CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2026–27 Latest Course Structure and Curriculum
CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2026–27 covers Reading Skills, Creative Writing Skills, Literature and language-based expression. English Core includes Flamingo and Vistas, while English Elective includes Kaleidoscope.
CBSE Class 12 English includes reading comprehension, writing tasks, literature chapters and language-based questions. English Core students study Flamingo and Vistas. English Elective students study Kaleidoscope.
This page gives the current 2026–27 course structure, prescribed books, chapter lists, chapter overviews and grammar approach for Class 12 English.
Key Takeaways
- English Core: Flamingo and Vistas are the prescribed NCERT books.
- English Elective: Kaleidoscope is the prescribed NCERT book.
- Core literature: Flamingo has 8 prose chapters and 5 poems. Vistas has 6 chapters.
- Main areas: The syllabus includes Reading Skills, Creative Writing Skills, Literature and language use.
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CBSE Class 12 English Latest Course Structure and Curriculum
| Section | What It Covers | Student Focus |
| Reading Skills | Unseen passages and comprehension questions | Inference, vocabulary, interpretation and evidence-based answers |
| Creative Writing Skills | Formal and expression-based writing | Format, tone, coherence, grammar and presentation |
| Literature | Flamingo and Vistas for Core; Kaleidoscope for Elective | Themes, characters, poetic devices, extracts and textual understanding |
| Language Skills | Vocabulary, sentence patterns and text-linked grammar | Accurate expression in reading, writing and literature answers |
Prescribed Books for CBSE Class 12 English
| Course | Prescribed NCERT Book | Type |
| English Core | Flamingo | Main textbook |
| English Core | Vistas | Supplementary reader |
| English Elective | Kaleidoscope | Elective textbook |
English Core covers Flamingo and Vistas. English Elective covers Kaleidoscope across short stories, poetry, non-fiction and drama.
What’s New in CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2026–27?
The CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2026–27 follows the current NCERT textbook set and course structure. The syllabus is organised book-wise and section-wise.
For English Core, Flamingo has 8 prose chapters and 5 poems. Vistas has 6 supplementary reader chapters.
For English Elective, Kaleidoscope has 5 short stories, 8 poetry units, 6 non-fiction pieces and 2 drama texts.
Grammar and language work appear through vocabulary, sentence patterns, writing tasks, comprehension and text-based expression. Flamingo includes vocabulary, sentence patterns and writing tasks. Kaleidoscope includes phonetic and grammatical patterns drawn from the texts.
CBSE Class 12 English Core Syllabus
English Core includes Flamingo, Vistas, Reading Skills and Creative Writing Skills.
Class 12 English Flamingo Prose Chapters
| Chapter No. | Chapter Name | Author |
| 1 | The Last Lesson | Alphonse Daudet |
| 2 | Lost Spring | Anees Jung |
| 3 | Deep Water | William Douglas |
| 4 | The Rattrap | Selma Lagerlof |
| 5 | Indigo | Louis Fischer |
| 6 | Poets and Pancakes | Asokamitran |
| 7 | The Interview | Christopher Silvester/Umberto Eco |
| 8 | Going Places | A. R. Barton |
Class 12 English Flamingo Poetry Chapters
| Poem No. | Poem Name | Poet |
| 1 | My Mother at Sixty-six | Kamala Das |
| 2 | Keeping Quiet | Pablo Neruda |
| 3 | A Thing of Beauty | John Keats |
| 4 | A Roadside Stand | Robert Frost |
| 5 | Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers | Adrienne Rich |
Class 12 English Vistas Supplementary Reader Chapters
| Chapter No. | Chapter Name | Author |
| 1 | The Third Level | Jack Finney |
| 2 | The Tiger King | Kalki |
| 3 | Journey to the end of the Earth | Tishani Doshi |
| 4 | The Enemy | Pearl S. Buck |
| 5 | On the Face of It | Susan Hill |
| 6 | Memories of Childhood | Zitkala-Sa and Bama |
Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter Overview
| Chapter | Overview |
| The Last Lesson | This prose chapter explores language, identity, regret and the value of one’s mother tongue. |
| Lost Spring | This chapter presents child labour, poverty and social injustice through the lives of Saheb and Mukesh. |
| Deep Water | This autobiographical chapter shows fear, trauma, training and personal courage. |
| The Rattrap | This story presents temptation, trust, human goodness and moral transformation. |
| Indigo | This chapter presents Gandhi’s Champaran movement and the role of courage, truth and leadership. |
| Poets and Pancakes | This chapter gives a humorous view of Gemini Studios, cinema culture and workplace life. |
| The Interview | This chapter explains the interview as a communication form and includes Umberto Eco’s views on writing. |
| Going Places | This story explores adolescent fantasy, hero-worship and the gap between dreams and reality. |
| My Mother at Sixty-six | This poem presents ageing, separation, fear of loss and the mother-child bond. |
| Keeping Quiet | This poem reflects on silence, introspection, peace and the need to stop destructive activity. |
| A Thing of Beauty | This poem presents beauty as a source of joy, comfort and hope. |
| A Roadside Stand | This poem shows rural poverty, economic inequality and the rural-urban divide. |
| Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers | This poem explores gender oppression, fear, freedom and artistic expression. |
Class 12 English Vistas Chapter Overview
| Chapter | Overview |
| The Third Level | This story uses fantasy to present escape, nostalgia and the desire for peace. |
| The Tiger King | This satire presents pride, power, fate and royal arrogance. |
| Journey to the end of the Earth | This travel piece connects Antarctica, climate awareness and ecological responsibility. |
| The Enemy | This story presents war, duty, prejudice and moral conflict. |
| On the Face of It | This play focuses on disability, loneliness, friendship and self-acceptance. |
| Memories of Childhood | This chapter presents two autobiographical accounts of discrimination, identity and resistance. |
CBSE Class 12 English Elective Syllabus
English Elective includes Kaleidoscope. The book is divided into short stories, poetry, non-fiction and drama.
Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Short Stories Chapter List
| Chapter No. | Chapter Name | Author |
| 1 | I Sell my Dreams | Gabriel Garcia Marquez |
| 2 | Eveline | James Joyce |
| 3 | A Wedding in Brownsville | Isaac Bashevis Singer |
| 4 | Tomorrow | Joseph Conrad |
| 5 | One Centimetre | Bi Shu-min |
Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poetry List
| Poem No. | Poem Name | Poet |
| 1 | A Lecture Upon the Shadow | John Donne |
| 2 | Poems by Milton | John Milton |
| 3 | Poems by Blake | William Blake |
| 4 | Kubla Khan | S. T. Coleridge |
| 5 | Trees | Emily Dickinson |
| 6 | The Wild Swans at Coole | W. B. Yeats |
| 7 | Time and Time Again | A. K. Ramanujan |
| 8 | Blood | Kamala Das |
Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Non-Fiction Chapter List
| Chapter No. | Chapter Name | Author |
| 1 | Freedom | G. B. Shaw |
| 2 | The Mark on the Wall | Virginia Woolf |
| 3 | Film-making | Ingmar Bergman |
| 4 | Why the Novel Matters | D. H. Lawrence |
| 5 | The Argumentative Indian | Amartya Sen |
| 6 | On Science Fiction | Isaac Asimov |
Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Drama Chapter List
| Chapter No. | Chapter Name | Author |
| 1 | Chandalika | Rabindranath Tagore |
| 2 | Broken Images | Girish Karnad |
Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Short Stories Overview
| Chapter | Overview |
| I Sell my Dreams | This story blends dream, memory and mystery. It explores imagination, storytelling and the line between reality and belief. |
| Eveline | This story presents inner conflict, family responsibility and hesitation. |
| A Wedding in Brownsville | This story explores memory, ageing, relationships and community life through a wedding setting. |
| Tomorrow | This story presents loyalty, loneliness, waiting and emotional attachment. |
| One Centimetre | This story explores self-respect, motherhood, dignity and everyday social conflict. |
Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poetry Overview
| Poem | Overview |
| A Lecture Upon the Shadow | This poem explores love, truth and changing relationships through the image of shadows. |
| Poems by Milton | These poems present classical poetic expression, faith, duty and moral reflection. |
| Poems by Blake | These poems present innocence, experience, social criticism and symbolic imagination. |
| Kubla Khan | This poem presents imagination, dream, power and poetic creation through rich imagery. |
| Trees | This poem reflects on nature, perception and the presence of trees in human life. |
| The Wild Swans at Coole | This poem explores beauty, ageing, time and emotional reflection. |
| Time and Time Again | This poem presents time, memory and everyday reality through layered observation. |
| Blood | This poem explores family, inheritance, identity and emotional memory. |
Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Non-Fiction Overview
| Chapter | Overview |
| Freedom | This essay explores individual freedom, responsibility and society. |
| The Mark on the Wall | This essay introduces stream of consciousness through memory, imagination and observation. |
| Film-making | This chapter presents film as a creative art and a form of visual storytelling. |
| Why the Novel Matters | This essay explains the importance of the novel as a literary form. |
| The Argumentative Indian | This chapter explores debate, reasoning and the Indian tradition of questioning. |
| On Science Fiction | This chapter connects science fiction with imagination, myth and curiosity about the unknown. |
Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Drama Overview
| Chapter | Overview |
| Chandalika | This play explores caste, identity, self-respect and inner conflict. |
| Broken Images | This play explores language, fame, identity and the conflict between public image and private truth. |
Class 12 English Grammar and Language Skills
Class 12 English grammar is linked with reading, writing and textbook-based language work.
| Area | How It Appears in Class 12 English |
| Vocabulary | Words and expressions from prose, poetry and reading passages |
| Sentence Patterns | Language work connected to textbook units |
| Writing Accuracy | Formal tone, grammar, coherence and answer structure |
| Reading Comprehension | Inference, vocabulary, interpretation and evidence-based answers |
| Literary Expression | Themes, characters, poetic devices and analytical answers |
| Phonetic and Grammatical Patterns | Text-based language patterns in English Elective |
Useful Links for CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus
| Category | Article |
|---|---|
| Syllabus | CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus |
| Syllabus | CBSE Class 12 English Core Syllabus |
| Syllabus | CBSE Class 12 English Elective Syllabus |
| Syllabus | CBSE Class 12 Syllabus |
| NCERT Solutions | NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English |
| NCERT Solutions | NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo |
| Sample Papers | CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English Core |
| Previous Year Papers | CBSE English Question Paper Class 12 |
CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus for 2023-24
| INTERNAL ASSESSMENT | |
| Assessment of Listening Skills
Assessment of Speaking Skills Project Work |
05 marks
05 marks 10 marks |
CBSE Class 12 Syllabus
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
CBSE Class 12 English Syllabus 2026–27 includes Reading Skills, Creative Writing Skills, Literature and language use. English Core uses Flamingo and Vistas, while English Elective uses Kaleidoscope.
The prescribed books for CBSE Class 12 English Core are Flamingo and Vistas. Flamingo is the main textbook, and Vistas is the supplementary reader.
Kaleidoscope is used for CBSE Class 12 English Elective. It includes short stories, poetry, non-fiction and drama. The book builds literary reading and appreciation skills.
Class 12 English Core has 19 literature pieces in Flamingo and Vistas. Flamingo has 8 prose chapters and 5 poems. Vistas has 6 supplementary reader chapters.
Yes, Class 12 English includes grammar through language use, writing, vocabulary and sentence patterns. It is linked with comprehension and expression. For Elective, grammatical and phonetic patterns are drawn from the texts.