CBSE Class 12 English Core Sample Paper 2025-26 with Solutions, Download PDF

CBSE Class 12 English Core Sample Paper: The Central Board of Secondary Education has released the Class 12th sample paper for all subjects in PDF format. CBSE Class 12 English Sample Paper 2025-26 for the core and elective courses has been published on the CBSE academic portal. By practicing the English Sample Paper Class 12, students can get familiar with the question paper scheme, marking system, and what type of questions they encounter in the exam hall.

CBSE Class 12 English Sample Paper 2025-26

The CBSE Class 12 English sample paper has been released for both Core and basic courses. Along with the paper, the marking sheme also known as solutions is also made avaible on the official website. On the page we have shared the English Core Sample question paper with solutions. Practice thses paper effciently and bosst your preparation by undersatnding the real exam format.

English Sample Paper Class 12 2025-26 Pattern

The whole class 12th English paper carries a total of 100 marks, which is divided into two segments: Written Theory Exam of 80 marks and the remaining 20 marks allotted for the project work. Check out the pattern of the English sample paper, and the key instructions are mentioned below.

• This English Sample Paper Class 12 2025-26 has 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.
• This Class 12th English question paper contains three sections:
  • Section A: Reading Skills,
  • Section B: Creative Writing Skills
  • Section C: Literature.
• Attempt all questions based on specific instructions for each part.
• Write the correct question number and part thereof in your answer sheet.
• Separate instructions are given with each question/part, wherever necessary.
• Adhere to the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

English Core Class 12 Sample Paper 2025-26 PDF Download

For easy access, we have shared the direct links to download the CBSE Class 12 Sample paper PDF, also with the marking scheme/solution PDF here under.

CBSE Class 12 English Core Sample Paper 2025-26 with Solutions

As earlier said, the Class 12 sample paper for English core is divided into three sections, namely Section A, B, and C. We have shared the CBSE Class 12 English Sample Paper with solutions for the core in the section below.

Class 12th English Core Sample Paper Section A

SECTION A
READING SKILLS (22 marks)

1. Read the following passages. 12

Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within twenty miles of the sea. My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening. The low leaden line beyond was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing was the sea; and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip.

“Hold your noise!” cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves at the side of the bushes. “Keep still, or I’ll make you pay!”
A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, limped, and shivered, and glared, and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me.

“Tell us your name!” said the man. “Quick! Give it mouth!”
“Pip. Pip, sir.”
“Show us where you live,” said the man. “Point out the place!”

The man, after looking at me for a moment, emptied my pockets. There was nothing in them but a piece of bread which he ate ravenously.

“Now lookee here!” said the man. “Where’s your mother?”
“There, sir!” said I.
He started, made a short run, and stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“Oh!” said he, coming back. Who’s that?” he asked, pointing.
“My sister, sir, —Mrs. Joe Gargery, —wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, sir.”
“Blacksmith, eh?” said he. And looked down at his leg.
After darkly looking at his leg, he came close to me, took me by both arms, and tilted me back as far as he could hold me; so that his eyes looked most powerfully down into mine, and mine looked most helplessly up into his.
“Now lookee here,” he said, “You know what a file and wittles is?”
“Yes, sir.”
After each question, he tilted me over a little more, so as to give me a greater sense of helplessness and danger.

“You get me a file.” He tilted me again. “And wittles.” He tilted me again. “You bring ’em both to me.”
I was dreadfully frightened, and so giddy that I clung to him with both hands, and said, “If you would kindly please to let me keep upright, sir, perhaps I shouldn’t be sick, and perhaps I could attend more.”

He did. Then, he held me by the arms, in an upright position, and went on with his terms.
Source: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens / 448 words

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
I. Which textual evidence tells us that Pip was trembling?

Answer:  ‘…the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all…’

II. Complete the following with a suitable reason.
The writer refers to the sea as a ‘savage lair’ in order to tell the reader that ____.

Answer: …that the sea is a wild, untamed, and menacing force / contributing to the ominous atmosphere of the scene / amplifying the sense of danger that Pip feels

III The writer emphasises Pip’s vulnerability in all of the following ways EXCEPT —
A. through the description of the harsh landscape
B. via the behaviour of the frightening man
C. through Pip’s helplessness and fear
D. via Pip’s knowledge of the surrounding area

Answer: D. via Pip’s knowledge of the surrounding area

IV What type of statement is made in the phrase “Keep still, or I’ll make you pay!”?
A. caution
B. threat
C. prediction
D. announcement

Answer: B. threat

(Rest of the questions will be updated shortly)

CBSE Class 12 English Sample Paper Section B

SECTION B
CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS (18 marks)

All the names and addresses used in the questions are fictitious. Resemblance, if any, is purely coincidental.

3. Attempt any one of the two, (A) or (B), in about 50 words 1×4=4
A. You are Daljeet Kaur, a member of the Teen Well-Being Association, Chandigarh. The Association is planning to organise free pottery classes every Sunday morning at the community hall to encourage creativity among young residents. Write a notice in about 50
words, informing the residents of the event and inviting registrations. Include all the necessary details. Put your notice in a box.

OR

B. You are Keerthi, the Secretary of the Environmental Club of ABC School, Madurai. Your school is organising an ‘Eco-Fiesta’ to raise awareness about environmental issues. Draft a notice in about 50 words, inviting students to participate in various activities and setting up of food stalls. Include all the necessary details. Put your notice in a box.

4. Attempt any one of the two, (A) or (B), in about 50 words. 1×4=4
A. As the Cultural Secretary, Vignesh Kumar, of JKL School, Jamshedpur, draft an invitation for the Annual Music Festival, inviting Gajendra Hansda, an acclaimed local musician, to perform and judge the event. Provide the essential details in about 50 words.

OR

B. You are Bina Bedekar, currently residing at 45, Ashok Vihar, Nagpur. You have been invited to inaugurate a science exhibition at your alma mater, National Public School, Mumbai. Write a formal reply in about 50 words, accepting the invitation and expressing your gratitude.

5. Attempt any one of the two, (A) or (B), in 120-150 words 1×5=5
A. You are Pranab Chauhan, residing at 13-A, Gol Bazaar, Jaisalmer. Write a letter to the editor of The Nation Today, highlighting the need to assess sports talent at a young age by sports teachers and coaches to ensure that talent does not go unrecognised. Emphasise the
importance of grooming young sportspersons to create a larger pool of talented athletes for
the future. Draft the letter using your own ideas as well as the cues given.

 Spotting natural abilities during formative years.
 Building foundational skills early for long-term success.
 Instilling discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship from a young age.
 Creating a larger pool of skilled athletes for the future.
 Building a strong sports culture and national pride.

OR

B. You are Lakshmi Kapur from 51/A, second floor, Shalimar Vihar, Delhi. You have come across the following advertisement in The Urban Echo for the post of a Junior Marketing Executive at a leading marketing firm. Write a letter expressing your interest in the position. Include your bio-data along with the application.

CBSE Class 12 English Core Sample Paper Section C

SECTION C
LITERATURE (40 marks)

7. Read the following extracts and solve ANY ONE of the given two, (A) or (B). (1×6=6)
A.

… I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes…

(My Mother at Sixty-six)

I. What does the imagery of the ‘ashen face’ of the mother suggest about her physical condition?

Answer: she is frail, aged, in a declining physical condition, vulnerable, weakening health, lacks vitality

II. Complete the following with the correct option.
The speaker’s use of the word ‘realised’ suggests that her awareness was _______ (delayed / expected / sudden).

Answer: sudden

IV. Complete the sentence by filling in the blank with a suitable phrase.
The primary theme highlighted in the extract is the _______ , as the narrator reflects on her mother’s frailty and aging.

Answer: It introduces a contrast of vitality, joy and exuberance against the sombre and reflective mood created by the imagery of the mother’s frailty. 

V. What can be inferred about the emotional state of the speaker in the extract?
a) Distracted by the liveliness of the surroundings
b) Concerned about her mother’s discomfort
c) Overwhelmed by a sense of anguish
d) Preoccupied with thoughts about life experiences

VI. All of the following are true for the extract EXCEPT –
a) The comparison to a ‘corpse’ highlights the speaker’s fear of losing her mother.
b) The poet makes exclusive use of melancholic imagery in the given lines.
c) The speaker’s internal conflict creates a relatable portrayal of human
relationships.
d) The universality of themes makes the lines relevant to the readers.

OR

B When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid (Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers)

I. What does the phrase ‘terrified hands’ suggest about Aunt’s life? 1II Complete the following suitably.
The tigers’ proud and playful movements reflect ______.

III Examine briefly how the tigers in the panel contrast with Aunt’s life experiences.
IV. Fill in the blank with the correct option from those given in the brackets.
The phrase ‘still ringed’ refers to both the literal ______ (shape of the embroidery panel / wedding band on her finger) and the figurative ‘ring’ of constraints and ordeals imposed by her marriage.

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