What does the paired-text task look like?

A passage paired with a visual text or comic strip, or two comparative texts, with 10 marks for the first text, 5 for the second and 5 for comparing them.

Is Part II the same layout as Part I?

The syllabus gives the same two-paper structure for both classes, 50 marks each paper.

Is this official AKU-EB marking?

No. Aga Khan University Examination Board marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for AKU-EB HSSC English. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.

Do you reproduce past-paper questions?

No. Every XI-XII paper here is original and written to the english compulsory hssc syllabus 2025, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.

Which papers are marked?

None yet are marked question by question; Paper I are scored instantly. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.

How is the next paper chosen?

From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.

AKU-EB HSSC (Intermediate) English Compulsory (XI-XII): syllabus, papers and marking

Name: AKU-EB HSSC (Intermediate) English Compulsory (XI-XII) — exam-style papers and marking
Price: 5000 PKR

AKU-EB HSSC English is 100 marks: 50 objective marks and 50 marks of constructed responses on paired texts, formal writing and an essay.

English Compulsory HSSC Syllabus 2025 · Annual and September series · grades A++ to U (IBCC scale)

AKU-EB HSSC English: where the marks go

AKU-EB HSSC English Compulsory is a 100-mark qualification in two papers. Paper I is 50 MCQs in 1 hour 15 minutes: listening (20 marks), reading (20) and grammar (10). Paper II is 50 marks in 1 hour 45 minutes: constructed responses on a pair of texts that includes a visual text or a comparison, a 15-mark formal writing task and a 15-mark essay. The board gives the cognitive weighting as Remember 0 to 10%, Understand 35 to 45% and Apply and beyond 55 to 65%. Marks are shared between reading, grammar and writing, and the writing tasks are marked on content, structure and accuracy together.

AdmitPortfolio builds English papers to that scheme of assessment. Paper I scores automatically; Paper II is marked for content relevance, vocabulary, structure, expression and overall impression, with the paired-text questions marked for the literal, inferential and comparison points separately.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

Paper	Time	Marks	Weight	Questions
Paper I — Listening, Reading and Grammar MCQs	1 h 15 min	50	50%	Listening comprehension (20 marks, two passages of 10 MCQs), reading comprehension (20 marks, two passages of 10 MCQs) and grammar (10 MCQs)
Paper II — Constructed Response and Writing	1 h 45 min	50	50%	Constructed responses on paired texts (20), formal writing of 300 to 350 words (15), essay of 350 to 400 words (15)

Syllabus outline

Listening comprehension (two recorded passages, 20 marks)
Reading comprehension (two passages, 20 marks)
Grammar (10 MCQs)
Constructed responses on paired or comparative texts
Formal writing: formal letter, business letter, personal statement (300 to 350 words)
Essay writing: narrative, descriptive, expository, reflective and expressive essays (350 to 400 words)

How each paper is marked here

Paper I is scored automatically, reported separately for listening, reading and grammar.
The paired-text questions split literal, inference and comparison marks; the formal task and the essay are marked against the board’s criteria.
Scripts must carry no name or school identification anywhere.

Where AKU-EB HSSC English candidates lose marks

Summaries that copy the passage — Summary marks go to selecting the main points and rewording them. Lifted sentences earn little even when the points are right.
Format without a body, or body without format — Letter and report format marks usually apply only when a real body is written; an address block over two lines of content does not score.
Grammar slips inside the writing tasks — Tense, agreement and punctuation errors in the letter, paragraph and essay lower the expression mark across the whole paper.
Writing that drifts from the prompt — A fluent essay or dialogue on a slightly different topic sits in the lowest content band.
Comparison marks left out — The paired-text task keeps 5 of its 20 marks for comparing the two texts. Answering each text well and never comparing them leaves those marks unclaimed.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for AKU-EB HSSC English

See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.

Questions teachers ask

What does the paired-text task look like?: A passage paired with a visual text or comic strip, or two comparative texts, with 10 marks for the first text, 5 for the second and 5 for comparing them.
Is Part II the same layout as Part I?: The syllabus gives the same two-paper structure for both classes, 50 marks each paper.
Is this official AKU-EB marking?: No. Aga Khan University Examination Board marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for AKU-EB HSSC English. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?: No. Every XI-XII paper here is original and written to the english compulsory hssc syllabus 2025, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
Which papers are marked?: None yet are marked question by question; Paper I are scored instantly. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
How is the next paper chosen?: From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
When are the exams?: Annual and September series. Grades A++ to U (IBCC scale).

Other AKU-EB HSSC (Intermediate) courses

Start marking English Compulsory scripts · See a real marked script