Home » NABTEB Syllabus » This NABTEB syllabus for the English Language is a must-read for all candidates who want to take the NABTEB examinations and want high scores.
In this syllabus, you see the full list of topics you are expected to know before the exam and you can focus more on those topics. This NABTEB English language syllabus also contains the marking guide for the exam so you know the number of papers you will write and the marks allocated for each paper.
Having a well-detailed syllabus like this is a must-have so do well to study it and practice your past questions as well.
Candidates will be expected to take three papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2 which are the Objective and Essay sections will be taken together, while Paper 3 which is the Oral Test will be taken separately.
Paper I – Objective Test:
It will consist of multiple-choice questions relating to Lexis and structure. There will be 100 multiple choice objective test items which will last for a duration of 1 hour. The objective test items will be based on 40 lexical items, and 60 structural items and will have a total of 75 marks
Paper II: Essay Writing, Comprehension, and Summary.
Section 1: Essay Writing
In this section, candidates will be expected to answer one question from a choice of four topics for 45 minutes. The minimum length expected will be between 350-400 words unless otherwise stated.
Credit will be given for clear and correct expression, accurate use of words, orderly presentation of materials, correct punctuation, and spelling.
This section will have a total of 40 marks.
The objective of this section is to test candidates’ ability to communicate effectively in writing.
SECTION 2: COMPREHENSION
This section will consist of prose passages each between 350-400 words long.
The questions drawn from these passages are expected to test the following:
(a) Direct questions from the passage.
(b) Mechanical devices (punctuation).
(c) Word class questions.
(d) Figure of speech, e.g. simile, metaphor, etc.
(e) Contextual and substitutional questions – word meaning in context.
(f) Grammatical function questions in respect of phrases, clauses, direct and indirect speeches/conversation.
This section is expected to last for 25 minutes and will have a total of 20 marks.
SECTION 3: SUMMARY: (35 minutes: 30 marks).
This section will consist of one prose passage of about 400– 500 words selected from a variety of excerpts from narratives, dialogues, argumentative, descriptive, and exposition on topical issues relating to socioeconomic political issues around the world.
It will test the candidates’ ability to
(a) summarize relevant points in clear context and concise English and
(b) avoid the inclusion of extraneous materials, repetition, and redundancy in their summary.
The duration for this paper is 35 minutes and it will have a total of 30 marks.
PAPER III: ORAL ENGLISH (25 MARKS): This paper will test candidates’ basic skills of communication in English using the medium of speech.
The examination will cover the different components and forms of receptive and productive communication, namely, Reading Comprehension, listening comprehension, and Speech Production in English.
There will be two alternatives for this paper. Alternative A for only school candidates and Alternative B is for school and private candidates. The paper will last for about 50 minutes for 25 marks.
| NABTEB ENGLISH LANGUAGE SYLLABUS | ||
| SN | TOPICS | OBJECTIVES |
| GRAMMATICAL & LEXICAL ITEMS | ||
| 1 | PARTS OF SPEECH | Definition, Identification and uses of: i. Parts of speech: noun, pronoun, adverb, verb, adjective, conjunction, preposition and interjection ii. Construction of sentences with parts of Speech iii. Identification of parts of Speech in a sentence e.g. the boy is tall The – article boy – noun is – verb tall – adjective |
| 2 | DEFINITE & INDEFINITE ARTICLES | i. Definite article “the” (where and when) to use the definite article – “the” in a sentence The definite article – “the” is used: i. With all nouns – countable and un- countable e.g. the boy/the rice/the union ii. When the noun is already known to us e.g. Bring the box on the table. iii. Before oceans, seas, rivers, deserts, e.g. the Sahara Deserts, the Atlantic Ocean iv Before proper nouns in the plural e.g. the Joneses. v. Before Superlatives e.g. I am the greatest man on earth. Note situations in which nouns are not preceded by the definite article. Note: Situation in which nouns are not preceded by the indefinite article ii. Indefinite article “a/an” (when and where to use the indefinite article “a/an”) a) used with countable nouns in the singular form • the form ‘a’ is used before words beginning with consonants e.g. (a boy), or before consonant sound e.g. (a union) b) The form ‘an’ is used before words beginning with a vowel e.g. (an egg, an apple) or before vowel sound e.g. (An honour) • When one is not being specific e.g. There is a boy in the garden • For generalization e.g. an owl can see in the dark. A dog has four legs. • Used in expression referring to one person or thing e.g. He is such a nice man. What a lovely day it has been. • Denoting quantities e.g. a few books a lot of money. Indeed a little more. • For expressions with “pair”/”per” e.g. we earn twenty Naira an hour. Those shoes are twenty Naira a pair. • With people’s names (especially when the Person is not known to the speaker e.g. Mr. Jones wants to see you. There’s a Mr. Adams outside waiting to see you. |
| 3 | TENSES | i. Present, Past and Future e.g. I am great, (present) I was great (past) I will be great (future) ii. Sentence Construction constructing simple sentences with the different tenses such that subject and verb agree e.g. She wants some water. I want some water. They want some water. You want some water |
| 4 | SENTENCE CONCORD | i. Subject and Verb Agreement A singular noun takes on a singular verb, e.g. the dog barks, while a plural noun takes a plural verb e.g. the dogs bark. ii. Exceptions to the rule of concord a) Case of indefinite pronoun e.g. Everybody is invited. b) Proximity of subjects of unequal status linked by correlating conjunctions e.g. Not only the teachers, the boy is bad. c) Collective noun/uncountable noun etc. verb respectively before written work. iii. Agreement of Pronoun with its antecedents in e.g. (a) Number – Each man does the job his own way. (b) Gender: The man has his duty, the woman has hers, and the people theirs (c) Person: 1st, 2nd & 3rd person singular. I sing very well. You sing very well. She sings very well. |
| 5 | LEXICAL & STRUCTURAL PATTERN | i. Punctuation Marks and their uses e.g. comma, full stop, question mark, semi-colon, exclamation mark, quotation mark, parenthesis dash, etc. ii. Direct and Indirect Speech e.g. Direct: “The first Europeans to come to West Africa were the Portuguese”. Indirect speech is concerned with reporting the words spoken by a speaker e.g. Indirect: He said that the first Europeans to come to West Africa were Portuguese. Direct speech is concerned with the exact words of the speaker and as such we use quotation marks (“”) to mark off the exact words. Direct: Lilian: “What do you want Ellen? Indirect: Lilian asked Ellen what she wanted. iii. Sentence Pattern: Identification and uses e.g. Simple Pattern He ate his meat She opened the windows. Compound Pattern: He checked round but he could not see him She is very beautiful and doing fine academically. Complex Pattern: When I open the door I saw a little girl. iv. If I have coins I give to beggars. Phrases and Clauses: e.g. A pretty girl The black bag Round and round A phrase is a group of words without a finite verb which forms part of a sentence. e.g. As a result of his hard work he became very rich. v. Subject Predicate The subject in the sentence is a word/group of words representing what we speak about. The predicate is a word/group of words often marked off by the verb representing what we say about the subject. vi. Antonyms and Synonyms (a) Antonyms are words that are exactly opposite in or nearly opposite in meaning e.g. good-bad, kind-hard hearted, amicable-hostile, temporarily-permanent, transitory- durable, discipline-indiscipline. (b) Synonyms are words the same in meaning or nearly the same in meaning. Words of appropriate level such as imitation – mimic, busy, engaged, tasteless-inspired, dogmatic- rigid/obstinate energetic-active, timid-fearful, fear less-bold/brave. |
| 6 | IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION & FIGURES OF SPEECH | i. Idiomatic Expression Idiom is an expression with a meaning that cannot be guessed from the meaning of the individual words e.g. His mother passed away, (died) Examples of idioms should be given by trainees. ii. Use of Idioms in sentences. He kicked the bucket last week (died). He was beating about the bush evasive). The ex-governor embarked on a white-elephant project (costly and unnecessary) iii. Types of figures of speech e.g. metaphors, irony, personification, hyperbole, paradox, onomatopoeia, rhetorical question etc. iv. Use of figures of speech in sentences. Trainees should be able to use given figures of speech in Oral/written forms. They should also be able to identify them whenever they occur. |
| COMPREHENSION & SUMMARY WRITING | ||
| 7 | READING SKILLS | i. Carefully select comprehension passages of suitable complexity ii. Selected passages of appropriate level iii. Carefully designed questions relating to the idea and details in the passages. |
| 8 | COMPREHENSION | Selected comprehension passages of about 300 words and suitable and appropriate complexity in which many words have been used to convey different shades of meaning. |
| 9 | SUMMARY | i. Selected passages of suitable level of complexity in which the following ideas can be identified. – key words/expressions – topic sentence – title – main points ii. Selected passages of suitable level of complexity in which linking words have been used to link the main points together logically and correctly. These should be based on the following texts: (a) dialogue (b) narrative (c) descriptive e.g. matchless shapes, tools etc. (d) explanation of workshop, practices and processes (e) explanation of ideas or a sequence of ideas. |
| 10 | CORRESPONDENCE | i. Types of correspondence A) letters: (i) Conversational or friendly letters – informal letters (ii) Social letters e.g. invitations and relies (iii) Business and commercial letter e.g. letter of enquiry, order, sales and acknowledgement (iv) Government or official letters B Advertisements: Print/Electronic Media Differences between the various types should be highlighted. C Letters on technical subjects such as report writing ii. Analysis of types of correspondence a) Letter form b) Choice or relevant and/interesting materials c) logical organization of ideas. d) Use of the appropriate style to the situation. e) Correctness of structure f). Use of suitable expressions g) Use of accurate and suitable vocabulary h) Accurate use of punctuation marks to give the required effect. |
| 11 | TYPES OF LETTERS | i. Letters format a) the address b) the date c) the direction/recipient’s address d) salutation e) heading f) main body g) closing ii. Style: a) Vocabulary b) Abbreviations c) Slang etc. iii. Letter Writing – The various types :- a) Informal – letters to friends, parents, relatives etc – b) Semi-formal – letters to a pen friend a senior colleague etc. – c) Formal e.g. application for job, letters to the press, official letters etc. |
| 12 | EVALUATION OF CORRESPONDENCE | i. Revision on writing correspondence of different types ii. Sample letters with errors such as vocabulary errors, unwanted phrases and expressions which should be corrected iii. Letter writing e.g. letters requiring facts, directives protest and letters of appreciation. iv. dentify phrases and expression to be avoided e.g. with much happiness, it’s the voice of your friend if so doxology… etc v. Specimen letters to be criticized objectively |
| 13 | ESSAY WRITING | 1. Paragraphing i. Paragraph writing ii. Explanation of ideas clearly and effectively iii. Expansion of a sentence into a paragraph iv. Mechanical skills in writing – punctuation – spelling – paragraphing V. Descriptive writing with simple objects or actions in a paragraph vi. Explaining a process in paragraph(s) e.g. the process of Garri making vii. Giving Directions/Directives in paragraph(s) 2. Essay From Given Ideas i. Complex sentences for an essay with a given idea ii. Expansion of points in ideas in (i) to produce a good essay. 3. Essay From Given Topics i. Outline of an Essay Introduction Main body Conclusion ii. Arrangement of the outline in sequential order – logical – chronological iii. Styles of Writing – Formal – Informal iv. Formal Essay Topics – narrative – descriptive – argumentative – expository topics |
| 14 | REPORT WRITING | 1. Meaning of Report: i. Meaning of Report ii. Classification of types and their uses e.g. progress reports – recommendation reports – laboratory reports – memorandum 2. Collation Data For Report Writing: i. Simple on-the-spot observations ii. Uses of interviews and questionnaires iii. Use of library for colling information e.g. – gazettes – symbols 3. Presentation of Report: i. Write a report with simple, familiar and correct words. ii. Styles of report presentation e.g. abbreviations – symbols – hyphenation of compound words. iii. Report Layout/Format – heading/title – table of content – introduction – body – conclusion – recommendations – appendix – bibliography iv. Oral presentation of reports 4. Interpretation of Report: i. Data Analysis through Diagram – pie chart – bar chart ii. Interpretation and analysis of reports/extracts from a report |
| ORAL ENGLISH | ||
| 15 | CONSONANTS | i. Single Consonants Initial Medial Final They – day buzzes – buses boat – both Ship – chip sopping-sobbing. breathe-breed Fan – van written – ridden wash – watch Tuck – duck faces – phases leaf – leave Card – guard prices – prizes. cup – cub Initial Final Play – pray rains – range Sting – string felt – felled Scheme – scream sent – send Crime – climb nest – next Flue – free ask – axe Three – tree missed – mixed |
| 16 | VOWELS | i. pure vowels ii. Diphthongs Example of contrasts Seat – sit Sit – set Peck – pack Pack – park Word – ward Cheer – chair Cut – curt Bird – bed |
| 17 | STRESS | i. word stress “Increase (noun) increase (verb) import ” im’port “ rebel ” re’bel “ convict ” con’vict. “ extract ” ex’tract “ ii. Sentence Stress He went to the town and bought some oranges Did you ask him? They ar’rived yesterday. The man who ‘came. I’fetched his ‘book iii. Emphatic Stress The falling pitch illustrated below is one of the common ways of intruing contract which is realized partly as a change in pitch within the intonation pattern. a) He borrowed ‘my newspaper. ( hers )(ie not b) He borrowed my newspaper. ( did not steal itn. )(Le. he c) He borrowed my ‘newspaper. ( my book). Le not d) He borrowed my newspaper. ( someone else) (Le not |
| 18 | INTONATION | i. Falling Patterns They arrived today ( )(statement) “Where did he go? ( (wlt-question) Come here ( )(command) ii. Rising Patterns Did he see the ‘Principal? (Yes/No question) When the strain arrived ( )(incomplete) They arrived today >(question) |
The exams will have 3 papers. Paper 1 is the objective section, paper 2 is the essay section and paper 3 is the oral test section.
The English NABTEB syllabus will cover a range of topics, including comprehension passages, essay writing, grammar rules, punctuation, figures of speech, and literary analysis of prescribed texts.
You can prepare for the exam by studying your syllabus, practising past questions, and time management skills to help you do well in the exam.
Yes, there are recommended textbooks provided by NABTEB that cover the syllabus. You can see all the recommended texts for the English language above.
No. Candidates are not allowed to use dictionaries or other aids during the English NABTEB exam.
All the topics listed in the syllabus above are important. Do well to study them.
There is no official pass mark for the English NABTEB exam but we would advise you to try to score higher than 50%
