Now available for download, the complete JAMB syllabus for French 2025/2026 in a PDF format. You can as well read through the syllabus on this page. It contents all the topics which questions will be set from in UTME 2025.
Syllabus Overview
Examination Type | UTME / Direct Entry |
Examination Year | 2025/2026 |
Syllabus | French |
File Format | |
File Size | 214KB |
The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) syllabus in French is to prepare the candidates for the Board’s examination. If you are planning on taking on French in the forthcoming Jamb exams, then we recommending studying it.
General Objectives
The syllabus is designed to test candidates general ability to;
- Assess written comprehension in French;
- Apply the principles governing the structure and use of written French;
- Identify how French sounds work in speech production;
- Examine the culture of Francophone West Africa and France in relation (where possible) to home country.
Recommended: Check JAMB 2025 Syllabus For All Subjects
JAMB 2025 Syllabus for French
TOPICS/CONTENTS/NOTES | OBJECTIVES |
---|---|
1. Written Comprehension in French: – topics of general and emergent interest e.g. love, life, death, politics, marriage, health, communication, child trafficking, cultism, travel, corruption, money-laundering, etc. | Candidates should be able to; (i) deduce answers to questions on the content, intent and style of proposed texts, (ii) apply reasoning skills. |
2. Principles Governing the Structure and Use of Written French: I. Identification of basic form classes: (a) Nouns: simple/compound, Singular/plural, masculine/feminine. (b) Pronouns: personal, impersonal, demonstrative, possessive and relative. (c) Verbs: reflexive and non-reflexive, their moods and tenses. (d) Adjectives: qualifying, possessive, interrogative, demonstrative, indefinite (e.g. nul), numeral (e.g. dix) and ordinal (e.g. dixième.) (e) Adverbs: – common forms i) with-ment (e.g. lentement) ii) with préposition + noun (e.g. par avion, à cheval, en voiture, par bateau.) – special forms (e.g. bien, vite, mal, mieux, le mieux, pire, le pis, ne…que.) – types – manner (e.g. debout, facilement.) – purpose (e.g. pour + infinitive, afin de + infinitive.) – cause and consequence (e.g. pour+ infinitive perfect, à cause de + noun.) – concession (e.g. malgré +noun.) – place (e.g. y, en, ici, là , là -haut, partout.) – time (e.g. hier, aujourd’hui, avant-hier, après, demain, la veille, le matin, dans un mois.) (f) Prépositions: – simple (e.g. à , de, avec, avant, sur, dans.) – compound (e.g. à côté de, au milieu de.) (g) Conjunctions: – of co-ordination (e.g. mais, ou, et, donc, car, cependant, ne…ni.) – of subordination (e.g. afin que, quoique, à condition que, pour que, parce que.) (h) Articles: – definite, indefinite and partitive. (i) contraction e.g. à +le = au, à +les= aux etc. II. Assessment of vocabulary span: words in contemporary contexts meaning, use, opposites, synonyms III. Importance of word order in: (a) affirmative sentences (b) interrogative sentences (c) imperative sentences (d) passive voice formation IV. Identification and application of basic processes in language structure, e.g. (a) conjugation – in all tenses except l’imparfait du subjonctif, le passé composé du subjonctif, et…le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif. (b) negation (e.g. ne…pas, ne…plus, ne rien, nul ne, ne…ni..ni, ne…personne, personne…ne, aucun….ne, rien ne….etc.) (c) agreement (e.g. les beaux arts, il les a vues, les photos.) (d) pluralisation (e.g. cheval/chevaux, beau/beaux, belle/belles.) (e) derivation: -from adj, to adv – e.g. lent-lentement, -from adj. to adj. e.g. un – premier, -from adj. to noun – e.g. bon-bonté, riche richesse, etc -from one degree of comparison to another (using plus…que, moins….que, aussi….que e.g. plus grand que.) NB –special forms- (e.g. bon, meilleur, le meilleur, la meilleure, mauvais, pire, le pire.) V. Use of French in set expressions such as in proverbs, idioms and conventional structures as provided for in common speech acts: (a) proverbs (e.g. tel père tel fils, petit à petit l’oiseau fait son nid.) (b) idioms (e.g. avoir une faim de loup, crier sur le toit, mourir de peur.) (c) conventional stretches (e.g. enchanté, c’est dommage, c’est formidable, stationnement interdit, etc.) (d) Common figures of speech eg métaphore, simile, hyperbole. Métaphore – Mon père est un lion. Simile – Elle est maigre comme un clou. Hyberbole – Il avait tellement faim qu’il a mangé toute une Vache. (e) speech acts (e.g. proposer, conseiller, regretter, admirer, espérer, interroger, reprocher, s’accorder, etc.) | Candidates should be able to; i. identify what constitutes the basic structures of written French, ii. use the principles governing the structure of written French to determine acceptability, e.g. to transform one form; one class into another, iii. apply the structure to convey diverse messages Candidates should be able to; i. identify meaning of words ii. identify meaningful constructed sentences. |
3. Workings of French sounds via: (a) sound discrimination (e.g. tout/tu), (fais/fée.) (b) letter-sound correspondence (e.g. ai-/e/, eau/o/.) (c) syllabification (e.g. con/tente/ment.) (d) liaison (e.g. trois animaux, des enfants.) (e) sense groups in reading e.g. J’ai mal à la tête. J’ai mal/pas à la tête / mais au dos/. Comment vas-tu, Carol?// Comment vas- tu demain? (f) faux amis (e.g.librairie/library, rester/to rest, blesser/to bless.) (g) identification of sounds to determine similarity (e.g. maison/saison, dents/don,fond/ fonde.) | Candidates should be able to; (i) discriminate between French sounds, (ii) deduce meanings out of sound combinations, (iii) use the above to enhance effective communication, (iv) assess sound groupings in terms of how they are affected by such features as syllabification, liaison, e-caduc; pause, intonation, etc. |
Download JAMB 2025 Syllabus for French
Click the button below to download the full 2025 French syllabus on your smartphone or laptop.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I rely only on the syllabus to pass JAMB French?
The syllabus is a guide, but you should complement it with past questions, current affairs knowledge, and thorough study of recommended textbooks.
How many questions are set for French in JAMB?
Typically, there are 40–50 multiple-choice questions for French in the UTME.
Can I use the syllabus offline after downloading it?
Yes, once downloaded as a PDF, you can access it offline anytime.
Where do I download the PDF?
Click on the displayed button above or visit the official JAMB portal to download the syllabus.
Is JAMB syllabus the same every year?
No, the syllabus is subject to change yearly, and of such, you must only study with the most recent released.
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