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HomeBlogJAMB Arabic Syllabus 2026/2027 & Textbooks

JAMB Arabic Syllabus 2026/2027 & Textbooks

By October 27, 2025 Blog, Syllabus, Textbooks 0 Comments

The JAMB Arabic Syllabus 2026/2027 & Textbooks covers sections on comprehension, translation, grammar, composition, and literature. Key grammar topics include pronouns, verb tenses, and sentence structures, while composition questions will focus on current affairs, culture, and politics. Recommended textbooks include works by Zakariyau I. Oseni, such as AL-MA’DUBAT AL-ADABIYYAH and AL-TABAQATAL-ULYA.

JAMB Arabic Examination 2026/2027

This syllabus is a must-read if you have chosen or are considering choosing Arabic as part of your JAMB exam subject combination. Arabic is widely spoken across the Middle East and North Africa and is quite beneficial for all who want to have careers in international relations, Islamic Studies, diplomacy, and business. 

This syllabus is a roadmap telling you what to expect on the day of your exam. 

When you study your syllabus and go through your past questions often, be rest assured that the exam will be like a walk in the park for you.

The JAMB exams has a total of 180 questions. Use of English is 60 questions while the other 3 subjects will be 40 questions each. All subjects aside the Use of English is graded 2.5 marks.

For example:

If you got 30 questions correctly in JAMB use of English, your mark will be 30/60 × 100 = 50.

If you got 28 questions over 40 in your Arabic exam, the calculation will be 28 x 2.5 = 70% (in percentage).

If you have 30 in Accounting and Economics, it’ll be 30 × 2.5 = 75

So let’s add it all: 50 + 70 + 75 + 75 = That’s 270 over 400.

Objectives

The aim of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) syllabus in Arabic is to prepare candidates for admission into tertiary institutions through the Board’s examination. It is designed to test their achievement of the course objectives, which are:

  • Candidates will answer comprehension questions correctly in standard Arabic;
  • Candidates will translate simple texts from English to Arabic and vice versa;
  • Candidate must learn how to apply the rules of Arabic grammar functionally;
  • Candidates must learn how to appreciate Arabic literary texts within the contexts of their environment and eras;
  • Candidate must learn how to use Arabic as a living world language in communication where necessary.

JAMB Arabic Syllabus 2026/2027

JAMB Arabic Syllabus 2026ARABIC
SNTOPICSOBJECTIVES
1COMPREHENSION
It consists of a passage of seventy (70) words. Five multiple-choice questions are to be set on the passage. The contents should be within the experience of the candidates e.g. current affairs, sports, education, politics, economy, health, culture, and ethics. The themes of the two passages should vary.Candidates should be able to:
i. use appropriate words or phrases for specific thought;

ii. deduce the lesson in the passage;

iii. determine the main theme of the passage;

iv. give an appropriate title of a passage;

v. interpret the meanings of particular words
2TRANSLATION
This section consists of ten (10) questions. Five of them are on translation from English into Arabic while the other five are on translation from Arabic into English.
Translation into English includes keywords and phrases in a sentence.
Translated questions are to be based on standard Arabic and English usage.		Candidates should be able to:
i. use an appropriate Arabic word or phrase to convey the meaning of an English word or phrase;

ii. determine an appropriate English word or phrase for an Arabic statement;

iii. interpret idiomatic expressions in both Arabic and English;

iv. transfer ideas expressed in Arabic to English and vice versa;

v. communicate effectively in Arabic and English.
3GRAMMAR
Major grammatical features in Arabic to be examined include:
1 .أسماء اإلشارة والموصولة. 1. Demonstrative and relative pronouns.

2 .المذكر والمؤنث2. Gender (Masculine and Feminine).

3 .عالمات االسم3. Characteristics of a noun.

4 .المثنى. 4. Dual.

5 .الجموع: 5. Plurals: أ – جمع المذكر السالم.
a. sound masculine plural
ب – جمع المؤنث السالم b. sound feminine plural ج – جمع التكسير
c. broken plural

6 .المضاف والمضاف إليه. 6. Construct phrases.

7 .الضمائر المنفصلة و المتصلة 7. Separable and inseparable pronouns.

8 .التوابع: 8. Appendants: أ – النعت. .adjective.
a ب – العطف.
b. .conjunction.
c. the permutative. .البدل – ج د – التوكيد.
d. emphasis.

9 .حروف الجر 9. Prepositions.

10 .الفعل الالزم والفعل المتعدي. 10. Transitive & Intransitive verbs.

11 .الفعل الماضى 11. The perfect verb.

12 .الفعل المضارع: 12. The imperfect verb: a. the indicative. المرفوع – أ b. the subjunctive. المنصوب – ب c. the jussive. .المجزوم – ج

13 .الفعل األمر. 13. The imperative verb.

14 .النواسخ: 14. The modifiers: أ – كان و أخواتها a. Kana and its associates ب – إن و أخواتها b. Inna and its associates ج – ظن و أخواتها c. Zanna and its associates

15 .الفعل الثالثي المجرد و المزيد فيه. 15. Trilateral and derived verbs.

16 .المشتقات: 16. Derivatives: أ – اسم التفضيل. a. the comparative/superlative. ب – اسم اآللة. b. nouns of the instrument. ج – اسما الزمان و المكان c. nouns of time and place. د – اسم النسبة. d. relative adjectives.

17 .الجملة الشرطية 17. Conditional sentences. )فقط
3000 – 1( العدد. 18

18. Numerals (1 – 3000).

19 .الفاعل و نائب الفاعل. 19. Active and passive voice.

20 .منصوبات األسماء: 20. Nouns in the accusative أ – المفعول به. a. direct object. ب – المفعول فيه )ظرف(. b. adverbs of place and time. ج – الحال. c. adverb of circumstance. د – المستثنى بإال. d. the exempted with illa. هـ – التمييز. e. specification. و – المنادى. f. the vocative		Candidates should be able to:
i. identify the various forms of demonstrative and relative pronouns;

ii. compare gender markers in Arabic;

iii. identify the three basic characteristics of Arabic nouns;

iv. differentiate between singular and dual forms of nouns;

v. construct plural forms of singular nouns;

vi. identify construct phrases and their usages;

vii. differentiate between separable and inseparable pronouns;

viii. identify correct usage of adjectives, conjunctions and the permutative in Arabic sentences;

ix. apply correct preposition in a given sentence;

x. differentiate between transitive and intransitive verbs and use them in sentences;

xi. identify the perfect verbs and their forms;

xii. identify the imperfect verbs and their grammatical words in sentences;

xiii. identify the imperative verbs and their forms;

xiv. identify the kinds of modifiers and apply them in Arabic usage;

xv. differentiate between trilateral and derived verbs;

xvi. identify the types of derivatives;

xvii. apply the rules governing conditional sentences, identify them in sentences, construct them and differentiate them in normal sentences;

xviii. recognize and count Arabic numerals from 1 to 3000 and identify the intricacies involved in their usage;

xix. distinguish between active and passive voice and apply them in sentences;

xx. identify different types of adverbial clause, the exempted, specification, and the vocative as well as identify and use them in standard Arabic;
4COMPOSITION
This section consists of five (5) questions on subjects relating to the lives and environment of the candidates, e.g.

i. Education
ii. Culture
iii. Health
iv. Politics
v. Economy
vi. Sports and
vii. Current affairs.		Candidates should be able to:

i.. use appropriate words for specific thoughts;

ii. use correct idiomatic expressions in Arabic;

iii. communicate effectively in Arabic;

iv. express ideas clearly in Arabic;

v. demonstrate the use of common Arabic idioms and proverbs;
5ARABIC LITERATURE
This section consists of ten (10) questions on notable literary figures and their works cutting across the various periods which include the following: أ – العصر الجاهلي )حوالى 500 – 610م

(. a) The Pre-Islamic Period (500 – 610 C.E.). – قس بن ساعدة و خطبته “من عاش مات” – تماضر الخنساء ورثاء ها ” صخر الندى”. ب – العصور اإلسالمية )610 – 1798م

(. b) The Islamic Period (610 – 1798 C.E.). – الفرزدق ومدحه لزين العابدين: “هذا الذي تعرف البطحاء وطأته”. – حسان بن ثابت وقصيدته في فتح مكة: “عدمنا خيلنا إن لم تروها” – جرير وشعره “أشجان الهوى”: “لقد كتمت الهوى حتى تهيمني”

(c) ج – العصر الحديث )1798م إلى اليوم(.c) The Modern Period (1978 to date). – المنفلوطي وكتابه العبرات :”قصة الحجاب”. – إيليا أبو ماضي وشعره :”لم تشتكي وتقول إنك معدم”

d) Arabic Literature In West Africa . – زكريا إدريس حسين ومسرحيته: “الطبقة العليا”. – جميل عبد هللا الكنوي: “ادفع بالتي هي أحسن”ج – العصر الحديث )1798م إلى اليوم(.		Candidates should be able to:

i. identify pre-Islamic poetic traditions and conventions;

ii. identify and analyze the style of figurative expressions contained in given Islamic literature;

iii. describe the aesthetic features in literary texts and assess their modern cultural values;

iv. evaluate areas of successful use of Arabic as a medium of West African novel and drama, analyze their contents and describe their major characteristics and plots.

JAMB’s New Literature Textbooks For UTME in Arabic 2026/2027

  • The Nigerian Arabic Poems ; a case study between the old and the new, by Abdulwahab Dan Ladi Shith.
  • Diwaanur Riyardh : A collection of Arabic Poems , by Dr. Isah Alabi Abubakar.
  • The Prospect Of Arabic Language in Nigeria, by Murtadh Badamasi.
  • A Selection of Pulpit Counseling, by Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory.
  • Why The Anger On Us. A literature text , by Muhammad Salisu Mai Ango
  • The perfection/Adornment of Pages ; A book of poems, by Abdullahi Bin Fodio.

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