The National Examinations Council (NECO) has announced a major adjustment to the structure of the English Language Paper III in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal, reducing the number of objective questions from 100 to 80 starting from the 2026 exams.
According to an official notification signed by Sunday K. Bolaji, NECO’s Osun State Coordinator, the revised paper will now feature six sections:
-
Antonyms (10 questions)
-
Appropriateness of Registers (10 questions)
-
Interpretation of Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, and Foreign Words (10 questions)
-
Synonyms (10 questions)
-
Grammatical Structures (30 questions)
-
Cloze Text (10 questions)
The time allotted for Paper III has also been reduced to 50 minutes. NECO explained that the change is designed to streamline the examination process and improve the overall testing experience for candidates.
This adjustment comes as NECO prepares to fully transition from paper-and-pencil testing to computer-based examinations (CBT), beginning with the November/December 2025 SSCE External, in line with the Federal Government’s July 2025 directive mandating nationwide CBT deployment by 2026.
NECO has also called on private and public operators of CBT centres to apply for accreditation, subject to strict technical and security checks, as part of efforts to modernise the system, curb malpractice, and enhance efficiency.
