Olabode O.1 min read
JAMB Use of English: the areas to master
Use of English is compulsory in JAMB and very scoreable. Focus on comprehension, lexis and structure, and oral forms — and read widely to build instinct.
Use of English is the one subject every UTME candidate sits, whatever their course. That makes it worth real attention — and the good news is it's very scoreable once you know where the marks live.
Comprehension and reading
A big share of the paper rewards careful reading: understanding a passage, identifying the writer's point, and choosing the meaning of words in context. The skill here is slowing down enough to actually grasp what's said before you reach for an option. Practise reading a passage and summarising it in one sentence — if you can do that, the questions get much easier.
Lexis and structure
This covers vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, idioms, and correct grammar. You build it less by cramming word lists and more by reading widely — newspapers, good articles, novels — so correct usage starts to sound right. When an option feels off, that instinct is your reading paying off.
Oral forms
Many candidates lose easy marks on the oral English section — sounds, stress, and rhyming patterns — simply because they never practised it. It's a small, learnable area with predictable patterns. A little focused practice here is some of the cheapest improvement on the whole paper.
Read every single day
There's no shortcut that beats reading. Twenty minutes a day of decent English — anything you enjoy — quietly builds the vocabulary and instinct the exam tests. Start now and it compounds.
Practise with a chum
If grammar rules feel slippery or comprehension passages keep tricking you, working through papers with a tutor helps enormously. Browse English and exam-prep chums and book a free meet & greet to find someone who'll sharpen your reading and grammar before the exam.
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