Official syllabus
WBHSE Class 11 Physics Syllabus 2026 – 27
Explore the official topics, exam pattern and source PDF in one place.
Overview
Course introduction: Class 11 Physics bridges the general Physical Science studied at secondary level with the discipline-based Physics curriculum used in higher education. The two-year syllabus is arranged progressively, combines conventional topics with modern concepts, and reduces overlapping content while maintaining national and international academic standards.
Class 11 course focus: measurement, kinematics, laws of motion, work and energy, rotational motion, gravitation, properties of matter, thermodynamics, kinetic theory, oscillations and waves, supported by practical work and a guided project.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand fundamental laws and physical processes conceptually.
- Analyse real-life events from a Physics perspective.
- Develop problem-solving, experimental and analytical skills.
- Build the conceptual foundation needed for higher academic and professional courses.
- Develop scientific aptitude and interest in Physics-related careers.
Course structure: Theory is assessed over Semesters I and II, with practical work, viva voce, a practical file and project work presented in their dedicated sections.
Full syllabus
Semester I — Units 1–5 part
| Unit No. | Topics | Contact Hours | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
PHYSICAL WORLD AND MEASUREMENT
Physics - scope and excitement, nature of physical Law, physics technology and society. Need for measurement, units of measurement, length, mass and time measurement, accuracy and precision of measuring instruments, error in measurement, rounding off and order of magnitude, significant figures. Dimensions of physical quantities, dimensional analysis and its applications. |
6 | 3 |
| 2 |
KINEMATICS
SUB TOPIC : MOTION IN A ONE DIMENSION AND TWO DIMENSION Frame of reference (inertial and non-inertial frames).Motion in a straight line, position - time graph, speed and velocity. Elementary concepts of differentiation and integration for describing motion. Uniformly accelerated motion. Graphical analysis: position - time and velocity - time graph and calculation of relevant quantities Relations for uniformly accelerated motion (using graphical and calculus method). SUB TOPIC : MOTION IN A PLANE Scalar and vector quantities, position and displacement vectors, general vectors and their notations, equality of vectors, multiplication of vectors by a real number, addition and subtraction of vectors. Relative velocity. Unit vector, resolution of a vector in a plane - rectangular and non - rectangular components. Scalar and vector product. Motion in a plane. Cases of uniform velocity and uniform acceleration - projectile motion. |
24 | 12 |
| 3 |
LAWS OF MOTION
Intuitive concept of force. Inertia, Newton's first law of motion. Momentum and Newton's second law of motion, impulse and concept of impulsive force, Newton’s third law of motion and its examples. |
16 | 8 |
| 3 (continued) |
LAWS OF MOTION — continued
Law of conservation of linear momentum and its application; free-body diagrams; equilibrium of concurrent forces; static and kinetic friction, coefficient of friction, angle of friction and repose; rolling friction; uniform circular motion, centripetal force and applications; concept of centrifugal force. |
— | — |
| 4 |
WORK, ENERGY AND POWER
Work by constant and variable forces; kinetic energy; work–energy theorem; power; potential energy and spring energy; conservative and non-conservative forces; conservation of mechanical energy; vertical circular motion; elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions. |
10 | 5 |
| 5 |
MOTION OF SYSTEM OF PARTICLES AND RIGID BODY
Centre of mass; momentum conservation; torque and angular momentum; conservation of angular momentum; rigid-body equilibrium and rotation; moment of inertia and radius of gyration; moments of inertia of simple bodies; parallel- and perpendicular-axis theorems and applications. |
14 | 7 |
Semester I contact hours: Theory 70, Practical 30, Remedial/Tutorial 10; Total 110 hours.
Semester I covers measurement, motion, laws of motion, work and energy, and rigid-body mechanics.
Semester II — Units 6–10 part
| Unit No. | Topics | Contact Hours | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
GRAVITATION
The universal law of gravitation; acceleration due to gravity and its variation with altitude, depth and rotation of Earth; Kepler’s laws of planetary motion; gravitational potential energy and gravitational potential; escape velocity; orbital velocity of a satellite; geostationary satellite. |
9 | 5 |
| 7 |
PROPERTIES OF BULK MATTER
Mechanical Properties of Solids: Elastic behaviour; stress–strain relationship; Hooke’s law; Young’s, bulk and shear moduli; Poisson’s ratio and related relations; elastic energy. Mechanical Properties of Fluids: Streamline and turbulent flow; viscosity; Stokes’ law; terminal velocity; Reynolds number; Bernoulli’s theorem; surface tension and its applications; capillarity. Thermal Properties of Matter: Heat and temperature; thermal expansion; anomalous expansion of water; specific heat; calorimetry; change of state; heat transfer; black-body radiation; Kirchhoff’s law; thermal conductivity; Newton’s law of cooling; Wien’s displacement law; Stefan’s law and Boltzmann correction. |
17 | 10 |
| 8 |
THERMODYNAMICS
Thermal equilibrium and temperature; zeroth, first and second laws; heat, work and internal energy; heat capacities and their relation; isothermal and adiabatic processes; P–V diagrams; reversible and irreversible processes; heat engines, Carnot efficiency and qualitative refrigerator efficiency. |
9 | 5 |
| 9 |
KINETIC THEORY OF GASES
Assumptions of kinetic theory; RMS speed; degrees of freedom; pressure, kinetic energy and temperature; gas laws; equipartition of energy and specific heats; mean free path and Avogadro number. |
8 | 5 |
| 10 |
OSCILLATION AND WAVES
Periodic motion and SHM; spring systems and SHM energy; simple pendulum and loaded spring; free, damped and forced oscillations; resonance; longitudinal and transverse waves; speed of sound; progressive and stationary waves; organ pipes, beats and Doppler effect. |
17 | 10 |
Semester II contact hours: Theory 60, Practical 20, Remedial/Tutorial 10; Total 90 hours.
Semester II covers gravitation, properties of matter, thermodynamics, kinetic theory, oscillations and waves.
Marks & examination pattern
| Assessment | Marks | Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| Semester I Theory | 35.00 | |
| Semester I Practical | 30.00 | |
| Semester II Theory | 35.00 | |
| Practical Works | 16.00 | |
| Viva Voce | 4.00 | |
| Practical File / Laboratory Notebook | 3.00 | |
| Project Work | 7.00 |
Semester I Theory
70 theory contact hours plus 10 remedial/tutorial hours. Semester I total: 110 hours including 30 practical hours.
Semester I Practical
30 practical contact hours in Semester I.
Semester II Theory
60 theory contact hours plus 10 remedial/tutorial hours. Semester II total: 90 hours including 20 practical hours.
Practical Works
Two experiments: 8 marks each, including theory, record and result (2 + 5 + 1).
Viva Voce
Oral assessment linked to the prescribed practical work.
Practical File / Laboratory Notebook
Assessed from the Physics practical file maintained during the academic year.
Project Work
One theory-based project or working model on a Physics-related topic under teacher guidance.
Practical & Projects
Class XI Practical Work — Evaluation Scheme
Class XI Physics Practical
Full Marks: 30 Contact Hours: 50 hours (30 + 20)
Practical work and viva carry 20 marks (16 + 4). The remaining 10 marks comprise the practical file (3) and project work (7).
| Evaluation component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Experiment 1 — theory, record and result | 8 (2 + 5 + 1) |
| Experiment 2 — theory, record and result | 8 (2 + 5 + 1) |
| Viva voce | 4 |
| Practical file / laboratory notebook | 3 |
| Project work | 7 |
| Total | 30 |
Class XI Practical Work — Experiments and Activities
The students have to do one practical each from section A and section B in the examination.
6 To study the surface tension of water by capillary rise method.
7 To study the coefficient of viscosity of a given viscous liquid by measuring the terminal velocity of
given spherical body.
8 To study the speed of sound of in air at room temperature using resonance column apparatus by two
resonance positions.
9 To study the frequency of a tuning fork using resonance column apparatus is by two resonance
positions, where the data of the speed of sound in air medium at room temperature will be supplied
10 To study the relationship between frequency and length of a given wire under constant tension using
sonometer
Project Work
Project Work — 7 Marks
Each candidate must complete one Physics-related project based on topic(s) from the theory syllabus under the guidance of the Physics teacher.
Choose one project type:
- Theoretical project
- Working model
The technical report should be simple, neat and formally written. It should include the title, abstract, relevant theory, experimental set-up where applicable, observations and data tables, graph or chart where applicable, analysis and discussion, deduction and conclusion.
| Theory-based project file | Model-based project file |
|---|---|
| Title of the project Introduction Contents Analysis / material aid (graph, data, structure, diagram, etc.) Conclusions / comments |
Title of the project Model construction Principle used and concise project report Conclusion / comments |
No extra credit is given for typewritten material or decorative covers.
Prescribed Books
Refer to the official source; no separate requirements have been recorded.