JAMB 2019/2020 French Syllabus | Download or View the PDF here

This is to  inform all JAMB candidates offering French that the new Syllabus for 2019/2020Jamb exam is out. Candidates can download or view the pdf format here.

The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination syllabus for French is designed to prepare the candidates for the Board’s examination.

 The following are what this syllabus strives to achieve:

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) to home country.
4. Appreciate straightforward literary texts in French;
5. Apply the principles governing the structure and use of written French.

Detailed Syllabus

TOPIC/CONTENTS/NOTES JAMB 2019/2020 French Syllabus

1.  Written Comprehension in French

• Topics of general and emergent interest e.g.Love, Life, death, politics, Marriage, H*V/AIDS, Communication, Child trafficking, Cultism, travel, corruption, money laundering etc.

Objectives  [JAMB 2019/2020 French Syllabus]

Candidates should be able to :

• deduce answers to question on the contents, intent and style of proposed texts;
• apply reasoning skills

2. PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE STRUCTURE AND USE OF WRITTEN FRENCH

 (1)  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. dixieme)

                (e) Adverbs  

– Common Forms (i)with-ment (e.g lentement) (i) with preposition + noun (e.g par avion, a cheval, en voiture, par bateau)

-special forms (e.gbien, vite, mal, mieux, pire, le pis, ne…que)

– Types

-Manner (e.g debout, facilement)

– purpose (e.g. pour + infinitive perfect, a cause de + noun)

– concession (e.g. malgre + Noun)

– place (e.g. y, en, ici, la veille, le matin, dans un mois).

(f) Prepositions

-Simple (e.g. a, de, avec, avant, Sur, dans)

-compound (e.g a cote de, au milieu de)

(g) Conjuctions

-of co-ordination (e.g. mais, ou et, donc, car, capendant, ne…ni)

-of subordination (e.g. afin que, quoique, a condition que, pour que, parce que).

(h)Articles

-definite, indefinite and partitive

ii. Assessment of vocabulary span (words in contemporary contexts

-meaning, use, opposites, synonyms)

iii. Importance of word order in:

• affirmative sentences
• interrogative sentences
• imperative sentences
• passive voice formation

iv. Identification and application of basic processes in Language structure, e.g.

• Conjugation – in all tenses except I’impartfait du subjonctif, le passse compose du subjonctif et……le plus – que parfait du subjonctif.
• Negation (e.g ne…pas, ne… plus, ne… rien, nul ne, ni…ne,ne… personne, personne…ne
• Agreement (e.g les beaux arts, il les a vues les photos)
• Pluralisation (e.g as in cheval/chevaux; beau/beaux)
• Derivation
• From adj, to adv- e.g. lent-lentement
• From adj. to adj. e.g. un- premier
• From adj. to noun – e.g. bon-bonte, 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 [JAMB 2019/2020 FRENCH SYLLABUS]

Expressions such as in proverbs , idioms and conventional structures as provided  for in common speech acts:

• Proverbs (e.g. tel pere tel fils, petit a petit I’oiseau fait son nid)
• Idioms (e.g. avoir une faim de loup crier sur le toit, mourir de peur)
• Conventional stretches (e.g. enchante, c’ est dommage, formidable, stationnement interdit)
• Speech acts (e.g. proposer, conseiller,regretter, admirer esperer, interroger, reprocher, s’ accorder etc)

OBJECTIVES [JAMB 2019/2020 French Syllabus]

Candidates should be able to:

• Identify what constitutes the basic structure of written French.
• Use the principles governing the structure of written French to determine acceptability, e.g. to transform one form; one class to another;
• Apply the structure to convey diverse messages;
• Apply communicative skills.

Working of French Sounds via:

(a)Sound discrimination (e.g. tout/tu)

(b) Letter-sound correspondence (e.g. ai-/e/,ais-/e/)

(c) Syllabification (e.g. con/tente/ment)

(d)liaison (e.g. trios animaux Cas unique)

(e) sense groups in reading (e.g. J’ai mal a la tete)

(f)cognates and faux amis (e.g. president, nation)

(g) identification of sounds to determine similarity (e.g. maison/saison,dents/don,food/fonde).

3. LITERATURE [JAMB 2019/2020 French Syllabus]

-study of selected texts: identification of characteristics features of creative writing e.g. pilot, characters, theme, setting and style (use of Language, imageries etc.)

OBJECTIVES [JAMB 2019/2020 FRENCH SYLLABUS]

Candidates should be able to:

• Discriminate between French sounds
• Deduce meanings out of sound combinations;
• Use the above to enhance effective communication,
• Assess sound groupings in terms of how they are affected by such features as syllabification, liason, e-caduce; pause, intonation, etc;

Candidates should be able to:

• Interpret the contents of selected straight-forward creative writings;
• Compare the contents in terms of the style and form of narration;
• Assess their relevance to social life

RECOMMENDED TEXTS [JAMB 2019/2020 FRENCH SYLLABUS]

Literature [JAMB 2019/2020 French Syllabus]

1. (i) Mbuko, L. (2006) Chaque chose en son temps, Aba : Lynnette Publishers
2. Malot, H. (1995) Sans Famille, Editions a Francais Facile

Written Language [JAMB 2019/2020 French Syllabus]

• (i) Ajiboye, T. (2006) Companion to French Grammar (Revised Edition): Horin: Info-links.

Ajiboye, T. (1999) Nouvel Horizon, Book 4, Ibadan: Bounty Press

Berard and Churchill (1980) Le Nouveau Bascherelle: L’Art de Conjuguer, Ibadan: Spectrum

Ojo,S. A (2000) A Comprehensive Revision Handbook of French Grammar, Ibadan: Agoro Publishing Company.

Any other relevant materials on French Grammars

• Oral

Ajiboye, T. (2003) An Introduction to Practice in Oral French, Ibadan: Bounty Press Leon, M. (1978) Initiation a la Prononciation du Francais Standard.

Any other materials that emphasise oral practice

• Culture of Froncophone Countries

Girod R and Ground-Clement, F. (1979)                 Comment vivent les Francais, Paris; Hachette

Mbuko, L, (2000) French Essays on Culture and Civilization for Schools and College Ibadan: Bounty Press.

Any other relevant materials, e.g. French newspapers, magazines, journals, and documents on Francophone life

Wisdomline Pass at Once Jamb

• Dictionary

Any good French/English of French Dictionary