Abstract
This study investigated poor grasp of the English Language as a key factor in the mass failure of university students in examinations. The subjects were 283 one hundred level Biology students of the Gombe State University. The investigations covered the results of the first semester examinations of the 2016/2017 academic year. Out of the 283 students who sat for the examinations, only 17 passed all courses, while 266 failed, thus yielding a failure rate of 94%. Two distinct questionnaires were administered to the 266 students who failed the examinations, and the lecturers who taught the students during the first semester. While the students wrote about the reasons why they failed the examinations, the lecturers offered perceived reasons why the students failed the examinations. Responses to the two questionnaires revealed that the poor grasp of the English Language as a medium of instruction and the language used in examinations was, indeed, a key factor in the mass failure of the students in their first semester examinations. Based on the results, the continuing use of Post-UTME screening, which was not used for the admission of students during the 2016/2017 academic session, was recommended in order to reduce to the bare minimum the number of weak candidates admitted by JAMB with false results.