Use of English is the most important exam to be written by all candidates preparing for the 2024/2025 for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). This exam carries a huge mark but students fail to capitalize on it. When properly prepared for, it can give your overall score a huge boost. One strategy of passing Use of English in JAMB is studying hard and most importantly, knowing the most likely questions that the body (JAMB) test candidates on hence I listed the top 13 most repeated UTME topics in Use of English for you to test yourself on.
The importance of Use of English as a requirement for admission into various higher institution cannot be underestimated. According to various higher institutions, the core subject that candidates must obtain at least a Credit pass as an admission requirements for studying any art, science or engineering course is Use of English and mathematics. However, there are some courses offered in higher institutions that do not require mathematics as an admission requirement for admission.
Passing Use of English in JAMB is very simple so long as you are prepared for the questions ahead. Getting prepared as a result of being aware of the most likely Use of English questions in UTME makes it even more interesting.
The most likely topics listed below are compulsory topics in Objective (Obj). To further break it down, I highlighted the most common topics in Use of English that are repeated every year, as this gives you an added advantage. However, knowing the most repeated topics in Use of English for UTME is not enough as adequate preparedness is key to passing Use of English in your exam that is why you are advised to get past questions and answer papers and test yourself on the under-listed topics below to ascertain your strengths and weaknesses.
JAMB Examiners are very smart, they know it is very possible to attempt all questions adequately given the allotted time so they present you with time wasting questions like Summary, comprehension and the likes carry equal marks alongside other simpler question, you are advised attempt all but first skip such questions (harder and complex questions) then return to attempt them after being done with the simpler ones. Albeit, strengths and weaknesses differ so if you know you are very good at the so called time wasters, you could go ahead with it when confronted with one.
Much has been said not just about the UTME compulsory topics to expect in Use of English examination but how to attempt them and which question must be given priority. Now I will be listing the 13 most commonly repeated UTME topics in Use of English you must come across in your UTME. These topics when mastered can guarantee you a high score in Use of English.
13 Compulsory Topics in Use of English UTME 2024
1) Summary writing
2) Essay writing
3) Formal or informal letter
4) Lexis and structure – Under lexis and structure, take note of the followings:
- 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.
Note that Idioms to be tested shall be those that are formal and expressed in standard British English.
- Comprehension
- Use of Speech – The Morpheme, The Phrase: The Clause and The Sentence
- Verbs and Verbal Formation
- Differentiate between consonant types.
- Oral English – Vowel and Consonant Sounds
5) Vowels (monophthongs and diphthongs)
6) Consonants (including clusters)
7) Rhymes (including homophones)
8) Word stress (monosyllabic and polysyllabic)
9) Intonation (words emphatic stress)
Candidates will be expected to
- Make distinctions between vowel types;
- Identify correct accentuation in individual words and connected speech.
12) Formation of Words – Synonyms, Antonyms, Prefixes, Suffixes, Homophones and Homonyms, Direct & Indirect Speeches
13) Phrases and Clauses
Please take the above topics very seriously. If you are willing and determined to pass Use of English in UTME, your mastery of the 13 compulsory topics with the approved UTME text book and attempts on various past questions would do you a lot of positives in passing this subject.
Do you have any questions as regards the above? Please reach out to me via the comment section below and I shall respond immediately. Note that the most likely UTME topics for Use of English examination listed above does not mean you should avoid other topics, remember that the examiner isn’t testing you for Use of English topics in SS 3 classes only but on all Use of English topics ranging from SS 1 first term to the completion of your SS3. It is as a result of its cumbersomeness that I thought it necessary to list the exact topics that must come out yearly after thorough research.
I wish you the best of luck in your forthcoming UTME.
