Complete JAMB English Language Syllabus 2026: All Topics & What to Focus On
Preparing for JAMB English Language? This is the complete official JAMB syllabus with all 3 topics you need to cover for the 2026 UTME. Use of English is compulsory for all JAMB candidates regardless of course — and it has 60 questions (other subjects have 40).
Schowl has 2,028+ real JAMB past questions for English Language — practice them under timed CBT conditions with AI-powered explanations for every question you get wrong.
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How to Use This Syllabus
- Go through each topic below and honestly rate yourself: strong, okay, or weak
- Focus your study time on weak topics first — that's where the marks are
- Practice past questions topic by topic on Schowl to test your understanding
- Review AI explanations for questions you get wrong — don't just memorize answers
JAMB English Language Syllabus — All 3 Topics
1. Comprehension and Summary
What JAMB expects you to know:
- Identify main points/topic sentences in passages
- Determine implied meanings
- Identify the grammatical functions of words, phrases, clauses and figurative/idiomatic expressions
- Deduce or infer the writers’ intentions including mood, attitude to the subject matter and opinion
Key areas: description, narration, exposition, argumentation/persuasion, comprehension of the whole or part of each passage, comprehension of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, figures of speech and idioms as used in the passages, coherence and logical reasoning, synthesis of ideas from the passages
Recommended reading:
- Adedimeji, M. A (2021) Doses of Grammar
- Attah, M. O. (2013). Practice in Spoken English for Intermediate and Advanced Learners
- Bamgbose, A. (2002). English Lexis and Structure for Senior Secondary Schools and Colleges
2. Lexis and Structure
What JAMB expects you to know:
- Identify words and expressions in their ordinary, figurative and idiomatic contexts
- Determine similar and opposite meanings of words
- Differentiate between correct and incorrect spellings
- Identify various grammatical patterns in use
- Interpret information conveyed in sentences
Key areas: synonyms, antonyms, clause and sentence patterns, word classes and their functions, mood, tense, aspect, number, agreement/concord, degree, question tags, mechanics, ordinary usage, figurative usage and idiomatic usage
Recommended reading:
- Adedimeji, M. A (2021) Doses of Grammar
- Attah, M. O. (2013). Practice in Spoken English for Intermediate and Advanced Learners
- Bamgbose, A. (2002). English Lexis and Structure for Senior Secondary Schools and Colleges
3. Oral Forms
What JAMB expects you to know:
- Make distinctions among vowel types
- Differentiate among consonant types
- Identify correct pronunciation of individual words and articulation of connected speech
Key areas: vowels, consonants, rhymes, word stress, emphatic stress
Recommended reading:
- Adedimeji, M. A (2021) Doses of Grammar
- Attah, M. O. (2013). Practice in Spoken English for Intermediate and Advanced Learners
- Bamgbose, A. (2002). English Lexis and Structure for Senior Secondary Schools and Colleges
Ready to Practice?
Reading the syllabus is step one. Step two is testing yourself with real JAMB past questions.
Schowl has 2,028+ verified English Language past questions from previous JAMB exams. Practice under timed CBT conditions, get AI-powered explanations for every wrong answer, and track which topics you're weakest in.
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Last updated: March 15, 2026. This syllabus is based on the official JAMB/IBASS syllabus for English Language.