Class 8 is that transition period in school life when students start understanding which subjects they want to choose for future studies. Yet, English is a subject that remains unchanged. Hence, it is a crucial subject that needs a lot of attention from students.
English tests the creative abilities of the students and also determines how a student will perform in class. It is the subject that acts as the deciding factor in determining the overall percentage. The English paper comprises three sections. These are:
- SECTION A – Reading and comprehension skills
- SECTION B – Writing and grammar skills
- SECTION C – Literature
What is the Class 8 English Syllabus?
The English paper consists of the grammar and the literature sections. The grammar section needs students to know the basic grammatical rules and a thorough knowledge of the vocabulary. Whereas, the literature section needs students to learn the crux of the stories and poems. The syllabus includes:
1. SECTION A (Reading and Comprehension) – This section comprises two parts. The first part tests the reading and comprehension skills of the students. The question paper tests the grasp of the language and how well students understand the crux of the passages they read.
The second part tests their thinking and writing skills. Questions in this part are asked from these topics:
- Essay
- Notice
- Formal and informal letters
- Story writing
- Diary entry
2. SECTION B (Writing and Grammar) – This section consists of questions from the following topics –
- Conventions
- Voice
- Fluency
- Style and note
- Determiners
- Reported speech
- Modals
- Tenses
- Creative writing
3. SECTION C (Literature) – Questions in the literature section are asked from two books –
a. Honeydew – This book has two sections: Stories and Poems.
Stories in the Honeydew book are –
- The Best Christmas Present In The World
- The Tsunami
- Bepin Choudhary’s Lapse Of Memory
- This Is Jody’s Fawn
- Glimpses Of The Past
- A Visit To Cambridge
- A Summit Within
- A Short Monsoon Diary
- The Great Stone Face 1
- The Great Stone Face 2
The poems in the Honeydew book are as follows:
- The Ant And The Cricket
- Geography Lesson
- Macavity – The Mystery Cat
- The Last Bargain
- The Schoolboy
- The Duck And The Kangaroo
- When I Set Out For Lyonnesse
- On The Grasshopper And Cricket
b. It So Happened – This book is a supplementary reader in English for class 8. It consists of the following topics:
- Ancient Education System Of India
- How The Camel Got His Hump
- The Comet 1
- The Comet 2
- Children At Work
- Jalebis
- The Selfish Giant
- The Open Window
- The Treasure Within
- The Fight
- Princess September
What are Some Tips to Prepare for the Class 8 English Exam?
- It is crucial to develop the habit of reading – To ensure that you grasp the passage well, you must develop the habit of reading. You can read storybooks, newspapers, or magazines. This will not only help you read your comprehension passage faster but also enhance your vocabulary. It will also give you a flair for writing which will reflect in your essays.
- Practice using grammar books and take help from essay books – Grammar and essay books will give you direction and tell you how to write essays. You can go through the book School Essays and Letters by Arihant Publications or S.Chand Book of Essays for Middle School. You can also practice grammar questions from Wren & Martin, which is preferred by most students. Some other alternative books you can use to practice grammar questions and essays include Oxford Friday Afternoon Comprehension & Composition for Class 8, APC Graded English Grammar, and Composition for Class 8, and Goyal Brothers Elementary English Grammar & Composition Class 8.
- Solve Previous Year Question Papers for the Literature section – Time yourself and practice the papers of the last few years. This process will help you evaluate your performance and identify your weaknesses. Focus and improve on your mistakes, to avoid repeating them in the exam. You can purchase the last ten-years question banks or refer to Oswaal NCERT & CBSE Question Bank Class 8 English Book for practice.
- Take the help of guidebooks – You will find several guidebooks for CBSE class 8 English. You can refer to these books to get a better direction for writing answers. The solutions are crisp and help you retain the crucial points too. All in One Language and Literature Class 8 by Arihant Publications is one of the guidebooks you can refer to for help.
- Take help from experts on the internet – You can go to the internet to get your doubts cleared. You can also download the NCERT solutions for class 8 English from the internet. It will help you with answer framing and writing. Many students face issues while presenting their answers. These concise and easy-to-understand solutions provided by experts make it easy for students to study and convey the emotions of the poet or author, through their writing.
- Study the crucial portions of Literature first – Usually, questions from the chapters that are asked in the question paper, do not appear the next year. Hence, while solving the question papers, identify the lessons which may be asked in your exam. Lay more emphasis on the chapters from which questions have not been asked in the exams for two consecutive years and prepare them well. Avoid skipping any chapter and focus on the vital ones.
- Practice answer writing – It is crucial to take help from several guidebooks, internet experts, and teachers. Yet, the best way to improve English is to practice writing answers. Ensure that you complete all the exercises in the NCERT textbooks and continuously practice writing your answers. After writing them, evaluate them after a week again. This practice will help you identify the areas where you can improve.
Conclusion
It is crucial to give utmost importance to the subject that is the first language of all boards. It is essential to follow the above-mentioned tips rigorously to excel in English. If you follow these steps in an organized way and diligently complete your syllabus on time, you will surely score good marks in English.
