ICSE Hindi is a three-hour paper with one rule that shapes the whole year: of the three prescribed books, a student answers from only two. It is easy to prepare the wrong material: a guidebook covers all three books, and a past paper may be set on stories that are no longer prescribed.
Here is the 2027 paper, from the Council's own documents: the ICSE 2027 Second Languages syllabus and the 2027 list of prescribed books. Where a mark split comes from the Council's report on the 2025 paper rather than the syllabus, it says so. Check every figure against what your school has issued.
The paper in one table
| Part | Marks |
|---|---|
| Section A: language, compulsory | 40 |
| Composition (निबंध), about 250 words, one from a choice of topics | 15 |
| Letter (पत्र), about 120 words, one from a choice of two | 7 |
| Unseen passage of about 250 words, questions answered in Hindi | 10 |
| Grammar (व्याकरण) | 8 |
| Section B: prescribed texts, four questions from only two books | 40 |
| Written paper, three hours | 80 |
| Internal assessment: assignments marked by the subject teacher (10) and an external examiner (10) | 20 |
The 2027 syllabus fixes the two sections at 40 marks each, the 250-word passage and the three hours. The split inside Section A (15, 7, 10, 8) and the ten marks for each literature question are how the Council set the 2025 paper, from its own report on that year.
Section A: language, 40 marks
Composition. One composition from a choice of subjects. The syllabus allows the topics to be prompted by a picture as well as by words, so a student should be ready for both: a descriptive or narrative piece, an argument, or a short explanation.
Letter. One letter from two subjects. The syllabus says in terms that the layout is part of the assessment: the addresses, the opening, the close. Those are the easiest marks on the paper to secure: learn the layout once and they are there every time.
Unseen passage. About 250 words of prose, with questions to answer in Hindi. In 2025 it was five questions of two marks each, to be answered in the student's own words as far as possible. Copying a sentence out of the passage answers in the passage's words, not your own.
Grammar. The syllabus describes it as usage: vocabulary, idiom, joining sentences, and building correct sentences from given words or forms. It says the question will not ask for grammatical terms. A student does not have to name a समास; they have to use words, idioms and sentence forms correctly. Gender agreement is worth practising on its own.
Section B: the books, and the rule about two
Three books are prescribed and the list says only two are to be offered. The school chooses the pair, and the student answers four questions, of ten marks each, from those two books. In 2025 the paper also asked for at least one question from each of the two books, so neither can be skipped.
| Book | Prescribed for Class 10, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Sahitya Sagar (साहित्य सागर), short stories | बड़े घर की बेटी (Bade Ghar Ki Beti), Premchand · संदेह (Sandeh), Jaishankar Prasad · भीड़ में खोया आदमी (Bheed Mein Khoya Aadmi), Leeladhar Sharma 'Parvatiya' · भेड़ें और भेड़िये (Bheden Aur Bhediye), Harishankar Parsai · दो कलाकार (Do Kalakaar), Mannu Bhandari |
| Sahitya Sagar, poems | सूर के पद (Sur Ke Pad), Surdas · विनय के पद (Vinay Ke Pad), Tulsidas · भिक्षुक (Bhikshuk), Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' · चलना हमारा काम है (Chalna Hamara Kaam Hai), Shivmangal Singh 'Suman' · मातृ-मंदिर की ओर (Matri Mandir Ki Or), Subhadra Kumari Chauhan |
| Naya Raasta (नया रास्ता), novel by Sushma Agarwal | Sarg 14 to sarg 26 |
| Ekanki Sanchay (एकांकी संचय), one-act plays | सूखी डाली (Sookhi Dali), Upendranath 'Ashk' · महाभारत की एक साँझ (Mahabharat Ki Ek Saanjh), Bharat Bhushan Agrawal · दीपदान (Deepdan), Ram Kumar Verma |
Grammar has no prescribed book; the list recommends Saras Hindi Vyakaran for background work. And the Class 10 paper is set only on the Class 10 portion above, so the Class 9 pieces of the same books are not examined.
Which two books?
Usually the school decides, and the first thing to find out is which pair your child's school teaches. Where there is a choice, three things are worth knowing.
- Sahitya Sagar gives the most room. It carries ten pieces, five stories and five poems, and in 2025 it had six of the twelve questions in Section B, against three each for the novel and the plays. More pieces to learn, but more questions to choose from on the day.
- The poems need the most help. Surdas and Tulsidas wrote in an older Hindi, and a student who has not been taken through them line by line will not understand an extract cold. Nirala, Suman and Subhadra Kumari Chauhan are modern and much easier going.
- The plays are the shortest load. Three plays, each a single sitting to read, and each with a clear conflict that makes character questions straightforward. The novel is one continuous story, which some students find easier to remember than ten separate pieces, but it is thirteen sargs long.
In 2025 every one of the twelve Section B questions began from a printed extract: a few lines from the text, then questions on what happens around it, on a character, and on the meaning or theme. Knowing the story is not enough; a student has to recognise where an extract comes from and say what it shows.
A warning about past papers
The prescribed pieces change. The 2025 paper set questions on बात अठन्नी की (Baat Athanni Ki, Sudarshan), काकी (Kaki, Siyaram Sharan Gupta) and बहू की विदा (Bahu Ki Vida, Vinod Rastogi), none of which is on the 2027 Class 10 list. Past papers are still the best practice for the shape of each question. For what to learn, use the 2027 list above and nothing else.
The 20 internal marks
In Class 10 these come from two or three assignments, at least two of them written: one on the language side and one on the literature. The syllabus suggests oral work (a prepared speech, a debate, a role-play), creative writing from a stimulus such as a picture or an opening line, and, for the books, character studies, background and summaries. The subject teacher and an external examiner each mark out of ten, independently.
ICSE Hindi, taught to these books
Ms. Ishita Parikh taught Hindi in Mumbai schools for five years and holds an MA in Sanskrit, from which Hindi grammar is explained rather than memorised. Tuition follows the two books your school has chosen, with the 2027 pieces only, and letters and compositions marked for layout as well as language.
School Hindi tuition, Classes 1 to 12, online; in Mumbai, in person at Borivali West for Classes 1 to 10. Or book the free first class and bring the last test paper. For CBSE, see Class 10 Hindi Course A and B.
Questions people ask
What is the ICSE Class 10 Hindi paper pattern for 2027?
One paper of three hours carrying 80 marks, plus 20 marks of internal assessment. Section A, language, is 40 marks and compulsory: a composition, a letter, an unseen passage with questions, and grammar. Section B, the prescribed texts, is 40 marks: four questions, answered from only two of the prescribed books.
Which books are prescribed for ICSE Class 10 Hindi in 2027?
Three books, of which only two are offered: Sahitya Sagar, a collection of short stories and poems; the novel Naya Raasta by Sushma Agarwal; and Ekanki Sanchay, a collection of one-act plays. Saras Hindi Vyakaran is recommended for background work in grammar.
Which stories and poems from Sahitya Sagar are in Class 10 for 2027?
Stories: Bade Ghar Ki Beti by Premchand, Sandeh by Jaishankar Prasad, Bheed Mein Khoya Aadmi by Leeladhar Sharma Parvatiya, Bheden Aur Bhediye by Harishankar Parsai and Do Kalakaar by Mannu Bhandari. Poems: Sur Ke Pad by Surdas, Vinay Ke Pad by Tulsidas, Bhikshuk by Nirala, Chalna Hamara Kaam Hai by Shivmangal Singh Suman and Matri Mandir Ki Or by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan.
Which one-act plays and chapters of the novel are in Class 10 Hindi for 2027?
From Ekanki Sanchay: Sookhi Dali by Upendranath Ashk, Mahabharat Ki Ek Saanjh by Bharat Bhushan Agrawal and Deepdan by Ram Kumar Verma. From the novel Naya Raasta: sarg 14 to sarg 26. The Class 10 paper is set only on the Class 10 portion.
Is Hindi compulsory in ICSE?
A second language is compulsory: Group I is English, a second language, and History, Civics and Geography. Hindi is one of the languages a school can offer as the second language. Sanskrit can also be taken as the second language, but not at the same time as Sanskrit as the classical language in Group II.