Use this page as your complete JAMB Igbo checklist. Study the language, literature, customs and current issues together, because the examination tests how well you understand Igbo as a living language and culture.
Download the official JAMB Igbo syllabus PDF
Complete JAMB Igbo topics at a glance
| Section | Every official topic | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| A. Asụsụ (Language) | 1. Edemede (Essay) 2. Aghọtaazaa (Comprehension) 3. Sounds and Sound Patterns 4. Spelling and Spelling Rules 5. Igbo Orthography 6. Dialect and Standard Igbo 7. Igbo Word Derivation 8. Grammar 9. Translation |
Essay forms, unseen passages, phonology, spelling, standard usage, dialects, roots/affixes, syntax, vocabulary, idioms and translation. |
| B. Agụmagụ (Literature) | 1. Literary Devices 2. Oral Literature: narratives, folk sayings, oral songs and traditional drama 3. Written Literature: prose, poetry and drama using the current prescribed works |
Form, structure, theme, style, characters, language, performance and social messages. |
| C. Omenala (Customs and Culture) | 1. Greetings 2. Marriage and divorce 3. Birth, childcare and naming 4. Chieftaincy 5. Death and burial customs 6. Umunna, umuokpu/umuada and social relations 7. Age groups and community organisation 8. Taboos and sacred objects 9. Traditional government 10. Hospitality, oji and naming 11. Worship and divination 12. Ritual objects 13. Beliefs and oaths 14. Economy and land 15. Secret societies 16. Games 17. Traditional occupations 18. Festivals |
Meaning, practice, functions, social institutions, material culture and modern influence. |
| D. General and Current Issues | 1. Topical issues in Igbo language, literature and culture 2. Authors, publishers, dates and places 3. Igbo Studies Association 4. HIV/AIDS, cancer and coronavirus 5. Drug abuse 6. Cultism 7. Rights of women and children 8. Human-rights violations and child labour 9. Religious conflicts 10. Kidnapping |
Vocabulary, organisations, authors and socially relevant issues. |
Build standard Igbo first
Practise spelling, punctuation, word division and orthography from a trusted text. Read passages aloud, mark tone and sound patterns, and compare dialect expressions with standard Igbo. Keep a vocabulary book for synonyms, antonyms, idioms and proverbs.
Write and translate with structure
For an essay, identify the form before writing: narrative, descriptive, argumentative, expository, dialogue or letter. Outline your points, use correct paragraphing and edit agreement and spelling. For translation, understand the whole sentence first; do not force English word order into Igbo.
Study literature as a complete work
Read each prescribed prose, poem and drama in the official PDF. Record plot, characters, setting, themes, style, devices and moral or social lessons. For oral literature, learn the performer, audience, occasion, rhythm, instrument and purpose. Distinguish a proverb, riddle, praise name, satire and folktale by function.
Learn culture through institutions
For each custom, write its procedure, participants, purpose, values and modern changes. Avoid reducing Igbo culture to isolated objects. Connect greeting, marriage, burial, chieftaincy, age grade, land, occupations and festivals to social organisation.
Eight-week plan
- Essay, comprehension, spelling and orthography.
- Phonology, dialects and standard Igbo.
- Word formation, grammar and translation.
- Literary devices and oral narratives/sayings.
- Oral songs and traditional drama.
- Prescribed prose, poetry and drama.
- Customs, institutions and festivals.
- Current issues, authors and timed tests.
Use the recommended Igbo grammar, literature and culture texts listed in the PDF. Return to the complete JAMB syllabus library.
Official source
Topic coverage follows the current JAMB IBASS e-syllabus.
