Home » JUPEB Syllabus » Have you chosen to write Biology in the JUPEB program? Then this article is for you. This JUPEB Biology syllabus covers a range of topics in Biology, including evolution, respiration, ecology, and cell division that you are bound to learn about in class and eventually see in your exam.
The JUPEB exam aims to prepare and teach you the basics of Biology; these are the topics all 100-level students should know that will prepare them and ensure they have a solid knowledge of Biology.
What better way to prepare than to download out syllabus? We have your comfort in mind so we have put it out in the simplest way so you have no trouble understanding it.
Writing Biology in JUPEB is very important if you want to study Medicine, Pharmacy, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, and other medical or natural science-related courses.
With a pass in your JUPEB Biology exam, you can study Medicine, Nursing, Anatomy, or any Natural and/or Biological science course.
COURSE CODE | COURSE TITLE | CREDIT LOAD |
BIO001 | General Biology | 3 Units |
BIO002 | Basic Botany | 3 Units |
| JUPEB BIOLOGY SYLLABUS | ||
| SN | TOPICS | OBJECTIVES |
| FIRST SEMESTER | ||
| BIO001: GENERAL BIOLOGY | ||
| 1 | ORIGIN OF LIVING THINGS | i. Definition of biology ii. Importance of biology iii. The nature of science a) Scientific methods b) Testing of hypothesis c) Data collection and analysis iv. Application of scientific methods in biological experiments v. Relationship between Biology & Medicine, Agriculture, etc |
| 2 | LIVING THINGS IN NATURE AND BIOLOGY MOLECULES | i. Different kingdoms and characteristics ii. Carbohydrates, lipids, protein and nucleic acids |
| 3 | CELL ORGANIZATION, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION | i. Demonstration of cell structure on microscopes ii. Biological drawings of palm and animal cells iii. Comparisons of plant and animal |
| 4 | CELL DIVISION PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS, VARIATION AND HEREDITY | i. Basic concepts in genetics: Chromosome, Gene, allele, dominant, recessive, homozygous, heterozygous, hybrid, genotype, phenotype etc ii. The nature of genes and chromosomes iii. Practical class a) Determination of inheritance using coloured seeds e,g, beads, grains, etc b) Verification of principles of Mendel’s law and its deviation iv. Cell division experiment using onion root v. Identification of the stages of meiosis vi. Traits controlled by Multiple alleles e.g blood group, eye colour vii. Determination of inheritance using coloured seeds e.g. beads, grains etc viii. Verifications of the principles of Mendel’s laws |
| 5 | SYSTEMATICS: TAXONOMY AND NOMENCLATURE | i. Practical class: a) Classification and identification of organisms b) Highlighting adaptive features and their uses 6. Ecology i. Symbiosis ii. Mutualism iii. Parasitism iv. Environmental studies v. Practical use of ecology equipment vi. Population study in a specific habitant vii. Environmental studies viii. Practical use of ecological equipment ix. Population study in a specific habitat x. Environmental changes xi. Biological impacts of climate change |
| 6 | BIOLOGY METHODS AND APPLICATION | i. Standard drawing rules governing: use of pencils, specimen proportions, magnification, size of specimen drawing and labelling. a) Diagrams must be according to length specification. Lines must not be woolly or broken b) Drawings must carry appropriate titles at the correct positions c) Labelling must be horizontal & parallel with ruled guidelines d) Drawing must not be artistic i.e. no shading or painting e) Spellings must be correct and touched by labelling lines. |
| 7 | EVOLUTION | i. Definition of evolution ii. Types of evolution iii. Application of Evolution to Plants & Animal Taxonomy |
| BIO002: BASIC BOTANY | ||
| 9 | BASIC CHARACTERISTICS AND DIVERSITY OF PLANTS | i. Classification of major plant groups (Lower and Higher plants) ii. Divisions up to generic level • Level plants-stage, fungi, bryophytes, Pleridophytes. iii. Morphological and life cycle of named example in each major group considering the simplest and the complex in each group of the lower plants iv. Economic and ecological importance of plant groups v. Practical class-classifications and morphological drawing of lower plants: vi. Algae (Chlorella, England/Chlamydomonas, Volvax, Spirogyra) vii. Funcgi e.g. yeast, Rhizopus, Mucor, Aspergylus, Penicillium, mushroom, phytophthora, viii. Bryophytes eg, Riccia, Marchantia, Funaria ix. Petriodophytes eg (Lycopodium), Seleginella, Nephrolepis x. Higher plant (Non-Vascular and vascular plants) xi. Spermatophytes e.g Cycas, Pinus, Gnetum, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis xii. Eleusine indico and Talinum iriangulae treated comparatively |
| 10 | TAXONOMY OF LOWER AND HIGHER PLANTS | i. Plant nomethenclature ii. Plant classification iii. The difference between taxonomy and systematics |
| 11 | PLANT CONSERVATION | i. In-situ and ex-situ conservation ii. Advantages and disadvantage of each iii. Biological control • Poor management iv. Impact of climate change on plants |
| 12 | PLANT TISSUES AND FUNCTIONS | i. Emphasis on composition, distribution, forms and functions of each limits: ii. Parenchyma iii. Collenchyma iv. Sclerenchyma v. Epidermal vi. Per dermal vii. Vascular (cambium, phloem, xylem) viii. Practical class in osmosis and transpiration in plants. |
| 13 | PLANT MORPHOLOGY/ANATOMY | i. Morphology of roots, stems, leaf types and their modifications due to functions ii. Anatomy of monocot and dicot roots, stems and leaves with emphasis on tissue arrangement in relation to functions and environment. iii. Practical class- iv. Roots – Advantages and tap root systems, modification and adaptions v. Anatomical observation and drawing of permanent/temporary mount of monocot and dicit roots (T.S and L.S) Locate, draw and label different plant tissues (parenchyma, collenchyma etc) vi. Leaves- -Simple and compound leaves, arrangements, modifications to suit habitants. – T.S of leaves of both monocot and dicot and label different plant tissues (parenchyma, collenchyma etc) vii. Flowers- -L. S of dicot flowers e.g. regular and irregular flowers floral diagrams and formula viii. Fruits- -L. S and T.S of various types of fruits (dry dehiscent indehiscent and fleshy fruits should be observed and drawn). |
| 14 | NUTRITION IN PLANTS | i. Autotroph (photosynthesis and chemosynthetic) ii. Dark and light reaction in photosynthesis iii. Heterotopic iv. Holozoic nutrition v. Mineral requirements of plants their sources, roles and deficiency symptoms vi. Composition of chemical fertilizers vii. Composition of chemical fertilizers viii. Practical class- ix. Demonstration of etiolation x. Measurement of photosynthesis in leaf xi. Growth experiments to show deficiency symptom xii. Field study of deficiency symptoms in plants |
| 15 | TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN PLANTS | i. Mineral requirements of plants ii. Transport in xylem iii. Transport in phloem iv. Transport media in plant and materials to be transported v. Practical class vi. Transpiration, osmosis, and food transport in plants |
| 16 | RESPIRATION | i. Stomata apparatus ii. Lenticels iii. Aerobic and anaerobic respiration |
| 17 | PLANT REPRODUCTION | i. Angiosperm flower and differences between monocots and dicot flowers |
| 18 | GROWTH REGULATORS | i. Auxins ii. Gibberellins iii. Cytokines iv. Ascorbic acids v. Ethylene |
| 19 | CROP IMPROVEMENT | i. Generally Modified Crops (GMC) ii. Challenges of resistant plant species iii. Ethical implications of genetic modifications |
| 20 | ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF PLANTS | i. Economically importance food plants ii. Economically valuable medicinal plants iii. Ornamental plants |
COURSE CODE | COURSE TITLE | CREDIT LOAD |
BIO003 | Microbiology | 3 Units |
BIO004 | Fundamentals of Zoology
| 3 Units |
| SECOND SEMESTER | ||
| BIO003: MICROBIOLOGY | ||
| 21 | HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF MICROORGANISMS | i. The theory of spontaneous generation of organisms ii. Conflict over spontaneous generations iii. The golden era of microbiology (1860-1910) iv. The germ theory of disease v. The discovery of viruses vi. Microorganisms in the 20th century vii. Practical class-introduction to basic microbial laboratory equipment, principles of operation and drawings |
| 22 | TYPES AND TAXONOMIC GROUPINGS OF MICROORGANISMS | i. Bacteria-size, shapes, motility, unusual types, general methods of bacteria classification ii. Fungi-yeast and mould-size, shape, general fungal classification iii. Protozoa-specific examples, motile and non-motile types, nutrition types iv. Viruses-sizes, bacteriophages, viroid, prions v. Algae-sizes, types, diatoms, sea weeds, lichens, sexual and asexual evolution vi. Practical class-aseptic techniques in microbiology |
| 23 | STRUCTURE, MORPHOLOGY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MICROORGANISMS | i. Structure of bacteria cells-capsule, flagella. Pilli and fimbrise, cell wall, plasma membrane, cytoplasm ii. Cell wall of fungal cells, cytoplasm iii. Cultural characteristics of bacterial growth-on solid and liquid media, forms of growth. iv. Cultural and cellular characteristics of mould and yeast on solid and liquid media, hyphal and mycelial types. v. Biochemical characteristics of bacteria and fungi vi. Viruses and their structures vii. Reproduction and microbial growth phases viii. Practical class-cultivation and identification of bacteria from soil, water and decomposing food |
| 24 | MICROBIAL ECOLOGY | i. Predation ii. Competition iii. Synergism iv. Commensalism v. Infectious diseases vi. Immunity vii. Spoilage of food viii. Control of microbial activities |
| 25 | MICROBIAL NUCLEIC ACIDS IN INFORMATION STORAGE AND TRANSFER | i. Nature of DNA ii. Nucleosides and nucleotides iii. Types of RNA iv. Enzymes in DNA replication v. Genetic code vi. Transcription and translation vii. Transfer of genetic materials in prokaryotes viii. Spontaneous mutation, induced mutation, expression of mutation ix. Biotechnological use of microorganisms in a) Food industry: Environment, b) Pharmaceuticals, Medical, and agricultural fields |
| BIO004: INTRODUCTORY ZOOLOGY | ||
| 26 | DIVERSITY AND GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMALS | i. General characteristics of animals ii. Diversity of lifestyles, habitants iii. Categories of animals |
| 27 | SYSTEMATICS (TAXONOMY) OF ANIMALS | i. Unicellular levels of organizational: metazoan ii. Classification of invertebrates a) Animals without tissues b) Animals with tissues c) Animals exhibiting bilateral symmetry (bilateral) d) Animals with body cavity (coelomates) e) Segmented animals f) Animals with jointed appendages g) Animals with backbone (vertebrates) ii. Major and minor phyla iii. Types of tissues and organ systems iv. Practical class- a) Identification and classification of animal specimens the different phyla b) Dissection of selected animals-cockroaches, fish, frog, rat, etc |
| 28 | EVOLUTION OF ANIMALS | i. Adaption of animals in water ii. Adaptation of animals on land iii. Adaption of animals in air |
| 29 | INVERTEBRATES | i. Taxonomy, characteristics, diversity, lifestyles, morphology and life cycle providing named representative examples in such order ii. Free living flat worms iii. Parasite flat worms (trematodes and cestodes) of medical and veterinary importance iv. Emphasize the body plan v. Why arthropods are successful |
| 30 | INTRODUCTION TO CHORDATES | i. Challenges and adaptions to living in the different habitants ii. History and important adaptations iii. Diversity, classification, morphology and life cycle, providing representative examples from the different orders iv. History and important of adaptions v. Rise and fall of dominant reptiles vi. Cleary state the taxonomic features that warrant the grouping into classes |
| 31 | ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF ANIMALS | i. Benefits of animals to man ii. Economics importance of arthropods |
| 32 | PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES | i. Nutrition in animals a) Types of nutrition in animals b) Nutrition in human c) Types of definition in animals d) Alimentary system in man e) Digestion (diverse enzymes) and absorption f) Practical class- food test ii. Respiration in Mammals a) Lung as a respiratory organ b) Role of a circulatory system in respiration iii.Skeletall system a) Morphology and function of human skeleton b) Forms of skeleton c) Components of and differences between bone and cartilage d) Parts of mammalian endoskeleton e) Definition and types of joint iv. Reproduction a) Vertebrate reproduction b) Structure and function of human female and male reproductive system |
| 33 | TRANSPORT OF SUBSTANCE ACROSS MEMBRANE | i. Excretion a) Osmoregulation b) Structure and function of the nephron – ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and excretion c) The effects of weather on excretion ii. Circulatoryy system a) Human circulatory/transport system b) Blood as agent of transport c) Components of blood d) The functions of blood e) Types of circulation iii.Growthh and development a) Principles of development- stages in embryology iv. Osmotic balance v. Selective transport of substance across members vi. Osmotic pressure vii. Turgor pressure viii. Active transport ix. Practical class – experiment demonstration diffusion, osmosis and plasmolysis |
1. Ndu, F.O. C. Ndu, Abun A. and Aina J.O. (2001) Senior Secondary School Biology: Books 1 -3, Lagos: Longman.
2. Odunfa, S.A. (2001) Essential of Biology, Ibadan: Heinemann.
3. Ogunniyi M.B. Adebisi A.A. and Okojie J.A. (2000) Biology for Senior Secondary Schools: Books 1 – 3, Macmillan.
4. Ramalingam, S.T. (2005) Modern Biology, SS Science Series. New Edition, AFP
5. (Stan2004) Biology for Senior Secondary Schools. Revised Edition, Ibadan: Heinemann
6. Stone R.H. and Cozens, A.B.C. (1982) Biology for West African Schools. Longman
7. Usua, E.J. (1997) Handbook of practical Biology 2nd Edition, University Press, Limited
NOTE: Candidates are required to write 3 subjects in the qualifying examination)
JUPEB currently offers examinations in the following nineteen (19) subjects as detailed in its syllabuses. The subjects can be classified into 3 categories: Arts & Humanities, Management & Social Science and Sciences
The NABTEB Biology exam is divided into 3 papers. Paper 1 will comprise 50 objective questions and 8 essay questions for you to answer 4.
In paper 3, you will be asked to answer 2 practical questions.
Yes, if any candidate is caught cheating in the exam he or she will be punished for examination malpractice and it could lead to the body canceling or withholding the result.
Depending on the subject, the questions are usually divided into 2 or 3 parts: Objective, Theory, and/or Practical. Just like your school examination where you are expected to write objectives, theory, and practicals in some subjects.
You must have at least credits in your 3 subjects to gain admission into any university.
You must have at least credits in your 3 subjects to gain admission into any university.
Stay calm and pay attention to the instructions. Do not panic whenever you see a question you don’t know. When you get confused about a question, raise your hand and ask the invigilator for clarification.
