JAMB Literature-in-English Syllabus 2026

JAMB Literature-in-English Syllabus 2026/2027 & Textbooks

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JAMB Literature-in-English Syllabus 2026/2027 & Textbooks

JAMB Literature-in-English Syllabus 2026

The JAMB Literature-in-English Syllabus 2026/2027 & Textbooks, Covers Literary Appreciation (unseen passages, devices), Literary Principles/Terms (drama, prose, poetry elements), plus specific African & Non-African Texts (plays, novels, poems), with key texts like Lion and the Jewel, Look Back in Anger, Second Class Citizen, Wuthering Heights, and various poetry collections, though exact textbooks for 2026/2027 will be released sooon.

The Literature-in-English syllabus outlines everything you need for the UTME, showing the topics and expectations for each area of study. It also includes the recommended texts for the examination.

JAMB 2026 Expo

Objectives

The syllabus prepares candidates for the UTME by enabling them to:

  • Develop and sustain interest in Literature in English
  • Understand the general principles of literature and the functions of language
  • Appreciate literary works across genres and cultures
  • Apply literary knowledge to the analysis of social, political, and economic issues in society.

JAMB Literature-in-English Syllabus 2026

JAMB LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
SN TOPICS OBJECTIVES
1 DRAMA
Types:

i. Tragedy
ii. Comedy
iii. Tragicomedy
iv. Melodrama
v. Farce
vi. Opera etc.

Dramatic Techniques

i. Characterization
ii. Dialogue
iii. Flashback
iv. Mime
v. Costume
vi. Music/Dance
vii. Décor/scenery
viii. Acts/Scenes
ix. Soliloquy/aside
x. Figures of Speech etc

Interpretation of the Prescribed Texts

i. Theme
ii. Plot
iii. Socio-political context
iv. Setting

 Candidates should be able to:
i. identify the various types of drama;
ii. analyze the contents of the various types of drama;
iii. compare and contrast the features of different dramatic types;
iv. demonstrate adequate knowledge of dramatic techniques used in each prescribed text;
v. differentiate between styles of selected playwrights;
vi. determine the theme of any prescribed text;
vii. identify the plot of the play;
viii. apply the lessons of the play to everyday living
ix. identify the spatial and temporal setting of the play.
2 PROSE
Types:

i. Fiction
– Novel
– Novella/Novelette
– Short story
ii. Non-fiction
– Biography
– Autobiography
– Memoir
iii. Faction: a combination of fact and fiction

Narrative Techniques/Devices:

i. Point of view
– Omniscient/Third Person
– First Person
ii. Characterisation
– Round, flat, foil, hero, antihero, etc
iii. Language

Textual Analysis

i. Theme
ii. Plot
iii. Setting (Temporal/Spatial)
iv. Socio-political context

 Candidates should be able to:
i. differentiate between types of prose;
ii. identify the category that each prescribed text belongs to;
iii. analyze the components of each type of prose;
iv. identify the narrative techniques used in each of the prescribed texts;
v. determine an author’s narrative style;
vi. distinguish between one type of character from another;
vii. determine the thematic preoccupation of the author of the prescribed text;
viii. indicate the plot of the novel; identify the temporal and spatial setting of the novel.
ix. identify the temporal and spatial setting of the novel
x. relate the prescribed text to real-life situations.
3 POETRY
Types:

i. Sonnet
ii. Ode
iii. Lyrics
iv. Elegy
v. Ballad
vi. Panegyric
vii. Epic
viii. Blank Verse, etc.

Poetic devices

i. Structure
ii. Imagery
iii. Sound(Rhyme/Rhythm, repetition, pun, onomatopoeia, etc.)
iv. Diction
v. Persona

Appreciation

i. Thematic preoccupation
ii. Socio-political relevance
iii. Style.

 Candidates should be able to:
i. identify different types of poetry;
ii. compare and contrast the features of different poetic types:
iii. determine the devices used by various poets;
iv. show how poetic devices are used for aesthetic effect in each poem;
v. deduce the poet’s preoccupation from the poem;
vi. appraise poetry as an art with moral values;
vii. apply the lessons from the poem to real-life situations
4 GENERAL LITERARY PRINCIPLES
Literary terms: foreshadowing, suspense, theater, monologue, dialogue, soliloquy, symbolism, protagonist, antagonist, figures of speech, satire, stream of consciousness, etc., in addition to those listed above under the different genres.

Literary principles

i. Direct imitation in play;
ii. Versification in drama and poetry;
iii. Narration of people’s experiences;
iv. Achievement of aesthetic value, etc.

Relationship between literary terms and principles.

 Candidates should be able to:
i. identify literary terms in drama, prose, and poetry;
ii. identify the general principles of Literature;
iii. differentiate between literary terms and principles;
iv. use literary terms appropriately.
5 LITERARY APPRECIATION
Unseen passages/extracts from Drama, Prose, and Poetry. Candidates should be able to:
i. determine literary devices used in a given passage/extract;
ii. provide a meaningful interpretation of the given passage/extract;
iii. relate the extract to true life experiences

JAMB Literature-in-English Textbooks 2026/2027

Drama:

African:

  • Wole Soyinka: Lion and the Jewel

Non-African:

  • John Osborne: Look Back in Anger

Prose

African:

  • Buchi Emecheta: Second Class Citizen
  • Alex Agyei Agyiri: Unexpected Joy at Dawn

Non-African:

  • Emile Bronte: Wuthering Heights

Poetry:

African:

  • Leopold Sedar Senghor: Black Woman
  • Niyi Osundare: The Leader and the Led
  • Agostinho Neto: The Grieved Lands
  • Oumar Farouk Sesay: The Song of the Women of the lands
  • Lade Wosornu: Raider of the Treasure Trove
  • Onu Chibuike: A Government Driver on his Retirement

Non-African:

  • John Donne: The Good Morrow
  • Maya Angelou: Caged Birds
  • T. S. Eliot: The Journey of the Magi
  • D. H. Lawrence:  Bats

Other Literature Textbooks Includes:

  • ANTHOLOGIES
  • Gbemisola, A. (2005) Naked Soles, Ibadan: Kraft
  • Hayward, J. (ed.) (1968) The Penguin Book of English Verse, London Penguin
  • Johnson, R. et al (eds.) (1996) New Poetry from Africa, Ibadan: UP Plc
  • Kermode, F. et al (1964) Oxford Anthology of English Literature, Vol. II, London: OUP
  • Nwoga D. (ed.) (1967) West African Verse, London: Longman
  • Senanu, K. E. and Vincent, T. (eds.) (1993) A Selection of African Poetry, Lagos: Longman
  • Soyinka, W. (ed.) (1987) Poems of Black Africa, Ibadan: Heinemann
  • CRITICAL TEXTS
  • Abrams, M. H. (1981) A Glossary of Literary Terms, (4th Edition) New York, Holt Rinehalt and Winston
  • Emeaba, O. E. (1982) A Dictionary of Literature, Aba: Inteks Press
  • Murphy, M. J. (1972) Understanding Unseen, An Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel for Overseas Students, George Allen and Unwin Ltd.

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