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Thursday, 21 May 2026
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Jamb Literature In English 2026 Syllabus

1. DRAMA


   Topics:
  a. Types:
  i. Tragedy
  ii. Comedy
  iii. Tragicomedy
  iv. Melodrama
  v. Farce
  vi. Opera etc.
  b. 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
  c. Interpretation of the Prescribed Texts
  i. Theme
  ii. Plot
  iii. Socio-political context
  iv. Setting

Objectives:
Candidates should be able to:
  i. identify the various types of drama;
  ii. analyse 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


   Topics:
  a. Types:
  i. Fiction
- Novel
- Novella/Novelette
- Short story
  ii. Non-fiction
- Biography
- Autobiography
- Memoir
  iii. Faction: a combination of fact and fiction
  b. Narrative Techniques/Devices:
  i. Point of view
- Omniscent/Third Person
- First Person
- Second person
- Third person
- Stream of consciousness
- Epiphany
  ii. Characterisation
- Round, flat, foil, hero, antihero, villain, heroine.etc
  iii. Language
  c. Textual Analysis
  i. Theme
  ii. Plot
  iii. Setting (Temporal/Spatial)
  iv. Socio-political context

Objectives:

Candidates should be able to:

  a.i. differentiate between types of novel.


  a.ii. identify the category that each
prescribed text belongs to;

  a.iii. analyse the components of each type of
prose;


  a.iv. identify the balance of facts and fiction
in literary faction.


  b.i. identify the narrative techniques used in
each of the prescribed texts;

  b.ii. determine an author’s narrative style;

  b.iii. distinguish between one type of
character from another;
  b.iv. Grammar, diction and clarity of
expression.

  c.i. determine the thematic pre-occupation
of the prescribed text;

  c.ii. indicate the plot of the novel;

  c.iii. identify the setting and period/timing of
the novel.

  c.iv. relate the prescribed text to social
reality.

3. POETRY


   Topics:
  a. Types:
  i. Sonnet
  ii. Ode
  iii. Lyrics
  iv. Elegy
  v. Ballad
  vi. Panegyric
  vii. Epic
  viii. Blank Verse, etc.
  b. Poetic devices
  i. Imagery
  ii. Sound(Rhyme/Rhythm, repetition, pun, onomatopoeia, etc.)
  iii. Diction
  iv. Persona
  c. Appreciation
  i. Thematic preoccupation
  ii. Socio-political relevance
  iii. Style

Objectives:

Candidates should be able to:

  a.i. identify different types of poetry;

  a.ii. identify the distinctive features of the
poetic types.
  b.i. determine the devices used by various
poets;

  b.ii. show how poetic devices are used for
aesthetic effect in each poem;

  b.iii. identify the figure of speech in the texts.

  b.iv. Show how poetic devices convey
message and meaning.

  c.i. Deduce the poet’s thematic
preoccupation from the poem;

  c.ii. appraise poetry as an art with moral
values;

  c.iii. apply the lessons from the poem to
social reality.

4. GENERAL LITERARY PRINCIPLES


   Topics:
  a. Literary terms:
foreshadowing, suspense, theatre, monologue, dialogue, soliloquy, symbolism, protagonist, antagonist, figures of speech, satire, stream of consciousness, synecdoche, metonymy, etc., in addition to those listed above under the different genres.
Candidates should be able to:

  a.i. identify literary terms that are specific
to drama, prose and poetry;

  a.ii. identify areas of overlap in all the genres
  e.g. verse in drama and poetry, narration in
all the genres.

5. LITERARY APPRECIATION


   Topics:
Unseen passages/extracts from Drama, Prose, and Poetry.

Objectives:

Candidates should be able to:

  i. identify literary devices used in a
given passage/extract;
  ii. provide an interpretation of the
given passage/extract;
  iii. relate the extract to true life
experiences.