ICSE Syllabus Class 8 English

ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus

ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus helps students better comprehend the exam format, question types, significant topics, question paper design, etc. The ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus is structured to allow students to enhance their language abilities on a comprehensive level. It includes all facets of language learning, including grammar, speaking, writing and reading. The ICSE Class 8 English Language Syllabus is mentioned in detail on the Extramarks website. 

Effective preparation is required to excel in the ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus. Students can understand the curriculum structure following the ICSE Syllabus Class 8 English, which helps them plan not only properly but also adequately prepare for the exam. It is advisable that students have this ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus available so they can refer to it when necessary and check to see whether they have fully studied the material. The entire Class 8 ICSE English syllabus has been made available by the Extramarks team so that students can adequately study for their academic and competitive exams.

Apart from the ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus, Extramarks also offers many other resources such as ICSE Solutions, ISC & ICSE Syllabus, ICSE Sample Question Papers, ICSE Revision Notes, ICSE Important Questions, ICSE Question Papers and more.

ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus 2023-2024

The syllabus for English literature, grammar and writing is presented in this section. Understanding the themes covered in the syllabus will provide students with a proper understanding of the subject and aid them in effectively studying for the board exam.

The below table offers the ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus and the contents under each section:

Syllabus for Class 8 English:

Sections Content 
Listening and Speaking 1) Listen to a variety of texts from various genres and registers, such as stories, poems, narratives, lectures, etc., for written/aural comprehension.

2) Listen and comprehend topics/issues raised in the spoken texts e.g.

  • speech
  • discourse
  • debate
  • lecture
  • group discussions
  • discussion

3) Use graphics, images, sound, music,  and visual displays in presentations.

4) Analyse and evaluate the use of language in various contexts (newspapers, billboards, television and advertising campaigns) and its interpretation.

5) Adapts speech to various tasks and contexts e.g.

  • body language
  • voice modulation
  • facial expressions
  • choice of words
  • tone
  • gestures
  • stress

6) Collect and collate certain ideas and seek clarification to keep the discussions relevant.

7) Use multimedia to make presentations on relevant issues and social messages, i.e. drug abuse, life skills values, etc.

Reading 1) Literary/ non-literary texts on a range of themes covering various genres and registers. The themes may include the following:

  • Self, Home, Family, Friends, etc.
  • Neighbourhood and Community.
  • The Nation – diversity (sociocultural,  ethnic and religious, as well as linguistic), heritage
  • Myths/folktales/legends)
  • The World – India’s neighbours and the other countries (their cultures,  customs and literature)
  • Sports and Yoga
  • Adventure and Imagination
  • Issues relating to Adolescence
  • Art and Culture
  • Health and Sanitation.
  • Science and Technology
  • Peace and Harmony
  • Travel and Tourism
  • Mass Media
  • Famous Personalities & achievers,
  • Environmental concerns – water conservation, sanitation and cleanliness, safety – personal safety & awareness about conservation energy, child abuse, sustainable development.

2) Extensive and intensive reading of texts for comprehension, inference, etc.

3) Focus on the choice of figurative language/vocabulary and mood/tone used in the text.

4) Deconstruct the textual piece to understand the

  • dialogue/incident
  • structure
  • Suspense
  • central theme
  • point of view
  • character
  • humour
  • points of view
  • plot

5) Evaluate and analyse the text from the point of view of its

  • production
  • film content
  • drama
Writing Write a:

  • Paragraph (250 -300 words)
  • Notice
  • Poster
  • Articles
  • Letter (formal, informal)
  • Advertisement
  • Diary
  • Journal
  • Report
  • Anecdote
  • Story
  • Poems
  • Feature
  • Dialogues
  • Personal narrative
  • Write across various disciplines.
  • Process approach to writing by planning, writing, revising, editing, and rewriting.
  • Use of technology as a resource to enhance research work.
English Grammar and Vocabulary in Context
  • Phrases and clauses and their usage in specific sentences.
  • Sentenced Analysis:
  • Use phrases and idioms, figures of speech in context.
  • Main clause and subordinate clause (s).
  • Sentence transformation from simple to complex /compound sentences.
English Literature Syllabus – Suggested Reading List

 

  • Les Misérables – 
  • Victor Hugo (Abridged)
  • Watership Down – Richard Adams
  • Graphic Novels (e.g. Maus – Art Spiegelman)
  • The Ramayana/ Mahabharata – C. Rajagopalachari
  • The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
  • The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
  • A Wizard of Earthsea – Ursula Le Guin
  • The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
  • A tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
  • P.G. Wodehouse (Jeeves/ Blandings Castle etc.)
  • Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  • David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
  • To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
  • The Pearl– John Steinbeck
  • Lord of the Flies – William Golding

About ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus- More Details

The most recent guidelines established by the ICSE board are followed by all ICSE-affiliated institutions in India. The most recent curriculum for the academic year 2023-2024 is available on the Extramarks website. Even though the ICSE English syllabus for Class 8 is more extensive than that of other boards, it will benefit students in their future academic endeavours. 

Students learn about syntax, grammatical construction, subject matter, punctuation, spelling, letter formatting, email writing and proper use of the English language in the English language portion. Drama, prose and poetry are all included in the English literature section. 

Let’s read more in-depth about the different sections of the syllabus.

Listening and Speaking

Students listen to various texts from varied genres and registers. This includes poems, lectures, stories,  narratives, etc. It helps in writing as well as in aural comprehension. They first listen and then comprehend the topics, including discourses, speeches, lectures, group discussions, debates, etc. 

Students then analyse and evaluates the use of language in varied contexts, be it television, billboards or newspaper, and interpret it. Students can also adapt to the different tasks and contents that are not limited to word choices, stress, gesture, tone and body language. They collect and collate ideas to seek clarifications and keep any discussion relevant.

Reading

The theme covers literary and non-literary texts on the varied themes of different niches. The themes include family, self, home,  friends and many more. Extensive reading through various topics helps with incomprehension and drawing inferences from what is read. The student focuses on the vocabulary choices, tone and mode used in the text and understands its figurative language. They deconstruct the textual part and then discuss and understand the plot, its central theme and its viewpoint. They may delve deeper to understand and analyse the text from the production or the drama viewpoint.

Writing

Students learn to write a composition of about 250 to 300 words. They learn to write formal and informal letters, personal narratives, and stories and write across various disciplines. They learn how to use technology as a source to enhance their research. The topic teaches them to follow a certain set process of planning, writing, editing, revising and rewriting the context if needed.

Grammar and Vocabulary in Context

In this section, students will come to know how to use phrases and clauses. They build on their sentence formation and learn the use of simple and compound sentences. They learn how to use idioms and figures of speech in different contexts.

Suggested Textbooks for ICSE Class 8 English

ICSE board is known for the liberty that it provides to the students in terms of reading texts, i.e. books. Students are free to make a choice in books as per their convenience, which they think is the right according to their requirements. ICSE has only prepared the syllabus. Some of the books which can thoroughly cover the entire syllabus:

  • Foundations in English by Pearson
  • Starting with Comprehension by Pearson 
  • Learner’s Grammar and Composition by Oxford Publications

Students are encouraged to make decisions based on what is convenient and satisfying to them. Students will be able to complete the syllabus, gain knowledge of the subject and answer exam questions after reading the aforementioned books.

Paper Pattern of ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus

There are several details provided in the ICSE Class 8 English exam pattern, including the number of questions, how marks are distributed, and the number of mandatory questions. The exam pattern is, therefore, useful to the students before they begin preparing for the exam. Students can study the ICSE Class 8 English Paper Pattern to prepare for the upcoming board exams. The paper will be of 100 marks.

Stay tuned on the Extramarks website to get the latest news on the ICSE syllabus and the marking scheme of the exam, timetable and other exam details. Students should regularly visit the Extramarks website for the latest update on ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus. 

ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus & Study Materials 2023-2024 – Click For More Details

During the preparation, students will gain a better understanding of the subjects they will study in class. Thus, they can refer to the ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus to attain a good score. The students will learn about better reading, writing, grammar and punctuation.

The syllabus will help the students to better read and write English in higher classes. It also covers various literature topics, which essentially will improve the vocabulary of the students. The students will explore basic to advanced English reading and writing in ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus. It will help them to score more on the exam. 

It is available on the Extramarks website, where you can download the ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus. By clicking on the links below, students can also access various other study materials.

  • ICSE Solutions
  • ICSE English Class 8 Notes
  • ICSE sample question papers
  • ICSE revision notes
  • ICSE important questions
  • ICSE question paper

Students may click here to access the ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus on Extramarks.

ICSE English Class 8 Syllabus

English language occupies a central place in the school curriculum because it is the medium for learning. Proficiency in the language is a pre-requisite for effective communication and knowledge acquisition. Since language development refers to the skills used in expressing and communicating ideas, it involves the four basic aspects of listening, speaking, reading and writing, which would also inculcate elements of critical thinking.

Listening and Speaking

Listen to a variety of texts from different genres and registers such as story, poems, narratives, lecture etc. for aural/written comprehension.

Listen and comprehend issues/topics raised in spoken texts e.g.

  • speech
  • lecture
  • discourse
  • debate
  • discussion
  • Group discussions

Use of graphics, images, music, sound and visual displays in presentations.

Analyse and evaluate use of language in different contexts (newspapers, television, billboards and advertising campaigns) and its interpretation.

Adapts speech to a variety of contexts and tasks e.g.

  • tone
  • gestures
  • stress
  • facial expressions
  • body language
  • voice modulation
  • choice of words

Collect and collate ideas and seek clarification to keep discussions relevant.

Use multi-media to make presentations on issues and social messages i.e. drug abuse, values, life skills etc.

Reading

Literary/ non-literary texts on a wide range of themes covering different genres and registers. The themes may include:

  • Self, Family, Home, Friends etc.
  • Neighbourhood and Community.
  • The Nation – diversity (socio-cultural, religious and ethnic, as well as linguistic), heritage (Myths / legends / folktales)
  • The World – India’s neighbours and other countries (their cultures, literature and customs)
  • Adventure and Imagination
  • Sports and Yoga
  • Issues relating to Adolescence
  • Science and Technology
  • Peace and Harmony
  • Travel and Tourism
  • Mass Media
  • Art and Culture
  • Health and Sanitation
  • Famous Personalities & achievers
  • Environmental concerns – water conservation, cleanliness and sanitation
  • Safety – personal safety & awareness about child abuse, conservation energy, sustainable development.

Extensive and intensive reading of the texts for comprehension, inference etc.

Focus on choice of vocabulary/figurative language and tone/mood used in the text.

Deconstruct the textual piece to understand the

  • central theme
  • point of view
  • character
  • plot
  • dialogue / incident
  • structure
  • suspense
  • humour
  • points of view

Evaluate and analyse the text from the point of view of its

  • production
  • drama
  • Film content.

Writing

Write a:

  • Paragraph (250 – 300 words)
  • Letter (formal, informal)
  • Advertisement
  • Diary
  • Journal
  • Notice
  • Poster
  • Articles
  • Report
  • Personal narrative
  • Anecdote
  • Story
  • poem
  • feature
  • dialogues

Write across disciplines.

Use of technology as a resource to enhance research work.

Process approach to writing by planning, writing, revising, editing, and rewriting

Grammar and Vocabulary

  • Phrases and clauses and their function in specific sentences.
  • Sentenced Analysis: main clause and subordinate clause(s).
  • Sentence transformation from simple to complex /compound sentences.
  • Use phrases, idioms figure of speech in context.

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. How will I excel in the ICSE Class 8 English exam?

The ICSE exam assesses a student’s general command and comprehension of the English language. Therefore, in addition to comprehension and reading skills, students must also develop strong communication skills in English. To perform well on the ICSE Class 8 English examination:

  • There is a need for students to understand the literature chapters properly.
  • In order to effectively write in English, students must understand the basics of grammar and parts of speech.
  • Students must practise writing well-crafted essays, letters, articles, etc.
  • The students should read past question papers in order to gain an understanding of the format of the exam and tailor their preparation accordingly.

2. How will these Extramarks resources help in ICSE Class 8 English success?

The following are some methods that Extramarks might assist students with excelling in ICSE Class 8 English:

  • Students can find more information at Extramarks about the ICSE Class 8 English Syllabus and exam format for class 8 of the ICSE.
  • The ICSE Class 8 English Literature Solutions can be used to help students prepare for their exams.
  • During the preparation process, students can refer to Extramarks’ additional teaching resources.
  • There are also one-on-one lessons available to students who need academic assistance.