How to score high in CBSE Class 12 Kaleidoscope?

The beginning of CBSE class 12th is a signal of the start of an important academic year. The performance of students this year is the deciding factor in a student’s career. Despite the stream you have chosen or the subjects you have chosen, English is a subject that all the students have to study. 

Irrespective of students’ career options after completing the 10+2, English has an important role in further studies. 

Students are expected to study well and obtain a good score, resulting in an overall good score in the CBSE class 12th board exam.

A systematic approach to studying the CBSE class 12 Kaleidoscope is the key to acing the exam. Read this article to plan to prepare for this exam and have a good score on your mark sheet.

Significance of elective English for CBSE class 12th

While the CBSE class 12th students have a mandatory English course, the board has also introduced an elective course for the students. The elective English course is created to give the students a high level of competence in English, emphasising the study of literary texts. 

The course is designed to give the students exposure to examples of world literature along with a few Indian writings in English that are a pleasant read. 

The course is primarily intended to help students pursue a career in English literature at the college level.

Syllabus covered in the CBSE class 12th Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope is the NCERT textbook recommended by the CBSE for elective English. Kaleidoscope is a book that contains short stories, non-fiction, poetry, and drama as per the CBSE syllabus.

The book contains 22 chapters in all. Out of these 22 chapters, 5 are short stories, 8 are poetries, 6 are non-fiction, and 2 are dramas. 

To better understand the syllabus covered in the Kaleidoscope, go through the detailed syllabus for the elective English Kaleidoscope.

How to score high in CBSE class 12 Kaleidoscope?

Even though you cannot gain full marks in the language subjects, scoring high in a language exam is important for an overall good score on the board exams. Following a few tips for preparing fir for the CBSE class, 12 Kaleidoscope exams will help students have a high score in the exam,

• Know the syllabus: Knowing the syllabus is the first thing any student should do for whichever exam they appear for. Getting familiar with the syllabus lets the students know what is to be studied and how much is to be studied. Get a detailed description of the syllabus for CBSE class 12 Kaleidoscope.
• Read and re-read the topics: Reading is the best way to grasp a few things when we talk about language exams. The question paper will have unseen passages when the exam is in English. A typical habit of reading the passages and grasping important points while reading the passages will help students save time during the actual exam.

• Go through the NCERT solutions: Going through the NCERT solutions is important when preparing for the CBSE class 12th exam, irrespective of the subject. Since the exam papers for the board exams have always had questions from the exercises in the NCERT textbooks, going through the NCERT solutions will help students prepare for a major part of the exam. Students are advised to go through the NCERT solutions for CBSE class 12th Kaleidoscope. 

• Build upon vocabulary: When preparing for the English exam, having a great vocabulary is the best thing to have. A great vocabulary will always help students ace the English exam. One of the best ways to do this is to have a habit of reading the newspaper. Reading various books will also help students build up a good vocabulary.

• Practice creative writing: There are always questions that are expected to have long answers, like writing letters, speeches, or articles for the CBSE class 12th English exam. It is therefore important that students have a thorough practice of writing creatively. Writing letters or articles on the topics asked in exams requires practice. Only then can students score marks on these questions.

• Solve sample question papers: The CBSE has released sample question papers for all the subjects a few weeks before the exam. Sample question papers are a blueprint of the question papers that are expected in the actual exam. Solving sample question papers gives the students an idea of the CBSE’s paper pattern and marking scheme. Therefore, it is the best way to get familiar with the actual exam pattern. Students can download the CBSE class 12th sample question papers to self-assess their preparation. 

• Solve previous years’ question papers: It has always been observed that the CBSE frequently repeats important questions in the board exams. Solving previous years’ question papers will give students a clear idea of the important questions that may appear in their exams. Solving multiple-question papers also improves the students’ time management skills and boosts confidence.
• Focus on your grammar skills: You cannot ace the English exam without good grammar skills. Students with great knowledge of English grammar will never find English difficult to score. Talking about the English elective exam, students should have great grammatical knowledge. Only then can the students rest assured about a great score in the exam.

Conclusion

The CBSE class 12th students are often engrossed with the preparation for various entrance exams and the board exams. This leads to the ignorance of the preparation of subjects not included in the syllabus of entrance exams. One such subject is the English elective. However, to score well in the CBSE class 12th board exams, students must do well in the English elective exam. 

Since the Kaleidoscope for CBSE class 12th mainly focuses on high literary texts, students must ensure proper preparation for the exam. Putting the efforts in the right direction and systematic learning is the key to a good score in the CBSE class 12th Kaleidoscope.

FAQs

1. What are the objectives of introducing the Kaleidoscope to CBSE class 12th?

Kaleidoscope is the NCERT solution for the English elective subject. While core English is a mandatory subject for all the CBSE class 12th students, elective English is a subject that students who want to take up a career in English literature at the college level can opt for.

The CBSE introduces elective English to expose the students to excellent international English literature and some great Indian writing in English. Kaleidoscope aims at making the students well versed with a few practices that are essential to studying English literature, such as:

• Develop understanding and sensitivity towards classic and literary uses of language.
• Expand the reader’s vocabulary by making them use resources like dictionaries, thesaurus and encyclopedia.
• Create a critical approach toward a text and present a view considering various aspects.
• Develop a love for reading.

2. How do you solve questions on unseen passages and poetry effectively?

The reading comprehension part of the Elective English exam includes two unseen passages and unseen poetry. Although this part of the question paper may seem easy, it takes some attentiveness to score all the marks in this section.

Students must read the questions before going through the passage. Awareness of the questions will help them figure out answers while reading the passage itself and save time for reading the passage twice. Be sure of the synonyms and antonyms of the words from the passage. I’m trying to figure out the meaning depending on the sentence formation.

For the poetry part, try to relate the meaning. Be creative while writing the answer.

3. What is the paper format of the CBSE class 12th English elective?

The CBSE class 12th English elective intends to develop a basic understanding of the language. It, therefore, focuses on all the aspects of learning the language. The format of the Kaleidoscope paper includes questions that will examine the reading, writing, and grammar skills of the candidates.

• Reading comprehension has one literary or discursive unseen passage, one unseen factual passage, and one unseen poem.
• Speech writing on a contemporary or topical issue and report writing will examine creative writing skills.
• Candidates will have to apply their grammar skills for transforming sentences. 
• The knowledge of the literature from the Kaleidoscope will be tested through MCQs.
• The Seminar section includes a presentation of a book or drama or play or short story review followed by a question-answer session.
• Poetry reading is also included in the assessment.

4. How do you attempt long answer questions in the English exam to score full marks?

Long answer questions include speech writing and report writing on a contemporary or topical issue.

Students must keep a few things in mind while answering these questions. The answers must showcase creativity. The speech that is written must be easy to understand yet attractive. Good use of vocabulary will help the candidates fetch more marks in this section. Also, students must focus on proper grammatical skills and allow silly mistakes.

Proper punctuation and avoiding unnecessary complications will lead to full scoring marks in this section.

5. What is the difference between core English and elective English for CBSE class 12th?

There is often confusion when students encounter core English and elective English as two different subjects designed for CBSE class 12th. However, there are some basic differences between the two subjects, which are discussed below:

Core English is a mandatory subject that all the CBSE class 12th students have to study. This subject includes topics that will help students get a practical understanding of the language and some to lead the way to accuracy and fluency for the students. It serves to make the students aware of the aspects of the language needed for day-to-day use. 

Elective English is an optional subject offered by the CBSE for class 12th. Students interested in English literature and who would love to have a career in English literature opt for this subject. The subject intends to introduce literary texts to the class 12th students.

6. How do I manage time while writing my English exam?

The CBSE class 12th exam for English may get longer due to the theoretical format of the paper. The questions asked in the exam include short answers, long answers, and questions that require a speech and a report. Writing all these answers requires time; however, if a systematic approach is used, the paper can be completed well within the allowed time.

Here are a few tips that the students could use for managing time:

• Students must go through the entire question paper in 15 minutes and decide on which questions to attempt first.
• Attempting easier questions first will boost your confidence and automatically increase your speed.
• While attempting the comprehension section, students must read the questions before going through the passage so that they can figure out answers for them when reading the passage for the first time.
• While reading the poem, students must try to relate to the poetry for easy understanding.