The aim o f this research was t o study the Englishrnsyllabus of Unity Privet Language School in relation to thernneeds of the learners . Prior to the actual study on thernsyllabus of this school however a general survey study wasrnconducted on all private language schools in Addis Ababa.rnThe learners' target and learning needs were analysedrnfirst in order to describe and assess the syllabus. Therntarget needs were specified in terms of the four macro-skillsrnand the most common language activities under each macroskill.rnThe learning needs were also specified in terms ofrnthe modes of classroom organization, the physical learningrnenvironment, the teaching techniques and methods, teachingrnaids and teaching materials, attitude, motivation, andrninterest.rnData were then gathered on these variables usingrnquestionnaires (for the teachers and the students),rninterviews (for the teachers and the students), and c lassroomrnobservation. The c lassroom observation was particularlyrnimportant in order to describe the learning situation of thernschool.rnThe findings from the analysed data reveal that thern;:tudents ' pur pose of studying English i.1l Unity PrivaternirnLanguage School is academic or educational. The findingsrnplaced the importance of the four macro-skills in the orderrnof priority: speaking, listening , writing, and reading. Thernstudents' high interest in pair and group work has also beenrnfound out from the study. But the findings indicate that thernmost emphasized item in the classroom lesson is grammar. Andrnthe most frequently used mode of classroom organization isrnthe whole class.rnViewed vis-a-vis these and other several findings on therntarget needs and the learning situations, the syllabus of thernschool (the textbook and the supplementary handouts) failsrnlargely to meet the students' needs. The findings indicaternthe students' need to learn the four macro-skills with variedrnemphasis. But the syllabus is essentially grammatical. Thernstudents showed interest and motivation in communicativernactivities.rnapproach.rnBut the syllabus is basically structural inrnAn academic English syllabus, integrating all skillsrnwith variable emphasis , is therefore recommended. This kindrnof skills-based syllabus is believed to best suit the targetrnand the learning situation of the target group. It is alsornnoted that this syllabus s hould address the question ofrnmethodology. It should create conducive conditions to usernpair and group work, role plays and dramas in the classrooms .