JAMB Syllabus for French [2025 Latest Version]

JAMB Syllabus for French 2025: Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Syllabus for French. This is the 2025 Updated and Official Syllabus.

On this page, Allschool will show you the JAMB Syllabus for French. We will also show you the list of recommended JAMB Syllabus for French.

This JAMB Syllabus for French aims to prepare the candidates for the Board’s examination. It is designed to test their achievement of the course objectives, which are to:

1. assess written comprehension in French;
2. identify how French sounds work in speech production;
3.  examine the culture of Francophone West Africa and France in relation (where possible) the to home country;
4. appreciate straightforward literary texts in French;
5. apply the principles governing the structure and use of written French.

You can also download the PDF of this JAMB Syllabus for French.

PLEASE NOTE: After listing out recommended text-books below, you will see an option to view syllabus for other subjects.

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JAMB Syllabus for French

This detailed JAMB French syllabus is presented below:

1. WRITTEN COMPREHENSION IN FRENCH

Candidates should focus on Topics of general and emergent Interest. e.g. love, life death, politics Marriage, HIV/AIDS, Communication, child trafficking, Cultism, travel, corruption, money laundering etc.

After reading, candidates should be 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

candidates should focus on:

Identification of basic form classes:

(a) Nouns – simple/compound, singular/plural, masculine/feminin.
(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 haut, partout).
– Time (e.g. Hier, aujourd’hui, avant hier, hier, après, demain, laveille, 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-ordinatiion (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.

i. Definite, indefinite and partitive.
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 tense except I’impartfait 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, ni…ne, 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. As in cheval/chevaux; beau/beaux).
(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 convention structures as provided for in common speech acts:
i. Proverbs (e.g. Tel pèretel fils, petit à petit l’oiseau fait son nid).
ii. Idioms (e.g. Avoir un faim de loup, crier sur le toit, mourir de peur).
iii. Conventional stretches (e.g. Enchanté, c’est dommage, formidable, stationnement interdit etc).
iv. Speech acts (e.g.Proposer, conseiller, regretter, admirer espérer, interroger, reprocher, s’accorder etc).

After reading, 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 to another.
iii. apply the structure to convey diverse messages.
iv. apply communicative skills.

3. WORKINGS OF FRENCH SOUNDS

Candidates should focus on:

(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).

After reading, candidates should be able to:

1. discriminate between French sounds.
2. deduce meanings out of sound combinations.
3. use the above to enhance effective communication.
4. assess sound groupings in terms of how they are affected by such features as syllabification, liaison, e-caduc; pause, intonation, etc.

4. CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

Candidates should focus on Characteristics, (aspects, similarities and differences) of the educational system, socio-economic life, political organization and culture life of Francophone Africa and France, with reference (where possible) to home country i.e Nigeria.

After reading, candidates should be able to:

i. identify the characteristic features of the culture of Francophone Africa and France greetings, dressing, food, leisure, marriage, festival, art, profession etc.
ii. compare these features with those of home country ( where possible).
iii. apply reasoning skill.

JAMB Syllabus for French PDF Download

Click the “download” button below to download the JAMB Syllabus for French 2025 PDF.

JAMB APPROVED BOOKS FOR FRENCH

A. i.Written Language

1. Companion to French Grammar (4th Edition) by Ajiboye, T. (2014).
2. Nouvel Horizon, Book 4, New Revised Edition by Ajiboye, T. (2012).
3. A Comprehensive French Grammar by Byrne and Churchill (1980).
4. Le Nouveau Bescherelle: L’Art de Conjuguer by Hatier (1980).
5. Grammaire progressive du français ( Niveau, Paris: Clé intermediaire) by Maice, G et Merlo, G : (1998).
6. On y va! Book 3 by Mazauric,. C, et Sirejols, E(2006).
7. A Comprehensive Revision Handbook of French Grammar by Ojo, S. A.(2000).
8. Any other relevant materials on French Grammar.

A. ii. Oral

1. An Introduction to Practice in Oral French by Ajiboye, T. (2010).
2. Initiation à la Prononciation du Français Standard by Leon, M. (1978).
3. Any other materials that emphasize oral practice.

B. Culture of Francophone Countries

1. Comment vivent les Français by Girod R and Grand-Clement, F. (1979).
2. French Essays on Culture and Civilisation for Schools and Colleges by Mbuko, L. (2000).
3. Any other relevant materials, e.g. French newspapers, magazines, journals, and documents on Francophone life.

C. Dictionary

Any good French/English or French dictionary.

JAMB Syllabus for All Subjects

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Allschool wish you the best of luck.

Source: JAMB IBASS.