EMRS PGT English Syllabus 2026 (and TGT): Official Topics, Exam Pattern and Eligibility
By Nakul Grover, Limitless Literature · EMRS PGT and TGT English · Last checked: 4 November 2026
Quick answer: EMRS (Eklavya Model Residential School) teachers are recruited by NESTS through the EMRS Staff Selection Exam (ESSE). It has two tiers: Tier I is a qualifying test of general awareness, reasoning, ICT, teaching aptitude, pedagogy and language, and Tier II is the English subject test of 40 objective and 15 descriptive questions for 100 marks. Merit is based on Tier II alone, and there is no interview for PGT or TGT. The official PGT English syllabus covers reading, creative writing, grammar and literature: Shakespeare, the Romantics, British and American writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, Indian writing in English and writing from Latin America, Africa, Australia and South Asia.
EMRS PGT and TGT English at a Glance
| Recruiter | National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), Ministry of Tribal Affairs |
| Latest exam | ESSE-2025 (information bulletin of 19 September 2025, 7,267 posts across all posts) |
| Status | Tier I was held in December 2025 and Tier II in March 2026. The PGT English Tier II result was declared on 17 September 2026 and the TGT English result on 7 October 2026. Document verification follows; its schedule is to be notified by NESTS. |
| Stages | Tier I (qualifying) → Tier II (subject test). No interview for PGT or TGT. |
| Official website | nests.tribal.gov.in |
Official EMRS PGT English Syllabus
This is the English syllabus published by NESTS for ESSE-2025, with links to the pages on this site that cover each part.
| Section | Topics | Study and practise here |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Unseen factual, descriptive or literary passage; case-based passage with charts or data; note-making and summarising | Prose and passage questions |
| Creative writing | Notice, invitation and reply, letters, article or report, classified advertisements, poster, speech of 120–150 words, debate | Write one task a day, timed |
| Grammar | Gap filling (tenses, clauses), re-ordering and transformation of sentences | Language questions |
| Literature: Shakespeare | Plays and poetry | Shakespeare guide |
| Literature: Romantics | Shelley, Wordsworth, Keats, Coleridge | Shelley, Wordsworth, Keats, Coleridge |
| Literature: 19th and 20th century American and English | Frost, Hemingway, Whitman, Hawthorne, Dickinson, Shaw, Arthur Miller | Frost, Hemingway, Whitman, Miller; Pygmalion mind map |
| Literature: modern Indian writing in English | Anita Desai, Vikram Seth, Nissim Ezekiel, Keki Daruwalla, Ruskin Bond, R. K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, Khushwant Singh | Anita Desai, Ezekiel, R. K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand; A Suitable Boy mind map |
| Literature: world writing in English | Writing from Latin America, Africa, Australia and South Asia | Derek Walcott, Things Fall Apart quiz, A Bend in the River mind map |
Official EMRS TGT English Syllabus
| Section | Topics |
|---|---|
| A. Reading | Three or four unseen texts of 150–250 words |
| B. Writing | Notice, message or postcard; report; article, debate or speech; formal and informal letters |
| C. Grammar | Tenses, modals, voice, concord, connectors, clauses, parts of speech, punctuation, sequencing |
| D. Literature | Shakespeare; the Romantics, including Byron; 19th and 20th century American and English writers (Frost, Hemingway, Ted Hughes, Whitman, Hawthorne, Dickinson, Shaw); modern Indian writing in English (the same writers as PGT); modern world writing in English |
Source: NESTS ESSE-2025 subject syllabus for PGT and TGT English. A new exam may revise it, so check the syllabus page on the NESTS website.
EMRS Tier I Exam Pattern
Tier I is qualifying: it shortlists candidates for Tier II in the ratio 1:10. It is an OMR test of 2.5 hours.
| Part | Area | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| I | General Awareness | 10 |
| II | Reasoning | 15 |
| III | ICT (computer literacy) | 15 |
| IV | Teaching Aptitude | 30 |
| V | Domain Knowledge: activity-based pedagogy and case studies (20) and NEP 2020 (10) | 30 |
| I–V | 100 | |
| VI | Language (qualifying): General English and General Hindi for PGT (20 marks, pass mark 8); TGT adds a regional language (30 marks, pass mark 12) | Qualifying |
Watch Part VI: if you do not clear the language part, Parts I to V are not evaluated at all.
EMRS Tier II (Subject Test) Pattern
| Part | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Objective (English) | 40 | 40 |
| Descriptive (English) | 15 | 60 |
| Total | 55 | 100 |
- Time: 3 hours.
- Marking: 1 mark for each correct objective answer; one-third of a mark deducted for a wrong one.
- Merit: based on Tier II marks only; Tier I only qualifies you.
The descriptive part is 60 of the 100 marks, more than in any other PGT exam. Writing practice is not optional here.
EMRS PGT and TGT English Eligibility and Age Limit
| Post | Qualification | Upper age |
|---|---|---|
| PGT English | Master’s in English with at least 50% plus a B.Ed with 50% (or an integrated course) | 40 |
| TGT English | Bachelor’s with at least 50% and English studied in all three years, plus a B.Ed with 50%, plus CTET Paper II | 35 |
With all relaxations, the maximum age is 55. Source: NESTS ESSE-2025 information bulletin.
Preparing for more than one board? The PGT English guide compares KVS, NVS, DSSSB, EMRS and UP PGT side by side.
EMRS PGT English: FAQ
What is the EMRS PGT English syllabus?
Reading (unseen and case-based passages, note-making), creative writing (notices, letters, articles, reports, speeches, debates), grammar (tenses, clauses, sentence transformation) and literature: Shakespeare, the Romantics, 19th and 20th century American and English writers, modern Indian writing in English, and writing from Latin America, Africa, Australia and South Asia.
What is the EMRS PGT exam pattern?
Tier I is a qualifying test of general awareness, reasoning, ICT, teaching aptitude, pedagogy and a language part. Tier II is the English subject test: 40 objective and 15 descriptive questions for 100 marks in 3 hours. Merit is on Tier II alone.
Is there an interview for EMRS PGT English?
No. There is no interview for PGT or TGT posts; only the Principal post has one.
Is there negative marking in EMRS?
Yes. One-third of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer on a 1-mark question.
What is the age limit for EMRS PGT English?
The upper age limit is 40 for PGT and 35 for TGT, and up to 55 with all relaxations.
