 40 for literature in English.​

Understanding this revised pattern through the CBSE Board Exam 2026 English sample paper will help you adjust your preparation strategy from rote learning to concept-based learning.

How to use the CBSE 10th English sample paper 2026 for high scores

Simply downloading the CBSE Class 10 English sample paper 2026 is not enough; the real benefit comes when you use it strategically.

• 1. Attempt it in full exam conditions
  Sit for 3 hours without breaks, follow the original sequence of sections and stick to the word limits just like the actual CBSE Board Exam 2026 English paper.

• 2. Strictly follow the marking scheme
  Compare every answer with the official marking scheme or teacher’s key to check whether you are covering all value points and using proper format.

• 3. Analyse mistakes section-wise
  See whether you are losing marks mainly in reading, grammar, writing or literature; then re-practice those parts using the CBSE Board Exam 2026 English sample paper and similar practice sets.

When students repeat this cycle at least 3–4 times before the board exam, their speed, confidence and understanding of the English paper pattern improves significantly.

Tips to score 90+ in CBSE Board Exam 2026 English

Use the CBSE Board Exam 2026 English sample paper as the central tool and combine it with these smart preparation tips.

• Strengthen reading first:
  Solve at least one unseen passage daily; focus on quickly locating keywords and learning new vocabulary from the sample paper passages.

• Memorise formats for writing tasks:
  Keep the structure of formal letters and analytical paragraphs crystal clear; marks are awarded for proper format as well as content in the English exam pattern 2026.

• Prepare text-wise notes:
  Make 1–2 page summaries for each chapter and poem in First Flight and Footprints Without Feet with character sketches, themes and values to handle any literature question.

• Revision with time-bound tests:
  In the last month, take multiple mock tests using the CBSE Board Exam 2026 English sample paper and similar model papers to build stamina and time sense.​

Download CBSE 10th English sample paper 2026 PDF

Students searching for “CBSE Class 10 English sample paper 2026 PDF download” or “CBSE Board Exam 2026 English sample paper with solution” usually want a reliable, official-style question paper.

• You can download the official Class 10 English sample question paper 2026 and marking scheme from the CBSE academic website and other leading education portals.

• On Shikso, the CBSE Board Exam 2026: English sample paper with revised pattern PDF will be attached below

Marking Scheme - https://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/SQP/ClassX_2025_26/EnglishL-MS.pdf

https://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/SQP/ClassX_2025_26/EnglishComm-MS.pdf

Sample Paper-  https://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/SQP/ClassX_2025_26/EnglishL-SQP.pdf

https://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/SQP/ClassX_2025_26/EnglishComm-SQP.pdf

For additional practice sets and variations of the CBSE Class 10 English sample paper 2026, you can also refer to Vedantu’s sample paper collection which follows the same pattern and marks distribution.