English Syllabus

English Syllabus for Class X

READING & LITERATURE STRAND

Rationale

Literature embodies an experience of life expressed in a language that appeals. Literature reflects and expresses the human imagination. It brings understanding and enrichment to readers’ lives. Through the study of literature, students learn to respond to ideas, issues, perspectives and actions of others more critically and analytically. It also enables students to understand the structure and intent of a variety of literary forms. At this level, students must learn to explore the techniques used by authors to convey messages, persuade and influence, evoke responses and feelings and connect literature to their own lives and daily experiences. 

The literature in the syllabus provides the material to teach students how to read, while at the same time permitting them to read some of the best literature available in English.  Students have to learn how to make meaning by themselves and to have met some of the best writers and their works in the course of their studies. If we can build classroom communities where that can be arranged, our readers will be drawn to travel through new worlds of experience whose horizons keep expanding.

Aims

The English literature course aims to help students to:

1.      Read a wide range of texts with fluency and confidence using a full complement of reading strategies.

2.      Show an understanding of the ways in which meaning and information are conveyed in a range of texts.

3.      Articulate personal and critical responses to the literature they are reading showing an understanding of thematic, structural and linguistic features.

4.      Select and synthesize a range of appropriate information to support their views.

5.      Demonstrate some knowledge of major writers and their works.

6.      Understand the effects that the writer is striving to achieve when she/he alters the standard form, plays with points of view and builds image patterns.

7.      Share the feelings of characters in a story or play, or the speaker in a poem or an essay.

8.      Evaluate the great ideas expressed in the literature texts they are studying and draw inspiration from them. 

Learning Experiences

Through the study of literature, students will:

1.      Gain exposure to different types of literary texts.

2.      Prepare speeches for public performance; stage plays; and produces radio scripts and computer presentations.

3.      Continue to use the reading strategies learned at each of the earlier levels as they read a wide range of texts, fiction and non-fiction.

4.      Select, analyse, and synthesize information from a variety of sources to develop and support their responses to texts.

5.      Understand and evaluate how authors achieve their effects in their writing with the use of linguistic, presentational and structural devices, point of view, flashback, figurative language, parallel arguments, and image and symbol patterns.

6.      Synthesize information which they collect from other sources to support their views about major writers and their works.

7.      Read, talk about and write about the works of major writers.

8.      Reflect and engage regularly in debates and discussions about the ideas and values, such as separation, loss, love, compassion, beauty, truth, justice, and spirituality as discussed in major literary works.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of these learning experiences students will be able to:

1.       Read and articulate personal and critical responses to fiction and non-fiction texts showing an understanding of the structural features of the different texts.

2.       Talk and write about major classical and modern writers, including Bhutanese writers and their works.

3.       Utilise the features of literary texts to help them understand the ideas they encounter in the texts they are reading.

4.       Read and articulate their understanding of experiences such as separation, love, compassion, loss, and spirituality using situations encountered in the literature they are reading.

5.       Evaluate the point of view of the writer on issues like right and wrong, justice and injustice, in literature.

6.       Read, understand and engage with the ideas expressed by different authors in different forms of essays.

7.       Compare and contrast different cultural values, traditions and beliefs, using situations encountered in the literature they are reading. 

8.       Read a modern one-act play and learn its elements.

9.       Build their vocabulary and use the pronunciation skills to pronounce new words clearly.

10.   Read 40 pieces of fiction and non-fiction.

LITERATURE TEXTS FOR STUDY

1.   NOVEL

Novel for Study in Class X
Title	Author	Form
The Giver	Lois Lowry	Fantasy

2.   POETRY

Poetry for Study in Class X

Sl.No.	Title	Author	Form
1.	Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan	Moniza Alvi	Lyric
2.	Dover Beach	Mathew Arnold	Dramatic Monologue
3.	A Red Palm	Gary Soto	Lyric
4.	To My Mother	George Barker	Sonnet
5.	“Hope” is the thing with feathers	Emily Dickinson	Lyric
6.	Absence	Elizabeth Jennings	Lyric

 Supplementary Poetry for Class X

Sl.No.	Title	Author	Form
1.	Good	R.S. Thomas	Sonnet
2.	Those Winter Sundays	Robert Hayden	Lyric
3.	Let Evening Come	Jane Kenyon	Lyric
4.	Whispers	Omololá Ijeoma Ògúnyemí	Lyric
5.	Warning	Jenny Joseph	Lyric
6.	Miles Away	Carol Ann Duffy	Lyric
7.	The sun has burst the sky	Jenny Joseph	Lyric
8.	Ozymandias	Percy Bysshe Shelley	Sonnet
9.	High Flight (an Airman’s Ecstasy)	John Gillespie Magee	Sonnet
10.	Haikus

3.   SHORT STORIES

Short Stories for Study in Class X

Sl.No.	Title	Author	Form
1.	Day of the Butterfly	Alice Munroe	Contemporary realistic fiction
2.	Hey-, Come On Ou-t!	Shinichi Hoshi	Fantasy
3.	Is He Living or Is He Dead?	Mark Twain	Classical satire
4.	The White Knight	Eric Nicol	Allegory

Supplementary Short Stories for Class X

Sl.No.	Title	Author	Form
1.	A Boy Grows Older	Morley Callaghan	Contemporary realistic fiction
2.	Overseasoned	Anton Chekov	Classical realistic fiction
3.	D.B. Cooper	Max Haines	Mystery
4.	All Summer in a Day	Ray Bradbury	Science fiction
5.	Not Even a Corpse to Cremate	Kunzang Choden	Folk tale
6.	Penny in the Dust	Ernest Buckler	Traditional realistic fiction

4.   ESSAYS

Essays for study in Class X

Sl.No.	Title	Author	Form
1.	Layaps Go Home	Kinley Dorji	Descriptive
2.	Toasted English	R.K. Narayan	Expository
3.	Beauty and Body Image in the Media	Jean Kiilbourne	Persuasive
4.	Progress	Alan Lightman	Argumentative

Supplementary Essays for Class X

Sl.No.	Title	Author	Form
1.	Trapped	Norah Burke	Descriptive
2.	The Death of the Moth	Virginia Woolf	Descriptive
3.	Preventing Conflict in the New Century	Kofi Annan	Expository
4.	Creating a Model of Conservation: Combining Development and Ecology	K.E.S. Kirby	Expository
5.	The Art of Living	Samuel Smiles	Persuasive
6.	People as Products	Jean Kilbourne	Persuasive
7.	Hard Edges, Soft Skills	Ann Coombs	Argumentative
8.	Does the Law Discriminate Against Fathers?	Kuensel	Argumentative

 

LANGUAGE AND GRAMMER STRAND

Rationale

Every living being strives to communicate with its own kind. One of the ways in which this need is fulfilled is by expressing thoughts in the medium of language. Language is the bridge between individuals that tells them they are needed, that they are not alone. Language thus gives us self-expression and, by extension, identity. It gives shape to thoughts and emotions, and communicates these to intended audiences. It is the basic element with which the history of the world has been recorded. It is a time capsule that allows us to view and re-view any moment in the past of literate man. It is a repository of information that envelops all recorded knowledge and so acts as a gateway to development. It allows peoples of the world to understand different cultures as well as belief systems, and to share ideas. In this regard, no other language has proved more useful than English.

Proficiency in English is therefore seen as a necessity in both academic and professional life. The proper study of English entails detailed study of grammar and conventions of usage, along with other language competencies (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).   

In Bhutan where English is used as a second language and students use English frequently only in school, it is of utmost importance that our students receive direct teaching in the grammar, pronunciation and syntax of English in a consistent, thorough, and interactive manner.

Aims

The language and grammer course aims to help students to understand & appreciate the importance of:

1.             Human Language.

2.             Know the functions of language.

3.             Know some theories of language acquistion.

4.             Use direct and indirect questions in their speech and writing.

5.             Use imperative and exclamatory moods appropriately.

6.             Use participial phrases to form complex sentences.

7.             Use grammatical conventions with accuracy and confidence.

8.             Use syntactical patterns with accuracy.

9.             Know and use common idioms and adages.

10.         Distinguish between literal and figurative language and use them in communication.

11.         Select appropriate language to express concrete and abstract ideas.

12.         Discuss simple theories about how humans acquire language.

Learning Experiences

Through the study of Language, students will: 

1.             Learn the conventions of standard English.

2.             Students will learn standard English word order and how it differs from the other languages they speak. Teachers need to take advantage of the fact that students speak several languages to show how language works. 

3.             Explore the relationship between language and grammar. 

4.             Engage in activities in which they practise language for formal and informal situations; discussions on the use of slang; to arrive an understanding of how a language changes over time to meet new demands particularly language that is sensitive to gender and age. 

5.             Engage in activities and discussions in which they try to imagine a world without language; invent a language of their own; take advantage of the multi-lingual nature of Bhutanese classrooms to show how the same idea can be expressed in different languages and structures.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of these learning experiences students will be able to:

1.             Use modal auxiliaries in increasingly complex ways.

2.             Use indefinite pronouns appropriately.

3.             Use antonyms, synonyms, homonyms correctly.

4.             Use periodic sentences correctly.

5.             Use a wider range of discourse markers correctly including “however”, “in so far as”, “therefore”, “henceforth”.

6.             Use phrasal verbs correctly.

7.             Use conjunction coordinators and correlatives (hardly…when; scarcely…when; no sooner…than) correctly.

8.             Use gerunds and participles appropriately.

9.             Use appropriate language in formal and informal contexts.

10.         Understand the purposes that language serves in human interaction.

Topics for Study                                

In Class IX

1.             Modal auxiliaries

2.             Indefinite pronouns

3.             Antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms

4.             Periodic sentences

5.             Discourse markers

6.             Phrasal verbs

In Class X

1.             Gerunds and participles

2.             Phrasal verbs

3.             Appropriate language for formal and informal situations

4.             Modal auxiliaries

5.             Purposes of language

WRITING STRAND

Rationale

The capacity of human beings to write down what they have thought, dreamed of and spoken about makes their language abilities unique. Thoughts expressed in writing can take on a life of their own. They can continue to engage the reader in discussions about ideas long after the writer has departed. 

Writing is a way of thinking and learning. It is a process with which thoughts are refined and the language in which they are written made more precise. Writers draft what they want to say. That first draft is a rehearsal of the ideas and the structures in which they have chosen to present them. They will go on to draft and redraft their ideas in writing, to edit them, modify them after they have shared their ideas with their colleagues, and polish their language, until they arrive at a concise statement of what they want to say. Out of this matrix of thinking, drafting and redrafting, editing and modifying, emerges an understanding of the topic, which is much clearer and more precise than when the writers began. Now when the writers engage in conversations or debates on the topic, they can contribute to the discussion in concise ways.

Writers write for many different reasons. There is a need to write to friends. There are other kinds of personal writing as well. Journals, diaries, notebooks, wishes and dreams are written down for the writer alone to read.   Writers write to do business with people whom they do not know. They write to explain their research to colleagues whom they have not met; to argue a position, to try to persuade people whom they do not know to accept their services. Writers write to delight their readers with imaginary people, lovable animals characters and worlds different but similar to their own.

Students need to practise so that they develop their abilities and skills in each of these kinds of writing, the personal, the transactional and the creative or poetic. They have to be exposed to the stages of writing and to the many strategies that writers use to make their writing say what they want it to say. Students will find tactics that work for them and incorporate these into their repertoire of writing strategies. They will discover that certain strategies work better for specific writing tasks while others work for them almost all the time. As they write they become more aware of their own writing processes, they will take control of their writing and become effective writers.

Aims

The Writing course aims to help students to:

1.             Demonstrate fluency in spelling.

2.             Use grammatical features and vocabulary correctly and effectively.

3.             Use punctuation and paragraphing to make the sequence of events or ideas coherent and clear to the reader.

4.             Use appropriate style in a range of forms.

5.             Demonstrate general confidence and fluency in their writing.

6.             Take notes and prepare reports from their notes. 7.      Begin to apply criteria to evaluate good writing.

8.         Continue building their portfolio and using the writing process.

Learning Experiences

Through the study of Writing, students will:

1.             Write regularly for a wide range of purposes, not only to answer questions posed by the teacher.

2.             Use the writing process.

3.             Study examples of good writing selected from the general categories of fiction and nonfiction, which illustrate good models in each of – personal, transactional and poetic writing.

4.             Present their writing publicly to a variety of audiences – classmates, schoolmates, parents and other groups.

5.             Build a portfolio  of their best work in each of poetic, personal and transactional writing.

6.             Evaluate their own writing using the criteria for good writing.

7.             Help with the editing of the work of their fellow students.

8.             Have fun as they create their own work to entertain, inform and delight others

Learning Outcomes

As a result of these learning experiences students will be able to: 

1.             Respond in writing to examination questions and homework assignments at an acceptable level.

2.             Write reports on assigned and self-selected topics.

3.             Take notes at meetings and prepare minutes accurately. 

4.             Identify elements of good writing in their reading (fiction and non-fiction) and apply them to their writing.

5.             Write for a variety of purposes and audiences using a wider variety of forms encountered in their reading to include biographies and narrative essays.

6.             Use rhetorical devices, including antithesis and irony, in their writing.

7.             Select and use diction appropriate to the writing task.

8.             Explore personal, cultural and national beliefs in their writing.

9.             Distinguish the best pieces of their writing and add them to their portfolio.

Topics for Study                                

Writing to be done in Class IX:

1.             Responses to examination questions and homework assignments 

2.             Identifying elements of good writing and applying them to their writing

3.             Write for a variety of purposes and audiences using a wider variety of forms to include biographies. 

4.             Using rhetorical devices, including antithesis, in their writing.

5.             Using discourse markers in their writing

Wring to be done in Class X:

1.             Responses to examination questions and homework assignments.

2.             Write for a variety of purposes and audiences using a wider variety of forms to include narrative essays. 

3.             Reports on assigned and self-selected topics.

4.             Notes at meetings and preparing minutes.

5.             Use rhetorical devices, including irony, in their writing.

LISTENING & SPEAKING STRAND

Rationale

We are born into the world capable not only of speaking any language but also capable of listening to the language that we hear around us so that we can learn how to use it to communicate our thoughts and feelings. As we listen, we acknowledge the presence of people around us and learn to make sense of the sounds they make. The practice of the skill of listening, and the growing necessity to express what we need, think, feel and understand, leads us naturally to learn to use the spoken world.

To listen well is a skill that assists us in all aspects of our relationships with others. To listen with empathy allows us to share both messages and feelings. To listen well is to honour the thoughts of others and accept their contributions to the well being of our community. To listen well is to learn new ideas and perceptions, words and structures. To listen is to learn from good speakers their skills at rhetoric and gesture so we can use them for ourselves when we speak.

To speak is an art which we all practice. It is one of the important ways by which people know us. To learn to do it well gives us confidence in ourselves and gives others confidence in us. We need to learn to speak with ease and clarity so that we can, as people in the workplace, members of family, and citizens in our communities make contributions to the common good. Conversations of all kinds sharpen our understanding. They draw us closer, fulfilling the need for companionship as we share what we understand about what it is to be human.

In sum, we listen and speak for a variety of purposes on both formal and informal occasions. Whatever the circumstance, we need to learn to listen and speak well. The skills of Listening and Speaking are to be taught directly and practiced so that we become better at using them to help us in our quest for understanding the world we live in.      

Aims

The Listening and Speaking course aims to help students to:

1.             Take on formal roles in groups and conduct the business of the group appropriately.

2.             Speak in public at different kinds of functions using appropriate conventional forms of address, lexicon, register and idiom, and know the social appropriateness of such use.

3.             Listen to others, distinguish their message, tone and intention and respond appropriately.

4.             Speak in clear and grammatically correct English in personal and public situations.

5.             Listen to, understand and participate in oral presentations and conversations conducted at normal speed.

Learning Experiences

Through the study of Listening and Speaking students will:

1.             Have regular and consistent practice in pronouncing sounds, words and sentences.

2.             Engage in purposeful conversations, dialogues, and informal debates regularly.

3.             Respond respectfully to those who express views different to their own.

4.             Listen to examples of good oral presentations as they are delivered, either live or on tape,  which demonstrate a range of purpose and tone.

5.             Practise recounting and commenting on what has been listened to.

6.             Practise speaking and listening regularly in small groups, first on simple topics and then gradually on more complex issues and themes.

7.             Listen for signals that indicate a speaker’s tone, intent and message

8.             Learn tone, language and messages which are appropriate for different audiences and purposes.  

9.             Observe appropriate body language which accompanies formal and informal speech acts.

10.         Build their own speeches for use in public.

11.         Speak in public for various purposes: debates, explanations, reports, introduction of visitors, responses to questions from an audience.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of these learning experiences students will be able to: 

1.             Use the conditional forms properly to express possibilities and probabilities in their speech.

2.             Use reading and literature texts as a source for ideas for discussion or debate.

3.             Conduct interviews to collect specific information on assigned topics or topics of their choice.

4.             Participate actively in meetings.

5.             Use idiomatic expressions appropriately in their speech.

6.             Use the appropriate protocols when introducing a speaker and addressing a chairperson at a meeting. 

7.             Present reports orally to different audiences.

8.             Ask questions and provide supportive comments after listening to oral presentations.

9.             Explain explicit and implicit meanings in oral texts. 

10.         Speak with proper pronunciation

Topics for Study in classes IX & X                                 

For Class IX

1.                  Appropriate use of conditional forms and idiomatic expressions in speech.

2.                  Discussions.

3.                  Debates.

4.                  Interviews to collect information.

5.                  Active participation in meetings.

6.                  Speaking with proper pronunciation. 

For Class X

1.             Using the appropriate protocols for introducing a speaker and addressing a chairperson at a meeting.

2.             Presentation of oral reports.

3.             Asking questions and providing supportive comments after listening to an oral presentation.

4.             Explanation of explicit and implicit meanings in oral texts.

5.             Proper pronunciation.

Time allocation for teaching of English in Classes IX & X

This is a suggested annual timeline. It assumes a school year with 180 teaching days, exclusive of holidays and examination time. It assumes a school year divided into 2 terms of fifteen weeks each. It assumes that 80 classes of 50 minutes length will be allotted to Reading & Literature, 50 classes of 50 minutes length to Writing, 30 classes of 50 minutes length to Language and 20 classes of 50 minutes length to Listening and Speaking. It assumes as well, that 6 periods of 50 minutes will be allotted to the implementation of the English curriculum timetable (total = 180 PERIODS)

Reading and Literature           80 periods                   Writing                                    50 periods

Language                                30 periods                   Listening and Speaking           20 periods

.

Term 1

WEEKS	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	Reading& Literature	Reading& Literature	Reading & Literature	Writing	Writing	Language
2	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
3	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
4	Do	Do	Reading& Literature	Do	Writing	Do
5	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
6	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
7	Do	Do	Reading& Literature	Do	Writing	Do
8	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
9	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
10	Do	Do	Reading& Literature	Do	Writing	Do
11	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
12	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
13	Do	Do	Reading& Literature	Do	Writing	Do
14	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
15	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
Total	15	15	Reading& Literature=10 Writing   =  5	15	Listening& Speaking=10 Writing  = 5	15

 

Term 2

Weeks	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
16	Reading& Literature	Reading& Literature	Reading & Literature	Writing	Writing	Language
17	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
18	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
19	Do	Do	Reading& Literature	Do	Writing	Do
20	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
21	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
22	Do	Do	Reading& Literature	Do	Writing	Do
23	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
24	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
25	Do	Do	Reading& Literature	Do	Writing	Do
26	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
27	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
28	Do	Do	Reading& Literature	Do	Writing	Do
29	Do	Do	Do	Do	Listening& Speaking	Do
30	Do	Do	Writing	Do	Do	Do
Total	15	15	Reading& Literature=10 Writing   =  5	15	Listening& Speaking=10 Writing   = 5	15

 

30 weeks of instructional time in a year.

30 weeks × 6 periods = 180 periods in an academic year.

MODES OF ASSESSMENT FOR CLASSES IX AND X

INTRODUCTION

In the new English curriculum the emphasis was given to improve the language skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking - of the students. The new curriculum also demands for a change in which students are assessed, a movement away from the formal or examination oriented approach to informal or alternative assessment.  The targets of assessment are:

•           to assess how well students are progressing in their studies

•           to assess the performance level of the students in reference to the set Standards (for promotion to a higher grade level)

•           to monitor the overall student achievement

Standards

The Standards are statements of what the public can expect students to know and be able to do in English when they graduate from the school system (The Silken Knot: Standards for English for schools in Bhutan). The Standards for Writing and Language are listed in the English Curriculum Framework Document – Pre-primary to Class XII. 

Assessment Objectives

The Learning Objectives will serve as indicators of achievement at each class level in reference to the Standards. The assessment is guided by the Learning Objectives. 

Scheme of Assessment

The overall assessment during the year will consist of the following:

•           Continuous Formative Assessment 

•           Continuous Summative Assessment (CSA) 

•           Examinations o Mid-term examinations

o Annual Examinations

Continuous Formative Assessment

The Continuous Formative Assessment (CFA) is an assessment of student’s learning that is carried out throughout the academic year involving a variety of organised, both formal and informal learning activities to facilitate quality teaching and learning in schools.

The main aims of Continuous Formative Assessment (CFA) are to:

•           provide opportunities to both the teacher and the learner to reflect on the learning process and on the level of achievement

•           help teachers to find out what teaching methods and materials work best

•           help teachers pay attention to individual differences and learning styles of the learners

•           make learners realize how well they can do certain types of work and what they need to improve

•           enable learners to see the connection between efforts and results

•           allow the learners to evaluate themselves and also in peer group

•           enable learners to take on multiple roles – as learners, helpers, evaluators and reviewers of the learning processes

•           enable learners to appreciate each other's talents and accept the weaknesses

•           develop and tap the higher level thinking and problem solving skills of learners

The following are some of the suggested Continuous Formative Assessment activities: 

•           Ask series of questions to the class verbally as the teaching is going on

•           In pair provide opportunities for peer assessment among students

•           Provide individual students with the opportunities for self assessment

•           In group/pair work, observe students and keep notes

•           In writing activities, keep ample time for corrections and giving feedback to students

•           Rubrics can be used for assessing students’ writing, class participation, listening speaking and reading skills

•           Keep literacy Portfolios for both reading and writing activities

•           Teachers could keep anecdotal records, observation notes and conference diaries for students as part of CFA, and follow the FA activities that are suggested in the teachers’ manuals under various genres.

Continuous Summative Assessment:

The Continuous Summative Assessment consists of the school-based assessment on the Listening and Speaking Strand, Portfolios and the two written examinations. 

The Listening and Speaking Strand carries 20 marks. The Portfolio Assessment consists of Reading portfolio (record of reading, journal writing, critical response, text talk or book talk) and Writing portfolio (best pieces of writing selected by the students and best pieces selected by the teacher) maintained for each student in Reading & Literature and Writing Strands. Each portfolio values 10%.

There are two written examinations for Class IX: The Mid-term Examination conducted in the first term will be marked out of 30%. The Annual Examination conducted at the end of the year will be marked out of 70%

PAPER I: LANGUAGE AND WRITING

In Paper I the Assessment will consist of writing portfolio and the written examination. 

The Writing Portfolio includes - Journal writing for books read and the best written pieces selected by the students on teacher’s guidance, based on good writing criteria. The portfolio is to be maintained for each student and must be assessed and awarded 20% marks as part of CA.

Writing Portfolio : 20%

Best pieces of writing selected by the students Best pieces selected by the teachers Journal writing for books read Process of work The number and types of genre

There will be two papers for the Examination. Paper I will consist of Language and Writing strands. The time allotted for the written examination is as given below:

Time: 3 hours for writing and 15 minutes for reading the questions

Weighting: 100marks (60 marks for writing and 40 marks for Language)

Question Format:

The Paper I will have two sections-Section A and Section B

SECTION A

Section A is for Writing and it will be marked out of 60%. This section will test students’ writing skills through extended response questions. This section will have two questions.

Question 1: 

Students are required to choose and write an expository essay from the three choices provided. It will be worth 25 marks.

Question 2:

Students are required to write any of these letters, business letter or an invitation letter from the three choices provided. It will be worth 15 marks.

SECTION B

The questions under section B will test students’ language skills through short answer questions. It will be worth 40marks.

Question 1:10 marks

The students will be examined on their understanding of origin of words (etymology) and purposes of language and its features.

Question 2: 30 marks

There will be questions on grammar which will require students to correct, rewrite, edit, and complete sentences. It will be worth 30 marks.

Examination weighting for:

Writing

Essay                                                                                      25%

Letter Writing                                                                                      15%

Language

Nature of Language                                                                             10% Grammar Structure                                                                                  30%

Total                                                                                        80%

Suggested break up of CA Examination weightings

	TERM ONE		TE	RM TWO
Classes  IX -X	Continuous Assessment	Examination	Continuous Assessment	Trial  Examination	Total
	10% Writing Portfolio	30%	10% Writing Portfolio	50%	100%

Note:

•       For class X, BCSE will be conducted out of 80%. Each school submits 20% marks for the writing portfolio to the BBE as internal assessment marks which will be added to the Board Examination marks to make it 100%.

•       The schools should conduct term one examination out of 100% and convert it to 30%. Similarly, term two examination should be conducted out of 100% and convert it to 50%. By adding 20% CA for Writing Portfolio for Paper I, the overall weighting will be 100%.

PAPER II: READING & LITERATURE

In Paper II the Assessment will consist of Reading Portfolio, Listening & Speaking and the Written Examinations. 

The Reading Portfolio includes - Reading Record for books read, critical responses, text talk or book talk, and book reviews by the students on teacher’s guidance based on the criteria. The portfolio is to be maintained for each student and must be assessed and awarded marks as the part of CA.

The Listening & Speaking includes- Listening skills exercises, Reports, Debates, Extempore speeches, Presentations, and Book talk.

The Reading Portfolio carries 10%, Listening & Speaking carries 10% and the written examinations (Term 1 and Term 2) are of 80%.

Reading Portfolio:10%	Listening & Speaking:10%
Record of reading Critical response to books read Text talk or book talk	Listening skills exercises Reports Debates Extempore speeches Presentation of their written pieces Book talk

                 

The second part is the written examination on the Reading & Literature strand. The time allotted for the written examination is as given below:

Time: 3 hours for writing and 15 minutes for reading

Weightings:

Short Stories: 20 marks

Essay: 20 marks

Poetry: 20 marks

Novel: 20 marks

Question Format:

In Paper II there will be four sections as shown below:

Section A: Short Stories

Section B: Essay

Section C: Poetry Section D: Novel

In each Section there will be two sets of questions of which either set I or set II to be attempted. However students must attempt at least one set II (Extended Response) questions from any of the four sections.

Assessment Scheme and Question Pattern:

Section A: Short Stories

Set I: 20 marks

Multiple Choice Questions - 5 marks

Short Answer Questions – 15 marks

Set II: 20 marks

Extended Response Questions – Two questions: 10+10=20marks

Note: In section A questions will be set on seen texts.

Section B: Essay

Set I: 20 marks

Multiple Choice Questions - 5 marks

Short Answer Questions – 15 marks

Set II: 20 marks

Extended Response Questions – Two questions: 10+10=20marks

Note: In section B questions will be set on unseen texts.

Section C: Poetry

Set I: 20 marks

Multiple Choice Questions - 5 marks

Short Answer Questions – 15 marks

Set II: 20 marks

Extended Response Questions – Two questions: 10+10=20marks

Note: In section C questions will be set on unseen texts.

Section C: Novel

Set I: 20 marks

Multiple Choice Questions - 5 marks

Short Answer Questions – 15 marks

Set II: 20 marks

Extended Response Questions – Two questions: 10+10=20marks

Note: In section D questions will be set on seen text.

In each genre, the questions will test the students’ ability to:

•       Understand the text

•       Give relevant interpretations of the contents in their own words

•       Identify elements, points of view, themes, ideas, and analyse, synthesize, evaluate the texts      and apply the ideas.

Suggested break up of CA Examination weightings

	TERM ONE		TERM TWO
Classes  IX -X	Continuous Assessment	Examination	Continuous Assessment	Trial  Examination	Total
	5 % Reading Portfolio	30%	10% Reading Portfolio	50%	100%
	5 % Listening & Speaking		5 % Listening & Speaking

Note:

•       For class X, BCSE will be conducted out of 80%. Each school submits 20% marks for Reading Portfolio and Listening & Speaking strand to the BBE as internal assessment marks which will be added to the Board Examination marks to make it 100%.

•       The schools should conduct term one examination out of 100% and convert it to 30%.             Similarly, term two examination should be conducted out of 100% and convert it to 50%. By       adding 20% CA for Reading Portfolio and Listening & Speaking strand to Paper II, the        overall weighting will be 100%.