CBSE Class 10 First Flight · 2026-27

Syllabus & Marking Scheme

First Flight is the main reader for Class 10 English. Together with Footprints Without Feet, it forms the 40-mark Literature section — the largest section of the 80-mark English paper.

Questions are extract-based, plus short and long answers on themes, characters and poetic devices. Here is the full pattern, the texts, and how to prepare.

At a glance

80Theory marks
20Internal assessment
100Total
3 hrsDuration

First Flight is part of the 40-mark Literature section — the largest section of the English paper — which it shares with Footprints Without Feet.

English (Language & Literature) paper — marks distribution

Section / UnitMarks
Reading (two unseen passages)20
Writing & Grammar20
Literature — First Flight & Footprints Without Feet40
Theory total80

CBSE sets weightage by section/unit, not per chapter. Always confirm the latest official syllabus on cbseacademic.nic.in.

First Flight — 19 prose chapters & poems

  1. A Letter to God
  2. Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
  3. Two Stories about Flying
  4. From the Diary of Anne Frank
  5. Glimpses of India
  6. Mijbil the Otter
  7. Madam Rides the Bus
  8. The Sermon at Benares
  9. The Proposal
  10. Dust of Snow
  11. Fire and Ice
  12. A Tiger in the Zoo
  13. How to Tell Wild Animals
  14. The Ball Poem
  15. Amanda!
  16. The Trees
  17. Fog
  18. The Tale of Custard the Dragon
  19. For Anne Gregory

Question paper design

  • Extract-based questions from prose and poetry (objective + short answer)
  • Short answer questions on theme, character and poetic device (2–3 marks)
  • Long answer / reference-to-context questions (about 5–6 marks)
  • A rising share of competency-based questions

How to prepare

  • Prepare all 9 prose chapters and all 10 poems — extracts can come from any of them.
  • For poems, be able to name and explain the poetic devices — they are tested directly.
  • Practise reference-to-context: read the extract, then answer precisely from it.
  • Learn the themes and character points for each text (use the free guides above).

Frequently asked — First Flight syllabus

How many marks is the Literature section in Class 10 English?
First Flight and Footprints Without Feet together form the 40-mark Literature section of the 80-mark English (Language & Literature) paper — the largest single section.
How many chapters and poems are in First Flight?
First Flight has 9 prose chapters and 10 poems, all listed above, all examinable.
What is the total Class 10 English paper structure?
Reading (20) + Writing & Grammar (20) + Literature (40) = 80 theory marks (3 hours), with 20 marks of internal assessment for 100 in total.