CUET UG 2026 English Language Paper Analysis: Difficulty, Topics and Good Attempts

The CUET UG 2026 English Language paper held on June 5, 2026 was rated Moderate overall, with Reading Comprehension and Para Jumbles being the most time-consuming sections and Grammar relatively straightforward.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the CUET UG 2026 English Language paper as part of Section IA. It is one of the most widely attempted language papers and is mandatory for students seeking admission to undergraduate programmes at central universities. This analysis covers section-wise difficulty, topics asked, good attempt count, and expected score range based on student feedback collected after the June 5 slot.

• Paper conducted on June 5, 2026; total 50 questions, attempt any 40.
• Overall difficulty rated Moderate by most students.
• Reading Comprehension (5 passages) was the most time-consuming section of the paper.
• Grammar and Cloze Test questions were Easy to Moderate and scoring.
• Good attempts: 35–38 out of 40; an expected good score is 160–175 out of 200.

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CUET UG 2026 English Language Paper Overview

The English Language paper is part of Section IA of CUET UG and carries a maximum of 200 marks. Students had to attempt 40 out of 50 MCQs within the stipulated time. Here is a quick snapshot of the paper structure for the June 5, 2026 slot.

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Section-wise Difficulty Analysis

The paper was broadly divided into five sections. Reading Comprehension accounted for the largest share of questions and was also the most challenging. Below is the section-wise difficulty breakdown based on student feedback collected after the exam.

Reading Comprehension passages were long-format (approximately 400–500 words each) and included inference-based questions where answer options were very close, making elimination difficult. Para Jumbles had complex sentence structures with multiple connectors, making them the second most challenging part of the paper. Grammar and Cloze Test questions, however, were well within the Class 11–12 NCERT syllabus and offered easy scoring opportunities.

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Topic-wise Distribution

Students reported a diverse spread of topics. Grammar largely tested subject-verb agreement, tenses, and prepositions, while vocabulary focused on contextual word usage. The following table shows the approximate topic-wise distribution from the June 5 paper.

The Reading Comprehension passages covered a mix of literary, social science, and science themes. Students with regular reading habits found these passages manageable despite their length. A few uncommon vocabulary words appeared in the synonym-antonym set but contextual clues within the questions helped in arriving at the correct answers.

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Good Attempts and Expected Score

Attempting 35–38 questions correctly out of 40 is considered good performance in the CUET UG 2026 English Language paper. Since the paper was rated Moderate, competition is expected to be higher compared to years when the paper was tougher. The table below shows expected score ranges by performance category.

Keep in mind that negative marking applies at ?1 per wrong answer. Students who guessed on uncertain questions may find their raw score lower than expected. If you attempted 37 questions all correctly, your raw score would be 185 out of 200 — a strong position for most university cutoffs.

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Student Reactions

Students who appeared on June 5, 2026 shared largely similar feedback. Most found the Grammar and Cloze Test portions manageable, but Reading Comprehension slowed down their overall pace. Here is a summary of the common reactions:

• Reading Comprehension — passages were lengthy and some inference questions had very similar answer options, making the process of elimination harder than usual.
• Grammar — questions were standard and covered topics directly from Class 11–12 NCERT syllabus; considered a high-scoring section by most students.
• Vocabulary — a few uncommon words appeared, but questions were framed with enough contextual support to arrive at the right answer.
• Para Jumbles — the most discussed section post-exam; complex connectors and long sentences made these tricky.
• Cloze Test — the passage was simple and students found this section quick to attempt.

Students who had practised CUET previous years’ language papers found the overall difficulty level familiar and manageable within the allotted time.

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Expected CUET UG 2026 English Language Cutoff

Official CUET UG 2026 results are yet to be declared. The expected English Language cutoff scores below are based on 2025 trends and this year’s Moderate difficulty level — these are expected figures and not official cutoffs.

The actual cutoff will depend on total registrations, the normalisation process applied across shifts, and university-specific seat availability. Students should check the official CUET portal at cuet.nta.nic.in for final cutoff announcements after results are declared.