Recommended Literature Texts
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) are two of the major examination bodies in Nigeria. Both bodies conduct the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), which is the final examination taken by high school students in Nigeria. Literature in English is one of the core subjects tested in both the WAEC and NECO SSCE exams.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has published the list of Literature texts for the 2021 – 2025 academic sessions on its website. Literature teachers are, therefore, advised to teach their SSS 1, SSS 2, and SSS 3 students with the literary texts listed below.
Choosing the right literature texts for the exam can be a daunting task, especially since the recommended texts change every few years. In this guide, we’ll be covering the recommended literature texts for the WAEC and NECO SSCE exams for the years 2021-2025. We’ll also be discussing the pros and cons of each book, to help you make an informed decision.
2021-2025 Recommended Literature Texts for WAEC and NECO SSCE
The following are the recommended literature texts for the WAEC and NECO SSCE exams for the years 2021-2025:
African Prose
- Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta
- Unexpected Joy at Dawn by Alex Agyei-Agyiri (2018 Edition)
Non-African Prose
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronté
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
African Drama
- Let me Die Alone by John K. Kargbo
- The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka
Non-African Drama
- Look Back in Anger by John Osborne
- Fences by August Wilson
African Poetry
- “Black Woman” by Leopard Sedar Senghor
- “The Leader and the Led” by Niyi Osundare
- “The Grieved Lands” by Agostinho Neto
- “The Song of the Woman of my Land” by Oumar Farouk Sesay
- “Raider of the Treasure Trove” by Lade Wosomu
- “A Government Driver on his Retirement” by Onu Chibuike
Non-African Poetry
- “The Good-Morrow” by John Donne
- “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
- “The Journey of the Magi” by T.S Eliot
- “Do not Go Gentle into the Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
- “Binsey Poplars (Felled 1879)” by G.M. Hopkins
- “Bat” by David H. Lawrence
Drama Text for Objective/Contextual Questions
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
