JAMB Biology Syllabus
This is the JAMB UTME syllabus for Biology, covering 23 topics. Each topic lists what you are expected to study and the objectives — what you should be able to do — based on the official JAMB syllabus.
General Objectives
The Biology syllabus is designed to enable candidates to:
- Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the concepts of the diversity, interdependence and unity of life.
- Account for the continuity of life through reorganization, inheritance and evolution.
- Apply biological principles and concepts to everyday life, especially to matters affecting living things, the individual, society, the environment, community health and the economy.
Detailed Biology Syllabus
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Living Organisms
Contents
- Characteristics of living things
- Cell structure and functions of cell components
- Levels of organization (cell, tissue, organ, systems, organism)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Differentiate between living and non-living things
- Identify the structures of plant and animal cells
- Analyse the functions of cell components
- Compare and contrast plant and animal cells
- Trace the levels of organization in living things
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Evolution Among Organisms
Contents
- Monera (prokaryotes)
- Protista (protozoans and protophyta)
- Fungi
- Plantae (Thallophyta, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Spermatophyta)
- Animalia (invertebrates and vertebrates)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Analyse the external features of the groups of organisms
- Demonstrate the increase in structural complexity among the groups
- Trace the life histories of the organisms
- Show the transition from water to land habitats
- Trace the evolution of plants
- Trace the advancement among invertebrates and vertebrates
- Determine the economic importance of the organisms
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Variety of Organisms (Adaptations)
Contents
- Structural, functional and behavioural adaptations
- Adaptive coloration and its functions
- Behavioural adaptations in social animals (e.g. social insects)
- Structural adaptations in organisms
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Describe structural, functional and behavioural adaptations
- Categorize adaptive coloration such as countershading and warning coloration
- Differentiate between the castes of social insects
- Account for adaptations for temperature regulation, water conservation, food acquisition, protection and securing of mates
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Internal Structure of a Flowering Plant and a Mammal
Contents
- Internal structure of root, stem and leaf of a flowering plant
- Arrangement of internal organs of a mammal
- Distribution of tissues
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Identify the transverse sections of root, stem and leaf
- Relate the structure to function
- Identify supporting tissues
- Describe the distribution of tissues
- Examine the arrangement of internal organs
- Describe the digestive, reproductive and excretory organs
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Nutrition
Contents
- Modes of nutrition (autotrophic, heterotrophic)
- Types of nutrition (holozoic, parasitic, saprophytic, carnivorous)
- Plant nutrition: photosynthesis and mineral (macro and micro element) requirements
- Animal nutrition: food classes, food tests, mammalian teeth, alimentary canal and nutritional processes
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Compare photosynthetic and chemosynthetic nutrition and give examples
- Compare autotrophic and heterotrophic modes of nutrition
- Differentiate between holozoic, parasitic, saprophytic and carnivorous nutrition
- Differentiate between the light and dark reactions of photosynthesis
- Identify macro-elements and micro-elements
- Relate the importance of food and associated deficiency diseases
- Determine the importance of a balanced diet
- Detect food items from experiments (food tests)
- Describe the structure of teeth
- Differentiate between types of teeth and compare dental formulae
- Relate the structures of the alimentary canal to their functions
- Identify the characteristics of digestive enzymes
- Associate enzymes with the digestion of food and determine the end products
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Transport
Contents
- Need for transportation
- Materials for transportation (excretory products, gases, manufactured food, digested food, nutrients, water, hormones)
- Channels for transportation: mammalian circulatory system and plant vascular system
- Media of transportation and transport mechanisms
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the relationship between size and complexity of organisms and the development of transport systems
- Determine the sources of materials and the forms in which they are transported
- Describe the general circulatory system
- Compare the hepatic portal vein, pulmonary vein and artery, aorta and renal vessels
- Identify the vascular organs of plants and the functions of phloem and xylem
- Identify the media of transportation
- Know the composition and functions of blood and lymph
- Describe diffusion, osmosis, plasmolysis and turgidity
- Compare mechanisms such as transpiration pull, root pressure and active transport
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Respiration
Contents
- Meaning and significance of respiration
- Respiratory organs and surfaces
- Mechanism of gaseous exchange in plants and mammals
- Aerobic respiration (glycolysis and Krebs cycle)
- Anaerobic respiration (fermentation)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the significance of respiration
- Describe glycolysis and the Krebs cycle and the role of ATP
- Deduce gaseous exchange and heat production
- Describe respiratory organs and surfaces
- Describe the mechanism of stomatal opening and closing
- Determine respiratory movements
- Examine the role of oxygen in the liberation of energy
- Deduce the effect of insufficient oxygen on muscles
- Demonstrate fermentation by yeast and know its economic importance
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Excretion
Contents
- Types of excretory structures (contractile vacuole, flame cell, nephridium, Malpighian tubule, kidney, stoma, lenticel)
- Excretory mechanisms in kidneys, lungs and skin
- Excretory products of plants
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Define excretion and state its significance
- Relate the characteristics of excretory structures to their functions
- Relate the structure of the kidney to its excretory and osmoregulatory functions
- Identify the functions and products of the lungs and skin
- Deduce the economic importance of plant excretory products
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Support and Movement
Contents
- Tropic, tactic, nastic and sleep movements in plants
- Supporting tissues in plants and animals
- Types and functions of skeleton (exoskeleton, endoskeleton)
- Joints
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the need for support and movement
- Identify plant supporting tissues and describe their distribution
- Relate plant responses to stimuli of light, water, gravity and touch
- Identify regions of growth in root and shoot and the roles of auxins
- Relate the location of chitin, cartilage and bone to support
- Relate the structure of the mammalian skeleton to its supportive, locomotive and respiratory functions
- Differentiate between types of joints
- Apply the functions of the skeleton to the well-being of animals
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Reproduction
Contents
- Asexual reproduction (fission, budding, natural and artificial vegetative propagation)
- Sexual reproduction in flowering plants (floral parts, pollination and fertilization, products)
- Reproduction in mammals (structure and functions of reproductive organs, fertilization and development)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Differentiate between asexual and sexual reproduction
- Apply natural vegetative propagation to crop production
- Apply grafting, budding and layering to agriculture
- Relate the parts of a flower to their functions
- Deduce the advantages of cross-pollination
- Deduce types of placentation and the fruit types they develop into
- Differentiate between male and female reproductive organs
- Relate structure and function to the production of offspring
- Describe the fusion of gametes
- Relate the mother's health, nutrition and drug use to the development of the embryo
- Describe modern methods of regulating reproduction
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Growth
Contents
- Meaning of growth
- Seed germination and necessary conditions
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Apply knowledge of germination conditions to plant growth
- Differentiate between epigeal and hypogeal germination
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Coordination and Control
Contents
- Nervous coordination (central and peripheral nervous system, impulse transmission, reflex action)
- Sense organs (skin, nose, tongue, eye, ear)
- Hormonal coordination: animal hormones (pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas, gonads) and plant hormones
- Homeostasis (regulation of body temperature, salt and water)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Apply knowledge of the structure and function of the central nervous system
- Illustrate reflex actions
- Differentiate between reflex, voluntary and conditioned reflex actions
- Associate the sense organs with their functions
- Apply knowledge of the structure and function of the sense organs
- Locate the endocrine glands and relate hormone production to their functions
- Examine the effects of phytohormones on growth, tropism, flowering, ripening and abscission
- Relate the functions of hormones to the regulation of the level of internal materials (homeostasis)
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Factors Affecting the Distribution of Organisms
Contents
- Abiotic factors (temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, altitude, salinity, turbidity, pH, soil condition)
- Biotic factors
- Use of ecological measurement equipment (secchi disc, thermometer, rain gauge)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Deduce the effects of temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, altitude, salinity, turbidity, pH and soil condition on distribution
- Use ecological measurement equipment such as secchi disc, thermometer and rain gauge
- Describe how the activities of plants and animals affect distribution
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Symbiotic Interactions of Plants and Animals
Contents
- Types of associations (symbiosis, parasitism, saprophytism, commensalism, mutualism, amensalism, competition, predation, cooperation)
- Energy flow (food chains, food webs, trophic levels)
- Nutrient cycling (carbon cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine examples of symbiosis, parasitism, saprophytism, commensalism, mutualism, amensalism, competition, predation and cooperation
- Associate the distribution of organisms with food chains and food webs
- Describe the carbon, water and nitrogen cycles and their significance
- Assess the effects of the water cycle on other nutrient cycles
- Relate the roles of bacteria and leguminous plants in the nitrogen cycle
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Natural Habitats
Contents
- Aquatic habitats (ponds, streams, lakes, seashores, mangrove swamps)
- Terrestrial and arboreal habitats (tree-tops, abandoned farmland, savanna, burrows)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Associate plants and animals with their habitats
- Relate the adaptive features of organisms to the suitability of their habitats
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Local (Nigerian) Biomes
Contents
- Tropical rainforest
- Guinea savanna (southern and northern)
- Sudan savanna
- Desert
- Highlands of montane forests and grasslands
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Locate the biomes in their regions
- Apply knowledge of the features of biomes to determine the characteristics of Nigerian regions
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Ecology of Populations
Contents
- Population density and overcrowding
- Adaptations for survival (factors of competition, intra-specific and inter-specific competition, relationship between competition and succession)
- Factors affecting population size (biotic and abiotic)
- Ecological succession (primary and secondary)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the reasons for rapid change in human population and the consequences of overcrowding
- Compute population density
- Relate population increase, disease, food shortage and space to competition
- Determine niche differentiation as a means of reducing competition
- Relate competition to succession
- Deduce the effects of factors on population size
- Determine the interaction of biotic and abiotic factors
- Trace the sequence of succession to a stable climax community
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Soil
Contents
- Soil types and characteristics (sandy, loamy, clayey; structure, porosity, capillarity, humus)
- Soil components (inorganic, organic, soil organisms, air, water)
- Soil fertility: loss and renewal/maintenance
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Identify physical properties of soil through measurement of particle size, porosity and water retention
- Determine the amounts of air, water, humus and capillarity experimentally
- Relate soil characteristics to healthy plant growth
- Relate inorganic loss, compaction, leaching, erosion and monoculture to loss of fertility
- Apply contour ridging, terracing, mulching, poly-cropping, strip-cropping, fertilizers, crop rotation and shifting cultivation to soil conservation
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Humans and Environment
Contents
- Diseases (common and endemic; transmissible diseases such as poliomyelitis, cholera, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases)
- Pollution and its control (sources, types, effects and methods; sanitation and sewage)
- Conservation of natural resources
- Game reserves and national parks
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Identify ecological conditions that favour the spread of endemic and epidemic diseases
- Relate the biology of vectors and agents to spread and control
- Use knowledge of diseases for prevention, treatment and control
- Apply the principles of inoculation and vaccination
- Categorize types of pollution
- Relate the effects of pollutants to health and environmental degradation
- Determine methods of controlling pollutants
- Examine the importance of sanitation
- Assess the roles and functions of health agencies
- Apply conservation methods to renewable and non-renewable resources
- Outline the benefits of conservation
- Identify bodies responsible for conservation and assess their activities
- Know the locations and importance of game reserves and national parks
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Variation in Population
Contents
- Morphological variations (size, colour, fingerprints)
- Physiological variation (ability to roll tongue, ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), blood groups)
- Application of variation in crime detection, blood transfusion and determination of paternity
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Differentiate between continuous and discontinuous variations with examples
- Relate environmental conditions, habitat and genetic constitution to variation
- Measure and graph distributions of height and weight
- Observe and record colour patterns
- Apply fingerprint classification to detection of identity
- Identify examples of physiological variation
- Categorize people according to variation
- Apply knowledge of blood groups to transfusion and determination of paternity
- Use discontinuous variation in crime detection
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Heredity
Contents
- Transmission of hereditary characters (heritable and non-heritable characters)
- Chromosomes as basis of heredity (structure, transmission of hereditary characters)
- Probability in genetics and sex determination
- Application of the principles of heredity in agriculture and medicine
- Sex-linked characters (baldness, haemophilia, colour blindness)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine heritable and non-heritable characters
- Illustrate the structure of DNA
- Illustrate the segregation of genes at meiosis and recombination at fertilization
- Deduce segregation during gamete formation and random recombination
- Analyse cross-breeding data
- Apply the principles of heredity to the production of crop and livestock varieties
- Deduce the advantages and disadvantages of out-breeding and in-breeding
- Analyse genetically modified organisms (GMO), gene therapy and biosafety issues at an elementary level
- Apply knowledge of heredity to marriage counselling (blood grouping, sickle-cell and Rhesus factors)
- Examine the use of recombinant DNA in the production of medical products
- Identify sex-linked characters
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Theories of Evolution
Contents
- Lamarck's theory
- Darwin's theory of natural selection
- Organic theory of evolution
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Relate organic evolution as the sum of adaptive changes resulting in the diversity of organisms
- Examine the contributions of Lamarck and Darwin
- Know the evidences that support evolution
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Evidence of Evolution
Contents
- Fossil records
- Comparative anatomy, physiology and embryology
- Evolutionary trends among plants and animals
- Evidence from modern evolutionary theory (genetic studies and the role of mutation)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Provide evidences from fossil records, comparative anatomy, physiology and embryology
- Trace the evolutionary trends among plants and animals
- Provide evidence from the modern theory of evolution, including genetic studies and the role of mutation
Recommended Texts
- Ndu, F.O., Ndu, C., Abun, A. and Aina, J.O. (2001). Senior Secondary School Biology: Books 1-3. Lagos: Longman.
- Odunfa, S.A. (2001). Essentials of Biology. Ibadan: Heinemann.
- Ogunniyi, M.B., Adebisi, A.A. and Okojie, J.A. (2000). Biology for Senior Secondary Schools: Books 1-3. Macmillan.
- Ramalingam, S.T. (2005). Modern Biology, SS Science Series. New Edition. Africana First Publishers (AFP).
- STAN (2004). Biology for Senior Secondary Schools. Revised Edition. Ibadan: Heinemann.
- Stone, R.H. and Cozens, A.B.C. (1982). Biology for West African Schools. Longman.
- Usua, E.J. (1997). Handbook of Practical Biology (2nd Edition). University Press Limited.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is the JAMB Biology syllabus structured?
- It is organized into five parts: Part A (Variety of Organisms), Part B (Form and Functions), Part C (Ecology), Part D (Heredity and Variations), and Part E (Evolution). Each part lists topics with their contents and the objectives candidates should be able to achieve.
- How many topics does the JAMB Biology syllabus cover?
- Across the five parts there are around 23 distinct topic areas, ranging from cell structure and nutrition to ecology, genetics and evolution. The largest sections are Form and Functions (nine topics) and Ecology (seven topics).
- What are the aims of the JAMB Biology syllabus?
- It aims to test candidates' knowledge of the diversity, interdependence and unity of life, their understanding of the continuity of life through reproduction, inheritance and evolution, and their ability to apply biological principles to everyday life, health, society, the environment and the economy.
- Which areas carry the most weight in JAMB Biology?
- Form and Functions (nutrition, transport, respiration, excretion, reproduction, coordination) and Ecology are the broadest sections and typically generate many questions. Heredity, variation and evolution are also reliably tested every year.
- How is JAMB Biology tested in the UTME?
- Biology is a computer-based test of objective multiple-choice questions drawn from across all five parts of the syllabus. Candidates should expect questions spread over variety of organisms, form and functions, ecology, genetics and evolution rather than from a few topics only.
- Do I need practical or experimental knowledge for JAMB Biology?
- Yes. The syllabus expects familiarity with practical work such as food tests, using ecological equipment (secchi disc, thermometer, rain gauge), measuring soil properties, and demonstrating fermentation, so the recommended practical handbooks are useful.
- What textbooks are recommended for JAMB Biology?
- The syllabus recommends titles by Ndu et al., Odunfa, Ogunniyi et al., Ramalingam (Modern Biology), STAN Biology, Stone and Cozens (Biology for West African Schools), and Usua's Handbook of Practical Biology.
- Does the JAMB Biology syllabus include genetics and modern biotechnology?
- Yes. The Heredity section covers DNA structure, chromosomes, probability in genetics, sex-linked characters, and elementary treatment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), gene therapy, recombinant DNA and biosafety, plus applications in marriage counselling such as blood grouping, sickle-cell and Rhesus factors.
Source: the official JAMB UTME syllabus (jamb.gov.ng / IBASS). Always confirm details against the official syllabus.