Examination Specifications

 EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS

English Communicative

Code No. 101

CLASS – X Division of Syllabus for Term II (October-March)		Total Weightage Assigned
Summative Assessment II		30%
Section		Marks
Reading		20
Writing		25
Grammar		20
Literature + Value Based Question		25
Formative Assessment		20%
TOTAL	90 marks		50%
The question paper will include Value Based Question(s) from Literature Section to the extent of 3-5 marks

 Note:

1. The total weightage assigned to Summative Assessment (SA I&II) IS 60%. The total weightage assigned to Formative Assessment (FA1, 2, 3, &4) is 40%. Out of the 40% assigned to Formative Assessment, 10% weightage is assigned to conversation skills (5% each in Term I&II) and 10% weightage to the Reading Project (at least 1 Book is to be read in each term and the Project will carry a weightage of 5% in each term)

2. The Summative Assessment I and Summative Assessment II is for ninety marks. The weighatge assigned to Summative Assessment I is 30% and the weightage assigned to Summative Assessment II is 30%

SECTION A: READING 20 Marks

Qs 1-3 The reading section will have three unseen texts as shown below: Text Number	Text Type	Length	Marks	Type of Questions.
Text 1	Factual/Discursive/ Literary	450 - 500 words	10 marks ( 7 + 3)	Supply Type - 7 Qs (Gap filling, sentence completion, Table completion, w, short answer questions and Reference questions) Vocabulary/ word attack skills – 3 Qs
Text 2	Factual/Discursive/Literary	200 – 300 words	5 marks	Multiple Choice Questions.
Text 3	Factual/Discursive/Literary/	200 – 300 words In case of a poem, it may be shorter than 200 words.	5 marks	Multiple Choice Questions

The total length of the three passages will be between 850 – 1100 words. There will be at least 5 marks for assessing vocabulary. All questions on vocabulary will not be from the same passage.

Care should be taken to cover all the three text types, ie factual, discursive and literary while selecting the passages. A poem may or may not be used as one of the three texts. Text I will be either factual or discursive. Apart from a poem, prose literary texts may include excerpts from authentic literature such as short story, autobiography, biography, travelogue, novel etc.

Whenever a poem or a prose literary text is used, the other two texts should be discursive and factual, thus covering all the three text types.

SECTION B: WRITING 25 Marks

The writing section comprises six writing tasks as indicated below.

Q.4 Writing a Notice in 50 -60 words 3 marks

Q. 5 Writing a Message or a Diary Entry in 50-60 words 3 marks

Q. 6 A composition of up to 80-100 words in the form of Biographical sketch,

Interpretation, or Description (people, objects or events) 4 marks

Q. 7 An extended writing task of length up to 120 – 150 words in the form of a Formal/Informal Letter or Email. The long piece of writing will assess the use of appropriate style, language, content and expression. 5 marks

Q. 8 An extended writing task of 120 -150 words in the form of a Story or a Report. 5 marks

Q. 9 An extended writing task of 120 - 150 words in the form of an Article or a Speech 5 marks

All the above questions will assess students‟ skill of expressing ideas in clear and grammatically correct English, presenting ideas coherently and concisely, writing a clear description, a clear account of events, expanding notes into a piece of writing, transcoding information from one form to another or using a style appropriate for a notice, message or diary entry.

Students‟ skill in expressing ideas in clear and grammatically correct English, planning, organising and presenting ideas coherently by introducing, developing and concluding a topic, comparing and contrasting ideas and arriving at a conclusion, presenting an argument with supporting examples, using an appropriate style and format and expanding notes into longer pieces of writing and creative expression of ideas will be assessed.

Qs 6, 7, 8 & 9 will make use of a visual/ verbal stimulus.

 Important Note on Format and Word Limit:

 Format will not carry any separate marks and in most cases, format will be given in the question paper.

 The word limit given is the suggested minimum word limit. No candidate may be penalised for writing more or less than the suggested word limit provided the topic is covered and adequately. Stress should be on content, expression, coherence and relevance of the content presented.

 SECTION C: GRAMMAR 20 Marks

This section will assess Grammar items in context for 20 Marks. It will carry 5 questions of 4 marks each.

Questions no 10 will have Multiple Choice Questions. The test types for MCQs include the following:

 Gap filling

 Sentence completion

 Dialogue completion

Questions 11, 12,13 & 14 will be based on response supplied by students (Supply Type). The test types will include the following:

 Sentence reordering

 Editing/ Omission

 Sentence transformation

These questions will test grammar items which have been dealt with in class IX. Different structures such as verb forms, sentence structure, connectors, determiners, pronouns, prepositions, clauses, phrases etc., can be tested through formative assessment over a period of time. As far as the summative assessment is concerned, it will recycle grammar items learnt over a period of time and will test them in context.

Tests types used will include gap-filling, cloze (gap filling exercise with blanks at regular intervals), sentence completion, recording word groups into sentences, editing, dialogue-completion and sentence-transformation.

The grammar syllabus will be sampled each year, with marks allotted for:

Verbs forms

Sentence structures

Other areas etc.

Note: Jumbled words in reordering exercise to test syntax will involve sentences in a context. Each sentence will be split into sense groups (not necessarily into single words) and jumbled up.

SECTION D: LITERATURE 25 Marks

Q. 15 will have the following arrangement:

15 A: An extract from poetry with three Multiple Choice Questions based on reference

to context. 3 marks

15 B: An extract from a short story with three reference to context questions requiring

the students to supply the answers. 3 marks

15 C: An extract from a play with three reference to context questions requiring the

students to supply the answers. 3 marks

Q. 16 Three out of four short answer type questions in 50 -60 words based on prose, poetry

and play of 2 marks each. The questions will not test recall but inference and

evaluation. 6 marks

Q. 17 One question based on values and key messages brought out on the basis of

prescribed texts based on prose or play in about 120-150 words. 5 marks

Q 18 One out of two long answer type questions to assess personal response to text (story,

poem or play) by going beyond the text/ poem/story or extract. Creativity,

imagination and extrapolation beyond the text and across two texts will also be

assessed in 120-150 words. 5 marks

Prescribed Books/ Materials

1. Interact in English – X Main Course Book Revised edition

2. Interact in English – X Literature Reader Revised edition Published by CBSE

3. Interact in English –X Workbook Revised edition Delhi-110092

Reading Section:

Reading for comprehension, critical evaluation, inference and analysis is a skill to be tested formatively as well as summatively. There will be no division of passages for this section, however, for reading purpose. The Interact in English Main Course Book will be read in two terms i.e. Term I (April-September) and Term II (October-March).

Writing Section:

All types of short and extended writing tasks will be dealt with in both I and II Term Summative as well as in Formative Assessment. For purpose of assessment all themes dealt with in Main Course Book and other themes may be used.

Note on assessing Writing Tasks.

Long Answer Question (LAQ)I (80-100 words)

Q. 4 Content : 2 marks

Expression : 2 marks (Accuracy & Fluency)

Total : 4 marks

Upto one mark may be deducted for spelling, punctuation and grammar errors.

Long Answer Question II (120-150 words)

Q. 5 Content : 3 marks

Fluency : 1 mark

Accuracy : 1 mark

Total : 5 marks

Though marks have been allotted specifically for Content, they should not be awarded in a mechanical manner. For instance, if a student has merely mentioned the value points (content) as per the marking scheme, the examiner should assess whether the content has been expressed/communicated in a coherent and cohesive manner. It means content and expression are perceived as interlinked aspects of writing.

Similarly in all the writing tasks credit should be given to creativity in the realm of ideas and language use. What it means for the examiner is that students who think differently and are able to use the language with felicity in terms of structures as well as vocabulary should be given due weightage. This need not necessarily be seen as leaning towards subjectivity in marking. A proper balance of content, expression (accuracy, fluency, cohesion and coherence) and creativity would encourage students to aim for higher standards in written communication. Errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar should be penalised to the extent of marks allotted for Accuracy.

Grammar:

Grammar items mentioned in the syllabus will be taught and assessed summatively as well as formatively over a period of time. There will be no division of syllabus for Grammar in the summative of formative assessments for the terms. However a suggested split – up of the Work Book for the two terms is given to help teachers in planning their classroom teaching. NOTE:

PLEASE NOTE THE MODIFIED WEIGHTAGE ALLOCATED TO QUESTIONS IN THE TEXTBOOKS SECTION.

* NOTE ON WORKBOOK

The suggested split up of the units of the Workbook reflects a distribution for the purpose of classroom teaching only. Since grammar and usage is not to be tested discreetly, but in an integrated manner, the split up as shown above will not restrict questions in the grammar section of SA I and SA II question papers to the specific units shown in the split up of Workbook units. Grammar will be tested recycling grammar items learnt over a period of time in a comprehensive manner. Teachers may adapt this suggested distribution for classroom teaching making modifications according to their specific needs. Similarly Formative Assessment of grammar items may also be carried out in an integrated manner along with the skills of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening as well as Literature.

Note:

1. Formative Assessment is assessment ‘for’ learning. Thus schools may adapt the above break-up as per their convenience.

2. All activities related to Formative Assessment such as Language games, quizzes, projects, role plays, dramatization, script writing etc must be done as „in class‟ and „in school‟ activities. In case, a field survey or visit is taken up it must be under the direct supervision of the teacher.

Design of Questio Paper

English (Communicative) (101)

Class-X 9 (2012-13) Division of Syllabus for Term II (October-March)

Total Weightage Assigned

Summative Assessment II

30%

Section

Marks

Reading

20

Writing

25

Grammar

20

Literature + Value Based Question

25

Formative Assessment

20%

TOTAL

90 marks

50%

The question paper will include Value Based Question(s) from Literature Section to the extent of 3-5 marks

Sr. No.

Skills to be tested

Strategies

No. of Questions

Total Marks

Remarks

1.

READING COMPREHENSION

One Literary unseen comprehension passage of 450-500 words with questions based on any of the following Very Short Answer Questions, Gap Filling or Sentences Completion or Table Completion and Reference to context Vocabulary/ Word Attack Skills

10 VSAQs x 1 07 10 Very Short 03 Answer

10

2.

READING COMPREHENSION

One Factual unseen comprehension passage of 200-300 words with questions based on Inference and Interpretation and Vocabulary

5 MCQs x 1

05

3.

READING COMPREHENSION

One Discursive unseen comprehension passage of 200-300 words based on Inference and Interpretation and Vocabulary

5 MCQs x 1

05

Total 20 marks for Reading Section

TOTAL MARKS 20

4.

WRITING

A composition of 50-60 words in the form of a Notice

1 SAQ II

03

5.

WRITING

A Message or a Diary Entry in 50-60 words

1 SAQ II

03

6

WRITING

A composition of 100-120 words in the form of Biographical Sketch or Data Interpretation or Description of (People or Objects or Events)

1 LAQ I x 5=

04

7

WRITING

An extended writing task of 120-150 words in the form of a Formal/ Informal Letter or Email. The long piece of writing will assess the use of appropriate style, language, content and expression.

1 LAQ IIx5 =

05

8.

WRITING

An extended writing task of 120-150 words in the form of a story or a report

1 LAQ II x 5 =

05

9.

WRITING

An extended writing task 120-150 words in the form of an Article or a Speech.

1 LAQ II x 5 =

05

Total marks for Writing Section 25

TOTAL MARKS

10.

GRAMMAR

Question 10 will have Multiple Choice Questions on Gap filling, Sentence Completion, Dialogue Completion

4 MCQs x 1 =

04

11.

GRAMMAR

Questions 11 will be based on response supplied by students (Supply Type). Sentence reordering

4 VSAQs x 1 =

04

12.

GRAMMAR

Questions 12 will be based on response supplied by students (Supply Type). Editing/ Omission

4 VSAQs x 1 =

04

13.

GRAMMAR

Questions 13 will be based on response supplied by students (Supply Type). Sentence transformation

4 VSAQs x 1 =

04

14.

GRAMMAR

Questions 14 will be based on response supplied by students (Supply Type). Sentence transformation

4 VSAQs x 1 =

04

Total Marks for Grammar Section 20

TOTAL MARKS 20

15 (a)

LITERATURE

Question 15 A an extract from poetry based on reference to context.

3 MCQs x 1 =

03

15 (b)

LITERATURE

Question 15 B an extract from a short story with three reference to context questions requiring the students to supply the answers.

3 VSAQs x 1 =

03

15 (c)

LITERATURE

Question 15 C, an extract from a play with three references to context questions requiring the students to supply the answers.

3 VSAQs x 1 =

03

16

LITERATURE

Question 16 Three out of four answer type questions based on prose, poetry and play testing inference and evaluation 50-60 words each

3 SAQs I x 2 =

06

17

LITERATURE

Question 17 One question based values and key message brought out on the basis of prescribed texts based on prose or play in about 120-150 words.

1 LAQ II x 1=

05

18

LITERATURE

Question 18 One out of two long answer type questions to assess personal response to text (story, poem play) by going beyond the text/ poem/ story or extract. Creativity, imagination and extrapolation beyond the text and across two texts will also be assessed in 120-150 words.

1 LAQ x 1=

05

Total marks for Literature Section 25

TOTAL MARKS 25 TEMPLATE FOR ENGLISH – COMMUNICATIVE COURSE Summary

MCQs

VSA

SA I

SA II

LAQ I

LAQ II

1 marks each

1 mark each

30-40 2 marks

50-60 words 3 marks

80-100 words 4 marks

120-150 words 5 marks