The Class 12 English exams took place today, March 12, 2026. English is a significant exam for students across all disciplines. Once the three-hour test was over and candidates emerged from the exam rooms, discussions immediately focused on the questions themselves, their difficulty, and how well the paper mirrored the students’ year-long preparation. For a plethora of students, the paper felt familiar. Initial assessments indicated that the question paper adhered closely to the NCERT curriculum and the formats utilized in pre-board assessments. Although the general difficulty was perceived as easy to moderate, some students encountered a minor increase in complexity within certain question sets, especially Set 3.
Exam was easy and balanced
Khushboo Arya, PGT English at JAIN International Residential School (JIRS), Bengaluru, said the Class 12 English question paper remained largely aligned with the CBSE sample papers and NCERT syllabus, making it accessible for students who had practised consistently throughout the academic year.She explained that Set 1 followed a familiar structure. According to her, Section A was easy and closely resembled the comprehension formats available in the CBSE sample papers, making it comfortable for students who had practised them regularly. Arya noted that Section B, which assessed writing skills, was also straightforward and largely similar to the sample paper pattern.However, she pointed out that a small detail in Question 5B, which required students to draft a job application, could have confused some average or slow learners. She explained that students are generally accustomed to questions mentioning “a national daily,” prompting them to insert a newspaper name themselves. “In this case, the question already mentioned ‘The National Times’, which may have briefly puzzled some students who were expecting the usual format,” she said.Arya further observed that the report-writing question required careful reading, as the event mentioned in the prompt extended over a week rather than a single day. Nevertheless, she emphasised that the question itself was not difficult and could be handled comfortably by attentive students.Discussing Section C, Arya said the reference-to-context questions were fairly easy for students who had practised sample papers regularly. She added that most of the literature questions were directly aligned with the NCERT textbooks. According to her, the five-mark literature questions were competency-based but not particularly challenging for students who had revised the chapters thoroughly.Arya noted that Set 2 followed a similar pattern to Set 1. She said Section A remained easy and consistent with the sample paper style, while Section B’s writing tasks were also straightforward to attempt. The extracts in Section C were largely the same as those in Set 1. However, she pointed out that a few two-mark questions, particularly Question 10, required slightly deeper conceptual understanding of the chapters when compared to Set 1. Even so, she maintained that the five-mark questions were relatively easy.Commenting on Set 3, Arya said that the reading comprehension in Section A and the literature extracts in Section C were again similar to Set 1, and the literature section largely followed the same themes and chapters. She remarked that overall the question paper was quite manageable for students who had practised the CBSE sample papers carefully. Referring to the ‘Invitations and Replies’ topic, she said the question was framed clearly enough for students to identify whether they needed to write a card or a formal letter.Summing up her analysis, Arya said the paper strongly favoured students who had prepared systematically. “Students who have practised the sample papers thoroughly should comfortably be able to score above 90 percent,” she said, adding that even average students could realistically expect to score above 75 percent given the clarity and familiarity of the question paper.
A paper grounded in textbook study
The English examination evaluated students across various sections, encompassing reading comprehension, writing proficiency, and literary analysis. Students reported that most questions were straightforward and closely mirrored the content of the NCERT textbooks, thereby enabling well-prepared candidates to approach the examination with assurance. Furthermore, students observed that the exam’s structure was familiar, closely mirroring the format of the school-level pre-board.One more problem noticed by students was that the format of the exams was familiar, much closer to the pattern of school-level pre-board exams. This certainty enabled most of the applicants to finish the paper within the stipulated time comfortably.
Variation across sets
There were, however, slight variations in the level of difficulty observed in the sets of questions by students. Sets 1 and 2 were broadly characterized as very easy, whereas Set 3 was somewhat more challenging, mainly due to the fact that there were no multiple-choice questions in Section 1.Although there was this difference, the general feeling among students was good, with most of them having high expectations.Despite this variation, the overall consensus among students remained positive, with many expecting strong scores. Students describe paper as manageable and scoring.Dev, a student of Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Mustafabad, who appeared for the examination at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Khajuri Khas, said the paper felt largely predictable and accessible.“The overall paper was easy to moderate, and it felt very similar to the kind of questions we had practised during our pre-board examinations. Most of the answers could be written directly from the NCERT textbooks if students had studied the chapters carefully. According to many of my classmates, Set 1 and Set 2 were very easy, while Set 3 appeared slightly more difficult because Section 1 did not include MCQs, which made it feel a little lengthier. Still, for students who prepared well from the textbooks and revised writing formats, the paper was definitely scoring.”
Emphasis on NCERT-based learning
Kunal, another student from Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Mustafabad, echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the role of consistent preparation.“The English paper mainly tested how well students understood the NCERT lessons and how effectively they practised writing formats throughout the year. Many of the literature questions felt familiar, and the passages were straightforward to interpret. Although some students found Set 3 slightly more demanding, the overall structure of the paper remained predictable. Anyone who had studied regularly and practised previous papers would have found it comfortable to attempt.”
A key subject for Arts students
Priyant, also from the same school, emphasised that English remains a crucial subject for Arts stream students, often contributing significantly to overall board scores.“For Arts students, English is one of the most important subjects because it helps strengthen the overall percentage in the board examinations. This year’s paper felt quite balanced and approachable. The questions were largely drawn from themes and chapters that we had already studied in the NCERT books, and the writing section followed the formats we practised repeatedly in class. Since the paper resembled our pre-board exams, many students are hopeful of securing good marks.”
The paper was tough
Sanya Dubey, Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sonia Vihar said, “The English paper was not very tough, but it did feel quite lengthy to complete within the given time. Most of the questions were straightforward and largely drawn from the NCERT chapters we had studied during the academic year. Students who had prepared consistently would find the paper manageable, although finishing every section required careful time management,” said Sanya Dubey, who appeared for the examination at SKV, Sriram Colony.Ikra Khan from Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sonia Vihar who also took the exam at SKV, Sriram Colony told TOI that, “Overall, the exam followed a familiar pattern and was manageable for students who had revised properly. While the questions themselves were not particularly difficult, the paper was slightly long, which meant we had to write continuously throughout the three hours. Many of the passages and literature questions felt similar to what we had practised in our pre-board examinations,” said Ikra Khan,
CBSE class 12 English question paper PDF
The official question paper PDF for CBSE class 12 English exam is provided below.
