English LanguageICSE Class 10 · Chapter 1

ICSE Class 10 English Composition: Types, Planning and Model Answers

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Question 1 of ICSE English Paper 1 asks for one composition of 300-350 words from five topics, for 20 marks. The choices are an original story, a personal account, a for-or-against argument, a description and a picture-based piece. Plan for five minutes, write in paragraphs and finish within 30 minutes.

What Composition is about

Composition is Question 1 of English Paper 1 (English Language) and carries 20 of the 80 marks, the single biggest question on the paper. The syllabus asks for "a composition of about 300–350 words from a choice of subjects" that tests your ability to organise, describe, narrate, report, explain, persuade or argue, to present ideas coherently, and to compare, contrast and reach conclusions. Topics may be suggested "by language or by other stimuli such as pictures", and they are chosen so that you can draw on first-hand experience or use your imagination.

The 2027 specimen paper gives five topics and you write one. The paper advises you to spend not more than 30 minutes on this question. The five topics in the specimen, and in the 2023 and 2025 board papers, follow a fixed pattern:

1. Original short story, often beginning or ending with given words, or built around given characters.
2. Personal account of an experience, written in the first person (for example, being punished for something you had not done).
3. Argumentative: a statement or proverb on which you express your views either for or against.
4. Descriptive account of a place, event or activity, often with a reflective part ("how will this help you in the future?").
5. Picture composition: a story, description or account suggested by a picture, with "a clear connection between the picture and your composition".

The 2027 specimen tags these items [Creativity] and [Evaluation]: they reward original ideas and a clear, reasoned stand, not memorised essays. Examiners judge content (relevance to every part of the topic), organisation (paragraphs, sequence, opening and ending) and expression (grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and sentence variety).

Weightage: Composition is Question 1: one composition from a choice of five topics, 20 of the 80 marks of English Paper 1 (25% of the paper). Advised time: not more than 30 minutes.Source: CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper, English Language (T27 011), Question 1

Key concepts

Read every part of the topic before you choose: Most ICSE topics have two or three parts joined by 'and'. The 2027 specimen asks you to 'give an account of the incident and how you proved your innocence'; 2025 asked what happened, your response, and what you learnt. Underline each part and give each one a paragraph. The 2023 examiners listed 'Misinterpretation of the topic' among the commonest errors (asked to change one thing in the school, many wrote about changing the school), which costs content marks however good the English is.; Worked example
Break this topic into its parts: 'You recently took part in an interesting class project. Describe how your group planned and carried out the task. Explain how this will help you in the future.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Part 1: the project itself (what it was, who was in the group).
Part 2: how the group planned it.
Part 3: how the group carried it out.
Part 4: how it will help you in the future.
Answer: Four parts, so plan at least four body paragraphs: introduce the project and group; planning; carrying it out (the main body, with sights and sounds); future benefit. Leaving out Part 4 is the commonest way to lose marks here.
Narrative (story) composition: A story needs a plot: a beginning that sets the scene, a problem or conflict, a rising moment, a climax and a resolution. Keep to two or three characters, give each a clear role, and use only a little dialogue to show character. If the topic gives opening words, begin with them exactly; if it gives closing words, end with them. The 2023 examiners found that some candidates had 'lifted language and story elements from popular children's authors', used dialogue that had 'no role to play in carrying the story forward', and wrote stories that 'lacked a neat ending'. In 2025 some candidates 'ended the story at the award' about a poor tailor without showing how it changed the tailor's life, which the topic asked for.; Worked example
Plan the plot of an original story that begins: 'The lift stopped between two floors…'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Setting and characters: a Class X student and an elderly neighbour stuck in a lift during a power cut.
Conflict: the neighbour panics; the alarm does not work.
Rising action: the student calms her, uses a phone torch, remembers the building guard's number.
Climax: the lift jerks; the guard's voice comes through the door.
Resolution: they are rescued; the student learns that calm thinking helps others.
Answer: Begin with the given words exactly, then follow setting → conflict → rising action → climax → resolution, and end with a short reflective line. About 5 paragraphs, 300-350 words.
Personal account (experience): Write in the first person about something that could really happen to a Class X student. The draft marking scheme for 2027 says the account 'must be narrated from within the plausible experience of a Class X candidate' and must bring out 'the part where things went wrong'. Use the past tense, include feelings, and end with what you learnt. Do not write an adult office story or a fantasy: when the 2025 topic asked for a harmless prank by friends, the examiners reported accounts of 'harmful jokes or tricks' and examples 'more typical of adults, such as office party pranks'.; Worked example
What must a personal account on 'You were punished for something you had not done' contain to score well?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
The situation and what you were accused of.
Why it looked as if you were guilty (where things went wrong).
Your feelings at being punished unfairly.
The steps you took to prove your innocence.
How it ended and what you learnt.
Answer: A first-person, past-tense account covering: the incident, why you were blamed, your feelings, how you proved your innocence (the specimen's expected point) and the outcome. Without the proof part the composition is incomplete.
Argumentative composition (for or against): Take one clear side, state it in the first paragraph, and keep to it. Give three reasons, each in its own paragraph with an example from life or experience, answer one opposing view briefly, and end by restating your stand. The 2027 draft marking scheme asks for 'a clear stand', 'valid reasons' and 'a cohesive, well-constructed logical argument'. The 2023 examiners reported candidates who 'argued both sides of the question' and 'did not take a definitive stance'; in 2025 many confused the two key words of the topic (collaboration and competition) and 'failed to take a clear stand', so define the key words first.; Worked example
Write an opening paragraph against the statement 'Too many cooks spoil the broth' (about 60 words).
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Explain the proverb in one sentence.
State your stand clearly: you are against it.
Preview your reasons.
Answer: The proverb 'Too many cooks spoil the broth' warns that when too many people work on one task, they get in each other's way and ruin it. I disagree. In my experience, many minds, when well organised, produce better results than one. Shared ideas, shared effort and shared checking make a task richer, faster and more accurate.
Descriptive composition: Describe through the five senses: what you see, hear, smell, touch and feel. Move in a clear order (time order, or from far to near, or room to room) and use precise nouns, strong verbs and a few well-chosen adjectives. If the topic asks for a change (2025: 'How does the scene change after the bell rings?'), give that change a full paragraph and show the contrast; the examiners noted the change was often 'an afterthought'. Avoid a list of objects: describe them in action.; Worked example
Rewrite this flat sentence as a sensory description: 'The canteen was crowded at break.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Add sight: who and what you see.
Add sound.
Add smell or touch.
Use active verbs.
Answer: At break the canteen swallowed us whole: elbows jostled at the counter, steel plates clattered, and the smell of hot samosas and fried onions hung over a roar of a hundred voices all talking at once.
Picture composition: You may write a story, a description or an account, but there must be 'a clear connection between the picture and your composition'. Find the central idea the picture suggests (hard work, joy of a harvest, loneliness, hope) and build on it. The 2023 and 2025 marking schemes penalise 'mere itemisation' of the picture, and the examiners in both years criticised candidates who listed its elements or whose connection to the picture was not established. Mention one or two concrete details from the picture early on so the link is obvious.; Worked example
A picture shows an old man sitting alone on a railway platform bench with a small suitcase, while a crowd hurries past. Suggest a central idea and an opening line.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
List what you see: old man, suitcase, bench, hurrying crowd.
Ask what it suggests: loneliness in a busy world, or waiting for someone.
Choose one idea and write an opening that names a detail from the picture.
Answer: Central idea: an old man waiting for a son who has forgotten to come. Opening: 'Ramesh Babu had been sitting on the third bench of Platform 4, his small brown suitcase between his knees, for two hours before anyone noticed him.'
Planning, paragraphing and word count: Spend about 5 minutes planning (a quick mind map or list of paragraph points), 20 minutes writing and 5 minutes checking. Aim for 5-6 paragraphs of 50-70 words each, which gives 300-350 words. The 2023 examiners noted that 'Paragraphs were not drawn' and that essays 'often exceeded the word limit'. There is no fixed penalty printed for length, but a much longer essay costs time you need for the rest of the paper and usually has more errors.; Worked example
How can you estimate your word count quickly in the exam without counting every word?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Count the words in three full lines of your handwriting and take the average.
Multiply by the number of lines written.
Answer: If your lines average 11 words, about 30 lines make 330 words. Know this number before the exam so you can stop at the right point.

Composition in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Choosing the topic you can develop best

Suppose the five topics in your board paper are: a story ending with given words, a personal account of a power cut, an argument on school uniforms, a description of a hospital waiting room, and a picture of a flooded street. You like stories, but you have no idea for the ending.

How should you choose, and in what order should you think?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Give yourself one minute to note two or three ideas for each topic you like.
Pick the one where you can fill five paragraphs, not the one you like most in general.
Check that you can answer every part of it.
Commit and do not change topics after you start.

Answer: Choose the topic for which you can see a full plan in one minute. If the story ending gives you no plot, the personal account of a power cut (which you have actually lived through) may be the safer choice.

Memory hook: Pick the topic you can plan, not the topic you love.

Persuading with a clear stand

Imagine you want your parents to let you go on a three-day school trip. You tell them, 'Some say trips are useful, some say they are risky, both are right.'

Why will this fail to persuade, and how would an argumentative composition structure help?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Note the problem: no stand, so nothing to agree with.
State the stand: 'I should go on the trip.'
Give three reasons with evidence: learning, independence, teachers supervising.
Answer their worry (safety) and restate.

Answer: It fails because it argues both sides. Stating one stand, supporting it with reasons and answering the main objection is exactly how an ICSE argumentative composition persuades the examiner.

Memory hook: If your parents would not be convinced, the examiner will not be either.

Describing a change (contrast)

Suppose you have to describe your street during a sudden downpour for a class magazine.

How would you make the change from before to after the rain vivid?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Describe before: dust, heat, sounds of traffic and hawkers.
Describe the moment of change: the first fat drops, the smell of wet earth.
Describe after: puddles, children with paper boats, sudden quiet.
Use contrasting words: dry/dripping, roar/hush.

Answer: Give 'before' and 'after' a full paragraph each and link them with the moment of change, using sensory contrasts. This is the skill the 2025 examiners found missing when the 'change after the bell' was only an afterthought.

Memory hook: Before, the moment, after: three paragraphs, one contrast.

Topics in this chapter

Board Composition: Topic Parts, Structure and Marking (ICSE Class 10)

How the board asks Composition

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Original short story with given opening or closing words	'Write an original short story that begins with the words: …' (2027 specimen) or 'in which a poor tailor wins an award which changes his/her life' (2025).	Use the given words exactly where told. Build a clear plot (setting, conflict, climax, resolution) with two or three characters, little dialogue, and an ending that answers every part of the topic.
Personal account of an experience	'You were punished for something you had not done. Give an account of the incident and how you proved your innocence.' (specimen)	First person, past tense, plausible for a Class X student. Give a paragraph to each part asked (incident, what went wrong, your response, the outcome) and close with what you learnt.
Argumentative: express your views for or against	A proverb or statement, such as 'Too many cooks spoil the broth' (specimen) or 'More collaboration, less competition is the need of the hour' (2025).	Define the key words, state one stand in the first paragraph, give three reasons with examples, rebut one opposing point and restate your stand in the conclusion. Never argue both sides equally.
Descriptive account (often with reflection)	'Describe how your group planned and carried out the task. Explain how this will help you in the future.' (specimen); 'Describe what you see and hear … How does the scene change after the bell rings?' (2025).	Use sensory detail and a clear order; give any change, contrast or reflection asked for its own full paragraph.
Picture-based composition	'Study the picture given below. Write a story, a description, or an account of what it suggests to you … there must be a clear connection between the picture and your composition.'	Find one central idea, mention concrete details from the picture early, and develop a story or account around it. Do not just list what the picture shows.

Tricks to remember Composition

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

PART check
P: Pick the topic you can plan. A: All parts underlined. R: Rough plan of 5-6 paragraphs. T: Tense and tidy-up check at the end.
Use it when: Run through it in the first five minutes of Question 1.
The five ICSE topics: S-P-A-D-P
Story, Personal account, Argument, Description, Picture.
Use it when: Practise one of each type before the exam so none surprises you.
Story spine
Once… Every day… Until one day… Because of that… Until finally… Ever since…
Use it when: Builds a complete plot with a resolution in seconds.
One stand, three reasons, one rebuttal
1-3-1: one clear stand, three reasoned paragraphs, one answered objection.
Use it when: Structure for every for-or-against composition.

Composition: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Argumentative: full model answer · 20 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

'Homework should be banned in schools.' Express your views either for or against this statement. (300-350 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Decide the stand: against the statement (homework should stay, in a better form).
Paragraph 1: explain the debate and state the stand.
Paragraphs 2-4: three reasons, each with an example: practice and memory; independence and time management; a link between school and home.
Paragraph 5: answer the strongest opposing point (stress and lost play time) by proposing better homework, not none.
Paragraph 6: restate the stand in fresh words.

Answer: Every few months, someone in my class sighs that homework should simply be abolished. It is a tempting idea on a Sunday evening. Yet when I think about what homework actually does for us, I am firmly against banning it. What schools need is better homework, not no homework.

First, homework turns a lesson into a skill. In class, a teacher may solve three problems on transformation of sentences, and everything seems clear. It is only when I sit alone at my desk and try ten more that I discover what I have not understood. Practice at home is where learning is tested and fixed in memory.

Secondly, homework teaches us to work independently. In school, a bell tells us when to start and stop. At home, nobody does. Planning an evening so that a project, a revision sheet and some reading all get done is exactly the kind of time management we will need in college and at work.

Thirdly, homework connects school with home. When my younger brother brings home a worksheet on plants, my mother helps him find leaves in the garden. Parents see what their children are learning and can help where they struggle. Without homework, that window would close.

Those who want a ban argue that students are stressed and have no time to play. That is a fair complaint, but the cause is too much homework, poorly planned, not homework itself. Schools can fix it: a fixed limit of an hour a day, no homework on weekends before examinations, and tasks that are creative rather than copying.

Banning homework would throw away a useful tool because it has sometimes been misused. Let us keep it, but make it shorter, smarter and fairer. Then even my classmates might stop sighing on Sunday evenings.

Example 2: Personal account: plan and key paragraphs · 20 marks · Long answerHarder board level

You were blamed for losing a library book that you had returned. Give an account of what happened, how you felt and how the truth came out. (300-350 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Paragraph 1: set the scene: a notice from the librarian saying a book issued to you was missing.
Paragraph 2: where things went wrong: you had returned it in a hurry and no entry was made.
Paragraph 3: your feelings: shock, embarrassment, anger at not being believed; a fine and a warning.
Paragraph 4: how the truth came out: you remembered a classmate who was with you; the book was found misplaced on another shelf during stock-taking.
Paragraph 5: the outcome and lesson: an apology; you now always ask for the return to be recorded.

Answer: Model opening: 'The note was only two lines long, but my hands shook as I read it: "The book Wings of Fire, issued to you on 4th July, has not been returned. Please pay the fine by Friday."'

Model climax: 'During the stock-taking a fortnight later, Mrs Dutta pulled a familiar blue spine out from among the atlases. She turned it over, saw the school stamp and looked up at me over her glasses. "It seems," she said quietly, "I owe you an apology."'

Model ending: 'I got my fine back that afternoon, but I kept something more valuable: the habit of watching the librarian make the entry before I walk away.'

Example 3: Story with given opening words · 20 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Write an original short story that begins with the words: 'Nobody believed Meera when she said she had seen it…'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Begin with the exact given words.
Decide what 'it' is: a leopard near the school boundary wall.
Conflict: classmates laugh; the guard says it was a dog.
Rising action: Meera notices pug marks in the mud and photographs them; she tells the Principal.
Climax: forest officials confirm the marks; the school closes the back gate.
Resolution: a small leopard is safely rescued; the class apologises; Meera learns to trust her eyes.

Answer: A strong answer begins 'Nobody believed Meera when she said she had seen it…' and keeps one problem at its centre (whether anyone will believe her). It uses only a few lines of dialogue (the guard's dismissal, the Principal's question, the forest officer's confirmation) and ends by resolving both the danger and the disbelief, so the story has a clear point.

Example 4: Picture composition: avoiding itemisation · 20 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

A picture shows children planting saplings along a dusty road while an old woman watches from a doorway. A student writes: 'In the picture there are four children. They have spades. There are small plants. An old woman is standing. The road is dusty.' Explain why this would score poorly, and rewrite the opening.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Identify the fault: mere itemisation, which the examiners penalise.
Find a central idea: the young giving shade to the old, or hope growing on a bare road.
Rewrite the opening as the start of a story or account that uses the details.

Answer: It only lists what is visible; there is no idea, story or feeling, and the marking scheme says that 'a mere itemisation' or listing of the picture 'is to be penalised'. Better: 'For forty summers Dadi had watched the dust rise from the road outside her door. So when four children from the colony arrived one Sunday morning with spades, a bucket and eight thin saplings, she leaned on her doorframe and waited to see how long their enthusiasm would last.'

Example 5: Descriptive composition with a change · 20 marks · Long answerBoard level

Describe the scene at a railway station just before a train arrives and the change once it has left. (Plan and write the key contrast paragraph.)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Paragraph 1: setting: time, place, why you are there.
Paragraph 2: before the train: sounds of announcements, vendors, porters, crowds pressing to the edge.
Paragraph 3: the arrival: the rumble, the screech of brakes, the rush.
Paragraph 4: the contrast after it leaves: emptiness, a few waiting figures, a dog asleep, litter stirring.
Paragraph 5: your reflection.

Answer: Contrast paragraph: 'Then, as suddenly as it had come, the train was gone, its red tail-lamp shrinking into the dark. The platform seemed to breathe out. The tea-seller sat down on his upturned crate and counted his coins; a porter stretched out on a luggage trolley; a thin dog crept back to its warm patch beside the bench. Only the scraps of paper, lifted by the wind, still seemed in a hurry to go somewhere.'

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Composition (300-350 words), one of five topics. Indicative split only: CISCE publishes no numerical split for Question 1; examiners judge the whole piece on content, organisation and expression. (20 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: every part of the topic answered; relevant, original ideas; clear stand (argument) or clear plot (story)	8
Organisation: paragraphs, logical sequence, an opening that engages and an ending that concludes	4
Expression: accurate grammar, tense consistency, varied sentences, precise vocabulary	6
Mechanics: spelling and punctuation	2

Where students lose marks in Composition

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Answering only part of the topic
Students start writing after reading the first half of the topic. The 2025 examiners noted tailor stories that ended 'at the award without highlighting how the event changed' the tailor's life, and prank accounts in which the lesson learnt 'was either unclear or not understood'.
Wrong working
A story about a tailor who works hard and wins a national award, ending at the prize ceremony.
Right working
The same story with a final paragraph showing how the award changed the tailor's life: new orders, a shop, a child back in school.
Do this: Underline every 'and' in the topic and tick each part off in your plan before writing.
Usually costs: Content is the largest share of the 20 marks; a missing part can pull an otherwise good composition down by several marks.
Mistake: Arguing both sides in an argumentative composition
Students think balance looks mature. The topic says 'either for or against'; the 2023 examiners reported candidates who 'argued both sides of the question', and in 2025 many 'failed to take a clear stand'.
Wrong working
'Competition has advantages and collaboration also has advantages, so both are needed.'
Right working
'I firmly believe that collaboration, not competition, prepares us for life.' (and every paragraph supports this)
Do this: Write your stand in the first and last paragraphs; mention the other side only to answer it.
Usually costs: The argument loses coherence, which affects both content and organisation.
Mistake: Listing the contents of the picture
It feels safe to describe what you can see. The marking scheme penalises 'mere itemisation', and in 2025 the examiners found that 'the connection to the picture was not adequately established'.
Wrong working
'There is an old man. There is a bench. There are many people. It is a railway platform.'
Right working
A story or account with a central idea (for example, an old man waiting for someone who never comes) in which those details appear naturally.
Do this: Ask 'What does this picture suggest?' and build a story or account on that one idea.
Usually costs: Itemisation scores poorly on content and creativity, the competencies this item tests.
Mistake: Writing a story that is not original or not plausible
Students retell a film or a famous story, or in a personal account invent an adult or fantastic experience. The 2023 examiners found story elements 'lifted' from popular children's authors and the 2025 examiners themes 'borrowed' from popular films; the 2027 marking scheme wants personal accounts 'within the plausible experience of a Class X candidate'.
Do this: Base the story on something from your own world (school, home, neighbourhood) and change the details.
Usually costs: Content and originality marks.
Mistake: No paragraphs, or far beyond the word limit
Under time pressure students write one long block or keep going for 500 words. The 2023 examiners mention both faults.
Do this: Plan 5-6 paragraphs before you start and know how many of your handwritten lines make 330 words.
Usually costs: Organisation marks, and time lost from Questions 2-5.
Mistake: Tense shifts in narratives
Students start in the past tense and drift into the present when the action becomes exciting.
Wrong working
'I opened the door and suddenly I see a man standing there.'
Right working
'I opened the door and suddenly saw a man standing there.'
Do this: Keep stories and accounts in the past tense; use the past perfect for events before the main story.
Usually costs: Expression marks, repeatedly through the composition.

Practice questions on Composition

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 20 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Write a composition (300-350 words): 'Social media has done more harm than good to teenagers.' Express your views either for or against this statement.
Hint
Choose one side. Define 'harm' and 'good'. Three reasons with examples, rebut one opposing point, restate.
Answer
Value points (for): addiction and lost sleep; comparison and low self-esteem; cyber-bullying and misinformation; rebuttal: learning resources exist but are rarely the main use. Value points (against): access to learning and news; staying connected with family abroad; platforms for talent; rebuttal: harm comes from overuse, which can be managed. A clear single stand in the first and last paragraphs is essential.
Q2 · 20 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Write an original short story that ends with the words: '…and that was the last time I ever doubted my grandmother.'
Hint
Plan backwards from the ending: what did the narrator doubt, and how was the grandmother proved right?
Answer
Expected: an original first-person story in which the narrator doubts the grandmother (her weather sense, her old-fashioned remedy, her warning about a stranger), events prove her right, and the story ends with the exact given words. The doubt must be set up early and the proof shown, not just told.
Q3 · 20 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Your school organised a cleanliness drive in your neighbourhood. Describe how the drive was planned and carried out, and explain what it taught you. (300-350 words)
Hint
Three parts: planning, carrying out (with sights, sounds, smells), lesson.
Answer
Expected: planning (meetings, teams, materials, permission from the local body); carrying out (vivid description of the day: gloves, sacks, the smell of a blocked drain, residents' reactions); what it taught (civic sense, teamwork, how small acts change a place). Each part should have at least one full paragraph.
Q4 · 20 marks · Long answerBoard level
Give an account of a day when you had to take charge of your home because your parents were away. What went wrong, and how did you manage? (300-350 words)
Hint
First person, past tense, realistic for a Class X student; include feelings and a lesson.
Answer
Expected: the situation; a realistic problem (a burnt meal, a power cut, a younger sibling falling ill); how you handled it step by step; feelings; what you learnt about responsibility and your parents' daily work.
Q5 · 20 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
A picture shows a girl in a school uniform holding a trophy while an elderly man in a shabby shirt claps from behind a fence. Write a story, description or account suggested by the picture.
Hint
Who is the man to the girl? Why is he behind the fence? Make him central.
Answer
Expected: a clear central idea linked to the picture, for example a father who cannot afford to enter the stadium but watches his daughter win, or a coach who trained her for free. The trophy, the fence and the man's clothes should all be used in the story. Listing the picture's contents scores poorly.
Q6 · 20 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Describe a busy market on the evening before a festival, and how it looks the morning after the festival. (300-350 words)
Hint
Two contrasting scenes, each with sensory detail; the second must not be an afterthought.
Answer
Expected: the evening before (lights, crowds, bargaining voices, smells of sweets and flowers, colours) and the morning after (shutters down, crushed marigolds, a sweeper, quiet), with a reflective close. The contrast should take at least a third of the composition.
Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
A student wrote this conclusion to an argumentative composition: 'So, there are good points and bad points of online classes and both sides are right in their own way.' Why will this lose marks? Rewrite it for a student who is against online classes replacing schools.
Hint
What did the 2023 and 2025 examiners say about argumentative essays?
Answer
It takes no clear stand, which the examiners criticised in both 2023 and 2025. Rewrite: 'Online classes are a useful support in an emergency, but they can never replace a school. The laughter of a classroom, a teacher who notices a puzzled face, and a playground where friendships are made cannot be delivered through a screen.'

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.How many words and marks is the ICSE Class 10 composition?Show answer
300-350 words, 20 marks; one topic out of five.
2.What is the advised time for Question 1?Show answer
Not more than 30 minutes.
3.What are the five usual topic types?Show answer
Original story, personal account, argument (for or against), descriptive account, picture-based composition.
4.What did examiners penalise in picture compositions?Show answer
Mere itemisation or listing of the picture's contents, and a weak connection to the picture.
5.Should a personal account be in the first or third person?Show answer
First person, within the plausible experience of a Class X student.
6.What must an argumentative composition have above all?Show answer
One clear stand, either for or against, supported by valid reasons and examples.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you list the five ICSE composition types from memory?
Can you break any topic into its parts by underlining every 'and'?
Can you write a 60-word argumentative opening that states one stand?
Can you turn a list of picture details into a story opening?
Do you know how many of your handwritten lines make about 330 words?
Can you keep a whole narrative in the past tense?

Composition: frequently asked questions

What is the word limit for ICSE Class 10 composition?

The syllabus asks for about 300-350 words. Stay close to it: a short composition will lack development, and a very long one takes time from the rest of the paper and usually contains more errors.

Can I write a story in the first person?

Yes, unless the topic says otherwise. A personal account must be in the first person; a story may be in the first or third person, but it must be original and have a clear plot.

Is a title needed for an ICSE composition?

The question paper does not ask for one. A short title does no harm, but marks come from content, organisation and expression, so do not spend time on it.

Can I write about both sides in a 'for or against' topic?

Only to answer the other side. You must take one clear stand and keep to it; examiners have repeatedly criticised compositions that argue both sides.

How is the picture composition marked?

A wide interpretation is accepted, but there must be a clear connection between the picture and the composition. Simply listing what is in the picture is penalised.

Based on: CISCE ICSE 2027 English syllabus (Paper 1: English Language); CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper and Draft Marking Scheme: English Language (English Paper 1); CISCE Specimen Questions, English Language 2026: suggested formats for letter, notice and e-mail; CISCE Analysis of Pupil Performance 2025: English Language (examiners' comments); CISCE Analysis of Pupil Performance 2023: English Language (examiners' comments)