JAMB Syllabus for English Language [2026 Latest Version]

JAMB Syllabus for English Language. This is the Updated and Official Version of the 2026 UTME Syllabus for English Language.

If you have registered or plan to register for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) popularly called JAMB, then you need adequate preparations for you to score above 300 in the exam.

For this to happen, you need to study with the JAMB Syllabus for English and other subjects that you’ll be writing.

This page will show you the accurate and official JAMB Syllabus for English. You’ll be also to download the syllabus in PDF.

But that’s not all. We will also show you the list of textbooks that JAMB Recommends you should read if you want to score very high in the Use of English Language.

PLEASE NOTE: After listing out recommended text-books below, you will see an option to view syllabus for other subjects.

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JAMB Syllabus for English Language

The online syllabus…

COMPREHENSION/SUMMARY

OBJECTIVES

Candidates should be able to:

1. identify main points/topic sentences in passages.
2. determine implied meaning.
3. identify the grammatical functions of words, phrases, clauses and figurative/idiomatic expressions.
4. deduce or infer the writer’s intentions including mood, attitude to the subject matter and opinion.

CONTENT

1. Description.
2. Narration.
3. Exposition.
4. Argumentation/Persuasion.

1. Each of the three passages to be set (one will be a close test) should reflect various disciplines and be about 200 words long.
2. Questions on the passages will test the following:
   1. Comprehension of the whole or part of each passage.
   2. Comprehension of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, figures of speech and idioms as used in the passages.
   3. Coherence and logical reasoning (deductions, inferences, etc).
   4. THE LIFE CHANGER.
   5. Synthesis of ideas from the passages.

NOTE: By synthesis of ideas, we mean the art of combining distinct or separate pieces of information to form a complete whole.

LEXIS AND STRUCTURE

OBJECTIVES

Candidates should be able to:

1. identify words and expressions in their ordinary, figurative and idiomatic contexts.
2. determine similar and opposite meaning of words.
3. differentiate between correct and incorrect punctuation and spelling.
4. identify various grammatical patterns in use.
5. interpret information conveyed in sentences.

CONTENT

1. Synonyms.
2. Antonyms.
3. Homonyms.
4. Clause and sentence patterns.
5. Word classes and their functions.
6. Mood, tense, aspect, number, agreement/concord, degree (positive, comparative and superlative) and question tags.
7. Punctuation and spelling.
8. Ordinary usage, figurative usage and idiomatic usage are to be tested.

NOTE: Idioms to be tested shall be those that are formal and expressed in standard British English.

ORAL FORMS

OBJECTIVES

Candidates should be able to:

1. make distinctions between vowel types.
2. differentiate between consonant types.
3. identify correct accentuation in individual words and connected speech.

CONTENT

1. Vowels (monophthongs and diphthongs.
2. Consonants (including clusters).
3. Rhymes (including homophones).
4. Word stress (monosyllabic and polysyllabic).
5. Intonation (words emphatic stress).

NOTE: Emphatic stress involves the placement of normal stress on words in an utterance for the purpose of emphasis.

Structure of the English Examination

SECTION A: Comprehension and Summary
(a) 1 comprehension passage – 5 questions
(b) 1 cloze passage – 10 questions
(c) 1 reading text – 10 questions

SECTION B: Lexis and Structure
(a) Sentence interpretation – 5 questions
(b) Antonyms – 5 questions
(c) Synonyms – 5 questions
(d) Basic Grammar – 10 questions

SECTION C: Oral Forms
a) Vowels – 2 questions
b) Consonants – 2 questions
c) Rhymes – 2 questions
d) Word Stress – 2 questions
e) Emphatic Stress – 2 questions

Total: 60 questions

JAMB Syllabus for English PDF Download

Click the “download” button below to download the JAMB Syllabus for English 2024 PDF.

JAMB APPROVED TEXTBOOKS FOR ENGLISH

1. Practice in Spoken English for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, by Attah, M. O.
2. English Lexis and Structure for Senior Secondary Schools and colleges (Revised Edition), by Bamgbose, A.
3. New Oxford Secondary English Course Book Six for Senior Secondary Schools by Banjo, A .
4. Essential Oral English for Schools and Colleges , by Caesar, O. J.
5. Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, by Daniel Jones.
6. Mastering English Usage and Communication Skills, by Egbe, D. I.
7. Oral English for Schools and Colleges, by Elugbe, B.
8. Senior English Project 3, (New Edition) by Grant, N. J. H.
9. Round-up English: A Complete Guide by Idowu, O. O.
10. Oral English at Your Fingertips for Schools and Colleges by Idris, U.
11. Grammar and Composition in the G.S.M. Age by Igiligi, E. C. and Ogenyi, S. O
12. Oral English for Schools and Colleges: A teaching and Learning Approach, by Jauro, L. B.
13. Common Errors in English, by Nnamonu, S. and Jowitt, D 
14. University Matriculation Use of English,(Fourth Edition) by Obinna, M. F
15. Countdown English Language, (Revised Edition), by Ogunsanwo, O. Duruaku
16. The Silent Teacher by Olatoye, S
17. Intensive English for Senior Secondary School 3, by Oluikpe, B. O. A.
18. Objective Tests for School Certificate English: Practice in Lexis, Structure and Idiom (Reprinted Edition), by Tomori, S. H. O 
19. Catch-up English for SSCE/UME by Ukwuegbu, C, Okoro

That’s it! If you have any questions, please feel free to express yourself using the comment box below.

JAMB Syllabus for All Subjects

Allschool wish you the best of luck.

Source: JAMB IBASS.