The UGC NET June 2026 English re-examination was conducted on Wednesday, September 9, with candidates describing Paper 2 as easy to moderate and Paper 1 as moderate in difficulty.
The English examination was among the papers ordered to be re-conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) following complaints regarding errors in the original question papers. The NTA had earlier said a committee examining the complaints had identified factual, typographical and grammatical errors, among other issues, in the affected papers.
The September 9 English paper featured a mix of direct, statement-based, chronology and match-the-following questions, according to candidates who appeared for the examination.
Candidates reported that Paper 2 English was largely easy to moderate, with several questions testing direct factual knowledge rather than lengthy analytical reasoning.
The paper included one-liner and direct questions, along with statement-based questions, chronology-based questions and match-the-following questions. Candidates also reported that there were no assertion-reason questions.
A passage-based question was described as relatively easy.
Among the topics reported by candidates were Cultural Materialism and Modernism, with both appearing through statement-based questions.
Language and Linguistics emerged as one of the prominent areas in Paper 2, with candidates estimating that around 11 questions were asked from this section.
The questions tested candidates' understanding of concepts and key areas related to language and linguistics, making the section significant for candidates attempting the English paper.
Several questions were reported from British literature, covering authors, movements, genres and literary works.
Topics and writers reported by candidates included:
Virginia Woolf
James Joyce
Charlotte Brontë
Oxford Movement
Problem Plays
Shakespearean comedy
The Literary Theory and Criticism section also featured prominently in the paper.
Candidates reported questions on areas including:
Feminism
New Criticism
Disability studies
Cultural Materialism
Modernism
The paper also covered areas related to Indian literature and literary thought.
Candidates reported questions on Indian Aesthetics and Dalit literature, along with topics concerning Indian writers and literary traditions.
Questions related to research methodology were also reported.
The topics included:
Plagiarism
MLA style
Steps in research
Research-related concepts and information
Disclaimer: This analysis is based on initial candidate feedback and reported questions. The difficulty level and topic-wise distribution may vary among candidates, and the NTA's official answer key will be the authoritative source for answers and evaluation.