ISC Class 12 English Resources
Complete ISC Class 12 English guide for Paper I (Language) and Paper II (Literature) with summaries, analysis, MCQs, grammar, writing formats and exam-focused practice.
Updated for 2026-2027 syllabus & exam pattern
View ISC Class 12 Syllabus →
Macbeth - William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's tragedy explores the themes of unchecked ambition, guilt, fate versus free will, and the corrupting nature of power through the story of the rise and fall of the Scottish general Macbeth.
In Act 3, Macbeth, now king, arranges Banquo’s murder out of fear of the witches’ prophecy, but Banquo’s ghost haunts him at a banquet, revealing his growing guilt and tyranny.
In Act 4, the witches give Macbeth new prophecies that deepen his false confidence, while he orders the slaughter of Macduff’s family and opposition begins to rise against him.
In Act 5 of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth descends into madness and dies, and Macbeth is ultimately defeated and killed by Macduff as justice is restored to Scotland.
ISC XII PROSE (Short Stories)
By Rabindranath Tagore
A free-spirited boy named Tarapada repeatedly leaves the comfort of home, choosing a life of wandering over the bonds of domestic attachment.
By Philip K. Dick
An old woman lures an innocent boy with homemade cookies to parasitically drain his youth and life force, eventually reducing him to dry weeds.
By Ray Bradbury
A fully automated house continues its mechanical daily routines for a family wiped out by a nuclear blast, until it is eventually destroyed by fire.
By Satyajit Ray
Haunting tale of a young man who becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of a 19th-century British indigo planter after staying in a remote, haunted bungalow.
By Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
A young boy overcomes his initial embarrassment and learns to embrace his Sioux heritage when his great-grandfather arrives to pass down a sacred family medicine bag.
ISC XII POETRY
By Wole Soyinka
A black African man’s attempt to rent a flat in Britain over a phone call exposes the absurdity and ugliness of racial prejudice through sharp irony and wit.
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
A weary Tithonus laments his curse of eternal life without eternal youth, begging the goddess Aurora to let him die so he can escape the cruelty of immortal decay.
By Shane Koyczan
The poet reflects on his childhood piano lessons and his father's struggle with deafness, ultimately celebrating Beethoven's defiant spirit for creating beauty from silence.
By Mamang Dai
Mamang Dai contrasts the mortality of humans in small towns with the eternal, soul-cleansing flow of the river, suggesting that while life is transient, nature preserves our spirits.
By John Donne
In this holy sonnet, Donne belittles personified Death as a weak slave to fate and chance, ultimately claiming that Death itself shall die when the soul awakes to eternal life.
ICSE XII English Grammar (15 Marks)
Question No. 3. (i) in ISC 12 English language paper tests various transformations of sentences with directions like 'Begin:...', 'End: ...', 'Use:...' . 5 Questions. 5 marks.
Question No. 3. (ii) in ISC 12 English language paper tests knowledge of phrasal verbs in the form of sentence correction. 10 Questions. 5 Marks.
Question No. 3. (iii) in ISC-12 Paper 2 tests filling blanks with correct forms of words given in brackets. 10 blanks. 5 marks.
ICSE XII English Composition / Writing Skill (45 Marks)
Writing a Composition (20 Marks)
Question No. 1. in ISC class 12 English language paper requires writing a composition out of 6 alternatives: descriptive, narrative, argumentative, story writing, reflective and expository (one-word) topics.. 400-450 words. 20 Marks.
Formats, rules and common mistakes to avoid while writing a composition. And, a sample essay break-up with explanations.
Creating a word picture using '5-senses rule' to transport the reader to a scene.
Narrating a personal experience or event with emotional depth using first-person narrative.
Persuading the reader to accept your viewpoint with statistics, anecdotes and real examples.
Crafting a creative fictional narrative with plot curve, characters and dialogues.
Sharing personal insights, philosophical musings, or contemplations on a statement/quote/idea.
Explaining, exploring and expanding on a concept. Bringing out the depth and dimensions of an abstract idea.