This page lists every LitGram guide for ICSE English Class 9 and 10, in the order of the CISCE syllabus. It covers Paper 2 (Literature in English) text by text, Julius Caesar and the Treasure Chest stories and poems, and the writing tasks of Paper 1 (English Language). Each row says whether a guide is ready.
ICSE English paper pattern
ICSE English has two papers. Each is a two-hour written paper of 80 marks, plus 20 marks of internal assessment done in school.
| Paper | Written paper | Internal assessment (20 marks) |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: English Language | 2 hours, 80 marks | Listening skills 10, speaking skills 10 |
| Paper 2: Literature in English | 2 hours, 80 marks | Assignments on the prescribed texts |
The Class 10 board paper is set only on the Class 10 portion. Julius Caesar Acts I and II, and the Class 9 stories and poems, are examined in Class 9 and not again in the board exam. Many students revise the whole play in Class 10. Revise Acts III to V instead.
Paper 1: English Language
All five questions are compulsory. The marks below are from the 2026 ICSE paper.
| Question | Task | Marks | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Composition of 300 to 350 words, from a choice of topics | 20 | Guide coming |
| 2 | Letter, formal or friendly, from a choice of two | 10 | ICSE formal letter format and 16 sample letters |
| 3 | A notice and an email on the same situation | 5 + 5 | Guide coming |
| 4 | Unseen passage of about 500 words: vocabulary, short answers, summary | 20 | Guide coming |
| 5 | Functional grammar: prepositions, conjunctions, verbs, sentence structure | 20 | Guide coming |
ICSE Class 9 English Literature
Class 9 reads Julius Caesar Acts I and II and the first half of Treasure Chest: A Collection of ICSE Short Stories and Poems.
Drama: Julius Caesar, Acts I and II
| Scene | Guide |
|---|---|
| Act 1 Scene 2 | Julius Caesar Act 1 Scene 2: questions and answers |
| Act 2 Scene 1 | Julius Caesar Act 2 Scene 1: questions and answers |
| Other scenes of Acts I and II | Guides coming |
Class 9 short stories
| Story | Author | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Bonku Babu’s Friend | Satyajit Ray | Guide coming |
| Oliver Asks for More | Charles Dickens | Guide coming |
| The Model Millionaire | Oscar Wilde | The Model Millionaire: summary, characters and questions |
| Home-coming | Rabindranath Tagore | Guide coming |
| The Boy who Broke the Bank | Ruskin Bond | The Boy Who Broke the Bank: summary and characters |
Class 9 poems
| Poem | Poet | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| The Night Mail | W.H. Auden | Night Mail by W.H. Auden: questions and answers |
| Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat | T.S. Eliot | Guide coming |
| I Remember, I Remember | Thomas Hood | I Remember, I Remember: questions and answers |
| A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 | Vikram Seth | A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945: questions and answers |
| A Work of Artifice | Marge Piercy | Guide coming |
ICSE Class 10 English Literature
Class 10 reads Julius Caesar Acts III, IV and V and the second half of Treasure Chest. The board exam is set on these texts only.
Drama: Julius Caesar, Acts III to V
Guides for Acts III, IV and V are coming. Act III holds the killing of Caesar and the funeral speeches of Brutus and Antony, so it is the first one to be added.
Class 10 short stories
| Story | Author | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| With the Photographer | Stephen Leacock | With the Photographer: ICSE Class 10 questions and answers |
| The Elevator | William Sleator | Guide coming |
| The Girl Who Can | Ama Ata Aidoo | Guide coming |
| The Pedestrian | Ray Bradbury | Guide coming |
| The Last Lesson | Alphonse Daudet | The Last Lesson: summary, analysis and MCQs (written for CBSE Class 12; the story is the same) |
Class 10 poems
| Poem | Poet | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Haunted Houses | H.W. Longfellow | Guide coming |
| The Glove and the Lions | Leigh Hunt | Guide coming |
| When Great Trees Fall | Maya Angelou | When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou: summary |
| A Considerable Speck | Robert Frost | Guide coming |
| The Power of Music | Sukumar Ray | Guide coming |
How to use these guides before the exam
Read the text in Treasure Chest first, then the guide. The guides quote short lines, but examiners expect you to know the whole text.
In Paper 2, the syllabus says questions may start from an extract. Practise placing a passage: who is speaking, to whom, and what has just happened. Then answer in your own words, as the syllabus asks.
For Paper 1, time matters as much as language. The 2026 paper told students to spend no more than 20 minutes on the letter. Practise each writing task against the clock.
The full list of texts is in the official CISCE ICSE English syllabus for 2027. New guides are added to this page when they are published.