JAMB syllabus for English Language 2024 Download (PDF)

If you’re currently seeking a source to download the JAMB syllabus for English Language 2024, your search ends here. It’s important to highlight that candidates often underestimate the difficulty of the English test in the UTME, only realizing later that it tends to be the subject with the lowest scores for high-achieving candidates.

However, in order to excel in the UTME, it’s essential to attain a substantial number of high scores across all four subjects being tested. Among these subjects, the English Language holds undeniable significance as the most crucial one.

List of Topics for Use of English for JAMB 2024

• Comprehension/Summary
• synonyms
• antonyms
• homonyms
• clause and sentence patterns
• word classes and their functions
• mood, tense, aspect, number, agreement/concord, degree (positive, comparative and superlative) and question tags
• punctuation and spelling
• ordinary usage, figurative usage and idiomatic usage are to be tested.
• Vowels (monophthongs and diphthongs)
• Consonants (including clusters)
• Rhymes (including homophones)
• Word stress (monosyllabic and polysyllabic)
• Intonation (words emphatic stress)

Objectives of JAMB 2024 Use of English Syllabus

The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) syllabus in Use of English is to guide the candidates in their preparation for the Board’s examination. Consequently, is designed to evaluate the candidates’ ability to:

• communicate effectively in both written and spoken English; and
• Finally, use the English Language for learning at the tertiary level.

How many parts is the English Syllabus for JAMB divided into?

The Use of English syllabus for JAMB is divided into three (3) sections, which are:

• First Section: Comprehension/Summary
• Second Section: Lexis and Structure, and
• Third Section: Oral Forms

Comprehension/Summary in JAMB English syllabus 2024

The candidates would be tested in the following areas under comprehension:

• description
• narration
• exposition
• argumentation/persuasion

What you should know under comprehension and summary test of English

For each of the two passages to be set one will be a cloze test that should reflect various disciplines and be about 200 words long. Questions on the passages will test the following:

• Comprehension of the whole or part of some passages.
• Comprehension of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, figures of speech and idioms as used in the passages.
• Coherence and logical reasoning (deductions, inferences, etc).
• Synthesis of ideas from the passages.

NOTE: Cloze test: A Cloze test is an exercise, test, or assessment consisting of a portion of language with certain items, words, or signs removed (cloze text), where the participant is asked to replace the missing language item. Additionally, it is also called fill-in-the-blank

Synthesis of ideas means the art of combining distinct or separate pieces of information to form a complete whole.

Objectives of comprehension passage/summary for JAMB Use of English

Candidates should be able to:

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

Students would be tested on the under-listed topics in the examination:

• synonyms
• antonyms
• homonyms
• clause and sentence patterns
• word classes and their functions
• mood, tense, aspect, number, agreement/concord, degree (positive, comparative and superlative) and question tags
• punctuation and spelling
• ordinary usage, figurative usage and idiomatic usage are to be tested.
• Vowels (monophthongs and diphthongs)
• Consonants (including clusters)
• Rhymes (including homophones)
• Word stress (monosyllabic and polysyllabic)
• Intonation (words emphatic stress)
• Objectives of Lexis and Structure for JAMB Use of English
• identify words and expressions in their ordinary, figurative and idiomatic contexts;
• determine similar and opposite meanings of words;
• differentiate between correct and incorrect punctuation and spelling;
• identify various grammatical patterns in use;
• Interpret information conveyed in sentences.

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

Areas of Concentration for JAMB Syllabus for English 2024

Test of Oral in JAMB Syllabus 2024

Students would be tested on the under-listed topics in the examination:

• Vowels (monophthongs and diphthongs)
• Consonants (including clusters)
• Rhymes (including homophones)
• Word stress (monosyllabic and polysyllabic)
• Intonation (words emphatic stress)

Objectives of Test of Oral for JAMB Use of English

Candidates should be able to:

• make distinctions between vowel types;
• differentiate between consonant types;
• identify correct accentuation in individual words and connected speech

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

Structure of the JAMB syllabus for English Language 2024

SECTION A: Comprehension/Summary

• A comprehension passage with five questions
• One cloze passage with ten questions
• Not more than one reading text with ten questions

SECTION B: Lexis and Structure

• Sentence interpretation with five questions
• Antonyms with five questions
• Synonyms with ten questions
• Sentence completion with ten questions

SECTION C: Oral Forms

Ten questions will be asked in this section.

How many questions are asked in the English Language during JAMB?

There are 60 question in this examination altogether.

Recommended text for Use of English in JAMB

• Attah, M. O. (2013). Practice in Spoken English for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Maiduguri: University of Maiduguri Press.
• Bamgbose, A. (2002). English Lexis and Structure for Senior Secondary Schools and Colleges (Revised Edition), Ibadan: Heinemann
• Banjo, A. et al (2004). New Oxford Secondary English Course Book Six for Senior Secondary Schools, Ibadan: UP Plc.
• Caesar, O. J. (2003). Essential Oral English for Schools and Colleges, Lagos: Tonad Publishers Limited
• Daniel Jones (2011). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Egbe, D. I (1996). Mastering English Usage and Communication Skills, Lagos: Tisons
• Elugbe, B. (2000). Oral English for Schools and Colleges, Ibadan: Heinemann
• Grant, N. J. H, Nnamonu, S. Jowitt, D. (1998). Senior English Project 3, (New Edition) Harlow: Longman
• Idowu, O. O, Sogbesan, T. S, Adofo, A. K. Burgess, D. F and Burgess, L. J. (1998). Round-up English: A Complete Guide, Lagos: Longman
• Idris, U. (2001). Oral English at Your Fingertips for Schools and Colleges, Lagos, M. Youngbrain Publishers
• Igiligi, E. C. and Ogenyi, S. O. (2010) Grammar and Composition in the G.S.M. Age, Enugu: Joe Hills Production Services
• Jauro, L. B. (2013). Oral English for Schools and Colleges: A Teaching and Learning Approach, Yola: Paraclete Publishers.

If you need more syllabi on all the subjects you are to write in JAMB, you can see any of the following