Complete JAMB Literature in English Syllabus 2026: All Topics & What to Focus On
Preparing for JAMB Literature in English? This is the complete official JAMB syllabus with all 5 topics you need to cover for the 2026 UTME.
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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 Literature in English Syllabus — All 5 Topics
1. DRAMA
What JAMB expects you to know:
- Identify the various types of drama
- Analyse the contents of the various types of drama
- Compare and contrast the features of different types of drama
- Demonstrate adequate knowledge of dramatic techniques and stage directions used in each prescribed text
- Differentiate between styles of selected playwrights
Key areas: Types of drama (tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, melodrama, farce, opera), dramatic techniques (characterisation, dialogue, flashback, mime, costume, music/dance, décor/scenery, acts/scenes, soliloquy/aside, figures of speech)
Recommended reading:
- Obafemi, O. and Agoi (eds) Of shadows and Rainbows –Musings in Times of Covid
- Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
- Johnson, R.,Ker, D, Maduka,C. Obafemi,O (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa
2. PROSE
What JAMB expects you to know:
- Differentiate between types of novel
- Identify the category that each prescribed text belongs to
- Analyse the components of each type of prose
- Identify the balance of facts and fiction in literary faction
- Identify the narrative techniques used in each of the prescribed texts
- Determine an author’s narrative style
- Distinguish between one type of character from another
- Grammar, diction and clarity of expression
Key areas: Types of prose (prose fiction, non-fiction, faction), narrative techniques/devices (point of view, characterisation, language)
Recommended reading:
- Obafemi, O. and Agoi (eds) Of shadows and Rainbows –Musings in Times of Covid
- Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
- Johnson, R.,Ker, D, Maduka,C. Obafemi,O (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa
3. POETRY
What JAMB expects you to know:
- Identify different types of poetry
- Identify the distinctive features of the poetic types
- Determine the devices used by various poets
- Show how poetic devices are used for aesthetic effect in each poem
- Identify the figure of speech in the texts
- Show how poetic devices convey message and meaning
- Deduce the poet’s thematic preoccupation from the poem
- Appraise poetry as an art with moral values
- Apply the lessons from the poem to social reality
Key areas: Types of poetry (sonnet, ode, lyrics, elegy, ballad, panegyric, epic, blank verse), poetic devices (imagery, sound, diction, persona)
Recommended reading:
- Obafemi, O. and Agoi (eds) Of shadows and Rainbows –Musings in Times of Covid
- Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
- Johnson, R.,Ker, D, Maduka,C. Obafemi,O (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa
4. GENERAL LITERARY TERMS AND PRINCIPLES
What JAMB expects you to know:
- Identify literary terms that are specific to drama, prose and poetry
- Identify areas of overlap in all the genres
Key areas: Literary terms (foreshadowing, suspense, theatre, monologue, dialogue, soliloquy, symbolism, protagonist, antagonist, figures of speech, satire, stream of consciousness, synecdoche, metonymy)
Recommended reading:
- Obafemi, O. and Agoi (eds) Of shadows and Rainbows –Musings in Times of Covid
- Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
- Johnson, R.,Ker, D, Maduka,C. Obafemi,O (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa
5. LITERARY APPRECIATION
What JAMB expects you to know:
- Identify literary devices used in a given passage/extract
- Provide an interpretation of the given passage/extract
- Relate the extract to true life experiences
Key areas: Unseen passages/extracts from drama, prose and poetry
Recommended reading:
- Obafemi, O. and Agoi (eds) Of shadows and Rainbows –Musings in Times of Covid
- Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
- Johnson, R.,Ker, D, Maduka,C. Obafemi,O (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa
Ready to Practice?
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Last updated: March 15, 2026. This syllabus is based on the official JAMB/IBASS syllabus for Literature in English.