CBSE Class 10th English Exam Analysis: 'Competency-based questions, lengthy but balanced paper'

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) successfully conducted the Class 10 English (Language and Literature) and English (Communicative) papers for the 2024 board examination on February 26. Simultaneously, Class 12 students faced Taxation and Artificial Intelligence papers. The Class 10 English papers were held from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.

The CBSE Class 10th and 12th board exams commenced on February 15, with Class 10 exams concluding on March 13 and Class 12 exams ending on April 2.

CBSE Class 10 English Paper Analysis:

 Analysis of the English Language and Literature (184) CBSE X Board Exam-Paper held on 26-02-2024 by Richa Sharma from VidyaGyan School, Bulandshahr.

It was a balanced paper with a good mix of textual as well as competency-based questions meant for students with high, mediocre, and average language proficiency.  Structured similarly to the CBSE-issued sample paper, the paper was somewhat lengthy and required critical thinking to solve. The questions demanded skills such as decoding, analysis, inference, interpretation, critical thinking, and reasoning.

Reading section 
In the Reading section, the first passage was factual while the second passage was case-based. These passages tested comprehension, interpretation, inference, and vocabulary, creating a well-balanced assessment of students' reading skills. The questions prompted students to critically analyse information, decode text, and infer answers based on the given inputs.

Writing and Grammar section
The writing was quite straightforward and easily comprehensible with sufficient clues to build up the content. Grammar questions were simple and the question items were based on the sample paper issued by CBSE. Students found it easy to handle.  

Literature section 
The Literature section had questions that tested the application of literary conventions, comprehension, critical thinking, and creativity through high-order thinking questions. 
The extract-based multiple-choice questions posed a challenge to students and were time-consuming.
The subjective questions were easy and tested the students’ insightfulness, content knowledge, and logic. Long questions were competency-based and interlinked different lessons. The students were able to answer the questions well.  

In conclusion, the paper can be classified as a competency-based assessment of high standards. It showcased a balanced composition of elements, including assertion, analytical thinking, case-based questions, and application-based questions that incorporated high-order thinking skills. The challenging yet comprehensive nature of the paper aimed to assess students' proficiency across various dimensions of the English language.

Students' Feedback:

Aditya, a student claimed, “The paper went off quite well, but was quite lengthy. I kept writing till the end.  The RTCs of literature section was the most challenging part of the paper”.

Rupali, another student said, “The paper was lengthy and the Reading section and RTCs took the most time and was challenging. The subjective part was interesting and easy. There was a lot to write. Thorough reading of the text helped her”.

Expert View by Aashita Chauhan, TGT, KIIT World School, Gurugram:

• Moderate difficulty level with an equal mix of application- and analysis-based problems.
• Sections A and B were easy to comprehend but required thought in inferential questions.
• Grammar in Section B was easy, and writing tasks were manageable.
• Literature portion was straightforward but needed extensive analysis.

Dr. Akshi Priya's Perspective, HOD English Department, MTG Learning Media:

• Section A's discursive is easily attemptable.
• Section B's Grammar and Creative Writing are easy and scoring.
• Section C (Literature) covers almost all syllabus chapters.
• Overall, the paper is easily attempted within the prescribed time limit.

In conclusion, the CBSE Class 10 English Exam 2024 is considered to have a moderate challenging level, assessing students across various dimensions of the English language.