Home » WAEC Syllabus » This WAEC Hausa syllabus is here to prepare you for your upcoming WAEC examinations in Hausa Language.
The exam will test your knowledge of the language, culture and some literary texts in Hausa. Ensure you study the syllabus as it will help you perform even better.
The exam will consist of two papers, Papers 1 and 2. Details on the papers are as follows:
Paper 1: This will be a multiple-choice test and will last for 1 hour and carry 60 marks. It will have three sections, Sections A, B, and C.
In Section B, all questions other than those on Basic Principles of Literary Appreciation will be on the set books for Paper 2.
PAPER 2: This will be an essay test which will also be in three sections, Sections A, B and C. The rubrics shall be written in Hausa.
The paper will duration is 2 hours and will carry 100 marks. Candidates will be required to answer six questions as follows; Three from Section A, two from Section B and one from Section C.
Candidates will be required to answer questions in the official Hausa orthography using the appropriate metalanguage.
| WAEC HAUSA SYLLABUS | ||
| SN | TOPICS | OBJECTIVES |
| PAPER 1 | ||
| A | LANGUAGE | I. Comprehension (2 short passages) ii. Composition/Letter Writing iii. Sound System iv. Grammar v. Translation |
| B | LITERATURE | i. Basic Principles of Literary Appreciation ii. Oral Literature(Prose, Poetry & Drama) iii. Written Literature(Prose, Poetry & Drama) |
| C | CULTURE | i. Customs ii. Institutions |
| PAPER 2 | ||
| A | LANGUAGE | (i) Composition/Letter Writing Candidates are advised to write an essay of about 300 words on the topic chosen. Candidates are advised to spend not more than 45 minutes on this question. The topics will include any of the following essay type: Narrative – Insha’i Na Labari Descriptive – Insha’i Na Siffance Argumentative – Insha’i Na Muhawara Expository – Insha’i Na Bayani Dialogue – Muhawara ta kai tsaye Proverbial – Karin Magana Letter Writing – Rubutun Wasika (ii) Sound System (Tsarin Sauti) Candidates will be required to answer one question from the two questions set. Questions will be set testing candidates’ knowledge of: (a) Consonants, Vowels and Syllable Structure: (Furucin bakake da wasula da kirar gaba) – their production in terms of place, manner and status of glotis e.g. bilabials, nasals, voice and voiceless sounds. (Gurbi da yanayi da matsayin makwallato na furucinsu misali ’yan lebba da ’yan hanci da mai ziza ko maras ziza) – Syllable Structure – the way consonants and vowels combine in syllable. Structure of Syllable (Tsarin gaba) – Consonant + vowel (cv) – BW – Consonant + vowel + vowel (cvv) – BWW – Consonant + vowel + consonant (cvc) – BWB Types of Syllable (ire-iren gaba) – open syllable (budaddiyar gaba) – close syllable (rufaffiyar gaba) Vowel production (furucin Wasula) – vowel length – short and long vowels, dipthongs (gajeru da dogaye da tagwan wasula) Tone (Karin Sauti) – High tone (Karin sautin sama) – Low tone (Karin sautin kasa) – Falling tone (Karin sauti mai faduwa) (iii) Grammar (Nahawu) Candidates will be required to answer one question from the two questions set. Contents: (a) Word Structure And Word Formation (Ginin kalmomi): – Root – (saiwa) – Affix – (dafi) – Prefix – (dafa goshi) – Infix – (dafa ciki) – Suffix – (dafa keya) (b) Word Classes (Azuzuwan kalmomi): – Noun – (suna) – Verb – (Aikatau) – Adjective – (sifa) – Adverb – (Bayanau) – Pronoun – (Wakilin Suna) – Conjunction- (Mahadi) – Specifier – (Mafayyaci) – Quantifier – (Ma’auni) – Demostrative – (Nunau) – Ideophone – (Amsa-kama) – Diminutive – (Tsigilau) – Stabilizer – (Dirka) – Referential- (Madanganci) (c) Grammatical Categories (Rukunonin Nahawu) – Tense and Aspect – (Lokutan aiki) – General Past – (Shudadden Lokaci Na I) – Relative Past – (Shudadden Lokaci Na II) – General Continuous – (Lokaci Mai Ci Na I) – Relative Continuous – (Lokaci Mai Ci Na II) – First Future – (Lokaci Na Gaba Na I) – Second Future – (Lokaci Na Gaba Na II) – Habitual – (Lokaci Na Sabo) – Subjunctive – (Umurtau) – Negative – (Korewa) – Gender – (Jinsi) – Number – (Adadi) (d) The structure and Types of Sentences: (Tsari da ire-iren jumloli) – Subject and predicate – (yankin suna da na aikatau) – Simple sentence – (sassaukar Jumla) – Complex sentence – (sarkakkiyar Jumla) – Compound sentence – (Hardaddiyar Jumla) |
| B | LITERATURE | This section will consist of Oral and Written Literature and six questions will be set, out of which Two will be attempted, i.e. one from Oral Literature and one from Written Literature. There will be six set books, three on Oral Literature and three on Written Literature. (i) Oral Literature: – Prose (Tatsuniya da tarihihi da Karin Magana da Ka-CinciKa-Cinci – Poetry (Wakokin Baka) – Drama (Wasannin Gargajiya) In Oral Literature, there will be 3 set books covering the different genres. One question will be set from each set book and candidates will be required to answer any one of the three questions. (ii) Written Literature: In Written Literature, there will be 3 set books covering the different genres. One question will be set from each set book and candidates will be required to answer any one of the three questions. – Prose (Zube) – Poetry (Rubutattun wakoki) – Drama (Wasan kwaikwayo) |
| C | CULTURE | This Section will test candidates’ knowledge of any of the following items on customs and Institutions: Two questions will be set and candidates will be required to answer one. Topics to be examined will include: (i) Greeting: – Gaisuwar ban girma – Gaisuwar taya murna – Gaisuwar lokatai (safiya, rana, la’asar, damina, rani, d.s.) – Jaje – Ta’aziyya (ii) Tarbiyya: Hanyoyin tarbiyya (tsawa, kwabo, harara, horo, d.s.) – Girmama iyaye – Girmama na gaba – Girmama tsara – Da’a ga hukuma (iii) Hospitality (karimci): – Girmama bako – Kyauta – Ciyarwa – Sadaka (iv) Family (Iyali): – Al’adun Aure – Haihuwa – Radin Suna – Reno – Yaye – Kaciya – Zumunci – Al’adun Mutuwa (v) Traditional Beliefs and Practices: Al’adun da suka saba wa addini misali: camfi, bori, duba, tsibbu, maita, fatalwa, d.s. (vi) Traditional Occupations (sana’o’ in gargajiya): – Noma – Kira – Saka – Jima – Wanzanci – Kitso – Sassaka – Kiwo – Dukanci – Fawa – Su – Rini – Kasuwanci – Dillanci (vii) Traditional Medicine (Magungunan gargajiya): Masu ba da maganin gargajiya. Misali: – Magori – ’yar maiganye – bokaye – Wanzamai, d.s. (viii) Traditional Authority and office holding (sarautun gargajiya) – Sarki – Hakimi – Dagaci – Mai Unguwa – Shamaki – Shantali – Sarkin Zagi – Liman – Sarkin fada, d.s. (ix) Forms of Traditional Recreation (Wasannin dandali): – Dambe – Kokawa – Kalankuwa – Shanci – Sukuwa – Hawan kaho |
Language
Oral Literature
Prose:
1. Labarun Gargajiya 2 yahaya, I. Y, O.U.P. Zaria 1977
Poetry:
Kowa Ya Sha Kida. Muhammad, S. I, Longman Nigeria Plc Lagos reprint 2003
Drama:
Wasannin Tashe A Kasar Hausa. Umar, M. B. NNPC Zaria, 1980
Written Literature
Prose:
Jabiru, A. NNPC, Zaria reprint 2004. Nagari Na Kowa
Poetry:
Ismaila, J., Longman Nigeria Plc Lagos, reprint 2002. Ciza ka Busa
Drama:
Shu’aibu, M. NNPC, Zaria, reprint 1983. Zamanin Nan Namu
Reference Texts
Literature:
Culture
To create a good study schedule, I would advise you to draw up a reading timetable for all the subjects you will be taking in the WAEC exams. With this, you know the subjects you are to read for the day and the number of hours for each.
Some common mistakes include rushing through the exam, not reading questions carefully, and needing to manage your time well. Remember to cross-check your work and make your writing legible enough.
The purpose of the Hausa language exam is to assess students’ knowledge and understanding of the language and its culture.
Yes, if any candidate is caught cheating in the exam he or she will be punished for examination malpractice. Leading to cancellation or withholding of the result.
You must have at least credits in your five (5) core subjects to gain admission into any university including Mathematics and English Language.
School candidates are to collect their certificate from the school where they write the exam.
Private candidates are to obtain their certificates from WAEC directly.
All the topics in the syllabus above are important and you will be tested on them.
