English Syllabus for Bank Exams 2026: Topic-wise Guide

The English syllabus for bank exams covers reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, sentence arrangement and, for officer posts, descriptive writing. IBPS, SBI and RBI all test these skills, but none of them publishes a detailed topic list for the objective English test. The notifications name the test (English Language or General English) and give its marks and time, and RBI Grade B adds a one-line description of its writing paper.

The topic lists on this page are built from the 2026 notifications and from the question types asked in recent IBPS, SBI and RBI papers. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list. The page also shows which topics carry more weight in prelims and mains, what the descriptive papers now ask for, and how to cover everything in one plan.

English Syllabus at a Glance

The marking rules and sectional timing are explained on the English exam pattern for bank exams page.

Key Changes to Know

• SBI PO descriptive is now communication skills: The 2026-27 notification lists emails, situation analysis, and report writing or precis writing, 3 questions for 30 marks in 30 minutes. Older pages still describe a letter and essay paper.

• IBPS PO descriptive is essay and comprehension: CRP PO/MT-XVI lists 2 questions for 25 marks, broadly based on economic and social issues, banking and technology trends, current events and ethics.

• Officer mains English carries fewer marks: In both IBPS PO and SBI PO mains, 40 English questions are worth 20 marks.

• RRB candidates can choose Hindi: CRP RRBs-XV lets you pick English Language or Hindi Language in the main or single exam, and there is no English in RRB prelims.

• RBI Grade B English is three typed questions: Phase II Paper II carries 100 marks for 3 questions in 90 minutes.

Objective English Syllabus for Prelims

Reading comprehension usually carries the largest block of questions in a 30 or 40-question prelims section, often one or two passages with five to ten questions. Cloze tests and error spotting follow. If you master these three, most of the section is covered before you move to newer formats.

Mains English Syllabus

Mains English uses the same topics but with longer passages, more statements per question and mixed formats. The 40 questions in IBPS PO, SBI PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI Clerk, RBI Assistant and IBPS RRB mains test speed and judgement more than rule recall.

Reading comprehension at mains level

• Passage themes: Banking, economy, technology, environment and social issues, often taken from editorial-style writing.

• Question types: Which statements are true, what can be inferred, the purpose of a paragraph, and meaning or opposite of a word as used.

• Skill to build: Locating the relevant line quickly rather than re-reading the whole passage.

Grammar and sentence correction

• Error detection in long sentences: Errors hidden in clauses, reported speech and conditionals.

• Sentence correction with three options: Choosing which combination of corrections makes a sentence correct.

• Starters and connectors: Joining two sentences with a given word without changing the meaning.

Vocabulary and usage

• Word usage sets: Identifying the sentence where a word is used incorrectly or inappropriately.

• Phrase replacement: Choosing the phrase that best fits the context.

• Idioms and phrasal verbs: Tested inside sentences rather than as stand-alone meanings.

Arrangement and coherence

• Paragraph completion: Choosing the sentence that best fits a gap in a paragraph.

• Para jumbles with a fixed sentence: Arranging sentences around a given opening or closing line.

• Odd sentence out: Finding the sentence that does not belong to the theme.

Descriptive English Syllabus

Three of the main exams test writing. Answers are typed on the computer in every case.

IBPS says its descriptive paper may be evaluated by an automated scoring mechanism that looks at features of writing proficiency. That makes structure, grammar and relevance more important than length. For RBI Grade B, previous papers have used essay, precis and comprehension tasks, but the current notification gives only the one-line description, so practise all three.

What to practise for writing

• Essay: A clear introduction, two or three argued points with examples, and a short conclusion on banking, economy and social topics.

• Comprehension and precis: Summarising a passage in your own words while keeping the main argument.

• Email and report: Correct format, a clear subject, polite tone and a specific request or recommendation.

• Situation analysis: Stating the problem, weighing options and giving a reasoned decision, often in a banking or workplace setting.

Overlap Between Prelims, Mains and Descriptive

Grammar Checklist for Error-based Questions

Error spotting, sentence improvement and fillers draw on a fairly fixed set of rules. Work through this list once with notes, then revisit it through practice questions.

Common Syllabus Mistakes

• Memorising word lists without context: Bank exams test usage inside sentences, so a word you cannot use in a sentence rarely earns a mark.

• Ignoring new formats: Connectors, word swap and paragraph completion appear in mains; practise them before your first mains mock.

• Preparing an old descriptive format: SBI PO no longer lists letter and essay; prepare emails, situation analysis and report or precis.

Exam-wise Emphasis

• IBPS PO and SBI PO: Heavier on comprehension and new-pattern questions in mains, plus a writing paper with its own qualifying mark.

• IBPS Clerk, SBI Clerk and RBI Assistant: More direct grammar and vocabulary, with 40 marks of English in mains, so accuracy on rule-based questions pays off.

• IBPS RRB: English appears only in mains, and you can opt for Hindi Language instead, so decide early which language you will prepare.

• RBI Grade B: A 30-mark objective English test in Phase I, then a 100-mark writing paper in Phase II that weighs as much as each of the other two papers.

Is There a Syllabus for the Interview?

No. Interviews for IBPS PO, SBI PO, IBPS RRB officers and RBI Grade B have no published syllabus. Your spoken English and clarity of expression are assessed there, so the reading and writing practice above also helps at that stage.

How to Cover the English Syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 6: Grammar rules, a daily editorial with a word list, and untimed practice of every prelims format.

2. Weeks 3 to 10: Topic-wise tests on comprehension, cloze, error spotting and para jumbles, then 20-minute sectional tests.

3. Weeks 6 to 12: Mains-level passages and mixed sets in 35 to 40 minutes; officer candidates add one typed essay or email a week.

4. Final phase: Full-length mocks, same-day analysis and error-log revision, with two or three typed descriptive answers a week.

For the official structure of each test, read the latest notification on ibps.in or the SBI careers page.