Past Papers › 2026
In short: The 2026 Std 10 English (Second/Third Language) board paper, held on 27 February 2026, tested The Alchemy of Nature and An Encounter of a Special Kind from the textbook, plus one unseen passage and the usual writing and grammar sections.
- Date: 27 February 2026, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Marks & duration: 80 written marks (out of 100; the remaining 20 are internal/oral assessment marks given by your school) · 3 hours
What This Paper Tested
| Section | What it was based on |
|---|---|
| Prose passage | The Alchemy of Nature |
| Prose passage | An Encounter of a Special Kind |
| Poem (comprehension) | O Captain! My Captain! |
| Poem (for appreciation) | The Twins |
| Unseen passage | a short life-sketch of the Olympic shooter Swapnil Kusale, from a farming family in Kolhapur district, who won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics |
Grammar Items Tested
- present perfect tense
- identifying a gerund
- joining sentences with ‘not only … but also’
- active–passive voice
- forming a Wh-question
- adding a question tag
Brush up with: Passive Voice, Past Tense.
Original Model Answers
These are written fresh for this page, in the same style and length expected in the exam — not copied from any official answer key.
Letter (informal): Write to a friend, urging them to visit an arts and crafts exhibition in your city, using the points given in an advertisement.
How are you? I’m writing because our district is hosting a wonderful Arts and Crafts Exhibition next weekend at the Town Hall grounds, and I really think you should come.
There will be stalls showing pottery, block printing, bamboo craft and Warli painting, with the artists themselves demonstrating their work. Entry is free before 11 am, and there’s a small food court too, so we can make a day of it.
I know you enjoy sketching, so I’m sure you’ll pick up a few ideas. Let me know by Thursday if you can come, and we’ll fix a time to meet at the bus stand.
Your friend,
Rohan
Speech: Deliver a short elocution speech on how books are our real friends.
A book never judges you, never gets tired of your questions, and is always ready when you open it. It teaches us history, science and the lives of people we will never meet, and it takes us to places we may never travel to.
A good story also builds our vocabulary and our patience, in a way a five-minute video cannot. And unlike some friends, a book waits for you patiently on the shelf, exactly where you left it.
So the next time you are bored, pick up a book instead of your phone. You may just make a friend for life. Thank you.
Exam Tips for This Pattern
This year’s grammar leaned on passive voice, tense change and question tags — the three most-repeated grammar items across recent papers. Practise all three until they are automatic.
These notes describe the pattern and topics of past board papers in our own words, for revision purposes. They are not copies of the official question paper or the official answer key, and the model answers are written fresh by englishresources.in, not reproduced from any answer key.