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JAMB French Syllabus 2026/2027
Complete official UTME French syllabus — all topics, sub-topics and JAMB learning objectives. Study what actually comes out, nothing extra.
4
Sections
40
Questions
JAMB French Syllabus PDF
Official JAMB document • Free download
1 · Written Comprehension in French
2 · Principles Governing the Structure and Use of Written French
3 · Workings of French Sounds
4 · Culture and Civilization
Section 1
1
Written Comprehension in French
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1. Comprehension Passages
- Two unseen texts (Text 1 and Text 2)
- Topics of general and emergent interest — e.g. love, life, death, politics, marriage, health, communication, child trafficking, cultism, travel, corruption, money-laundering, etc.
What JAMB expects you to do:
- Deduce answers to questions on the content, intent and style of the proposed texts
- Apply reasoning skills to unseen passages
Section 2
2
Principles Governing the Structure and Use of Written French
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1. Basic Form Classes
- Nouns — simple/compound, singular/plural, masculine/feminine
- Pronouns — personal, impersonal, demonstrative, possessive and relative
- Verbs — reflexive and non-reflexive; their moods and tenses
- Adjectives — qualifying, possessive, interrogative, demonstrative, indefinite (e.g. nul), numeral (e.g. dix) and ordinal (e.g. dixième)
- Adverbs — common forms with -ment (e.g. lentement) and with preposition + 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, purpose, cause/consequence, concession, place and time
- Prepositions — simple (e.g. à , de, avec, avant, sur, dans) and compound (e.g. à côté de, au milieu de)
- Conjunctions — of co-ordination (e.g. mais, ou, et, donc, car, cependant, ne…ni) and of subordination (e.g. afin que, quoique, à condition que, pour que, parce que)
- Articles — definite, indefinite and partitive
- Contraction — e.g. à + le = au, à + les = aux
What JAMB expects you to do:
- Identify what constitutes the basic structures of written French
- Use the principles governing the structure of written French to determine acceptability
- Transform one form or word class into another
- Apply structures to convey diverse messages
2. Vocabulary
- Words in contemporary contexts — meaning, use, opposites and synonyms
- Faux amis — e.g. librairie/library, rester/to rest, blesser/to bless
What JAMB expects you to do:
- Identify the meaning of words in context
- Identify meaningfully constructed sentences
- Apply communicative skills using appropriate vocabulary
3. Word Order
- Affirmative sentences
- Interrogative sentences
- Imperative sentences
- Passive voice formation
What JAMB expects you to do:
- Identify correct word order in different sentence types
- Construct grammatically acceptable sentences in French
4. Basic Processes in Language Structure
- Conjugation — in all tenses except l'imparfait du subjonctif, le passé composé du subjonctif and le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif
- Negation — e.g. ne…pas, ne…plus, ne…rien, nul ne, ne…ni…ni, ne…personne, personne…ne, aucun…ne, rien ne…
- Agreement — e.g. les beaux arts, il les a vues, les photos
- Pluralisation — e.g. cheval/chevaux, beau/beaux, belle/belles
- Derivation — adjective to adverb (e.g. lent → lentement); adjective to adjective (e.g. un → premier); adjective to noun (e.g. bon → bonté, riche → richesse); degrees of comparison using plus…que, moins…que, aussi…que; special comparative forms (bon, meilleur, le meilleur, mauvais, pire, le pire)
What JAMB expects you to do:
- Identify and apply conjugation rules across all required tenses
- Form correct negations in French
- Apply agreement and pluralisation rules accurately
- Derive new word forms through standard derivational processes
5. French in Set Expressions
- Proverbs — e.g. tel père tel fils; petit à petit l'oiseau fait son nid
- Idioms — e.g. avoir une faim de loup, crier sur le toit, mourir de peur
- Conventional expressions — e.g. enchanté, c'est dommage, c'est formidable, stationnement interdit
- Common figures of speech — métaphore (e.g. Mon père est un lion), simile (e.g. Elle est maigre comme un clou), hyperbole (e.g. Il avait tellement faim qu'il a mangé toute une vache)
- Speech acts — e.g. proposer, conseiller, regretter, admirer, espérer, interroger, reprocher, s'accorder
What JAMB expects you to do:
- Complete common proverbs and idioms in French
- Deduce the meaning of idioms and proverbs in context
- Make appropriate use of set expressions and figures of speech
Section 3
3
Workings of French Sounds
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1. Sound System
- Sound discrimination — e.g. tout/tu, fais/fée
- Letter-sound correspondence — e.g. ai → /e/, eau → /o/
- Syllabification — e.g. con/ten/te/ment
- Liaison — e.g. trois animaux, des enfants
- 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?
- Sound similarity — e.g. maison/saison, dents/don, fond/fonde
What JAMB expects you to do:
- Discriminate between French sounds
- Deduce meanings from sound combinations
- Use knowledge of sounds to enhance effective communication
- Assess sound groupings in terms of syllabification, liaison, e-caduc, pause and intonation
Section 4
4
Culture and Civilization
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1. Francophone Africa and France
- Educational system — characteristics, similarities and differences between Francophone Africa, France and Nigeria
- Socio-economic life — livelihoods, trade and economic structures
- Political organization — systems of government and administration
- Cultural life — greetings, dressing, food, leisure, marriage, festivals, art and professions
What JAMB expects you to do:
- Identify the specific cultural features of Francophone Africa and France
- Compare these features with those of Nigeria where possible
- Apply reasoning skills to cultural and civilizational questions
🚀
Now Practice JAMB French Past Questions
Reading the syllabus is step one. The fastest way to score high is to practice real past questions from every year — with instant answers and explanations.
Practice French Past Questions →📚 JAMB Recommended Textbooks
These are the official books listed by JAMB for French preparation:
📖 Adeleke, J. (2018) — A Short French Grammar, 5th Edition, Success Printers, Badagry
📖 Adeniyi, E. A. (2006) — Contes Nigérians II, Revised Edition, Adek Graphic Productions, Ilorin
📖 Ajiboye, T. (2014) — Companion to French Grammar, 4th Edition, Cleavoketa Books, Ibadan
📖 Ajiboye, T. (2012) — Nouvel Horizon, Book 4, New Revised Edition, Bounty Press, Ibadan
📖 Hatier (1980) — Le Nouveau Bescherelle: L'Art de Conjuguer, Spectrum Book Ltd, Ibadan
📖 Maice, G. et Merlo, G. (1998) — Grammaire Progressive du Français (Niveau Intermédiaire), Clé International, Paris
📖 Mazauric, C. et Sirejols, E. (2006) — On y va! Book 3, Spectrum Books Ltd, Ibadan
📖 Ojo, S. A. (2000) — A Comprehensive Revision Handbook of French Grammar, Agoro Publishing Company, Ibadan
📖 Ajiboye, T. (2010) — An Introduction to Practice in Oral French, Bounty Press, Ibadan
📖 Girod, R. et Grand-Clément, F. (1979) — Comment Vivent les Français, Hachette, Paris
📖 Mbuko, L. (2000) — French Essays on Culture and Civilisation for Schools and Colleges, Bounty Press, Ibadan
Common Questions 🤔
JAMB French has four sections: Section 1 (Written Comprehension), Section 2 (Structure and Use of Written French), Section 3 (Workings of French Sounds) and Section 4 (Culture and Civilization of Francophone Africa and France).
The grammar section covers basic form classes (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and articles), vocabulary including faux amis, word order in different sentence types, conjugation in all required tenses, negation, agreement, pluralisation, derivation and set expressions such as idioms and proverbs.
JAMB excludes three tenses from conjugation: l'imparfait du subjonctif, le passé composé du subjonctif and le plus-que-parfait du subjonctif. All other moods and tenses are examinable.
Faux amis (false friends) are French words that look or sound like English words but have different meanings — for example, librairie means bookshop (not library), rester means to stay (not to rest) and blesser means to injure (not to bless). JAMB tests them because they are a common source of errors among English-speaking candidates.
The culture section covers the educational system, socio-economic life, political organization and cultural life (greetings, dressing, food, leisure, marriage, festivals, art and professions) of Francophone West Africa and France, with comparisons to Nigeria where relevant.
The four-section structure of the French syllabus has been stable for several years. Always verify the current recommended texts with the official JAMB syllabus and practise past questions from 2023 onwards to stay current with JAMB's question style.