Biology Syllabus
Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board — Full Biology Syllabus, First & Second Semester
Biology is a core subject for JUPEB students seeking direct entry into 200-level university programmes in Nigeria. It covers a wide range of topics including evolution, respiration, ecology, cell division, microbiology, botany, and zoology.
A pass in JUPEB Biology qualifies candidates for Medicine, Pharmacy, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Nursing, Anatomy, and any Natural or Biological Science course.
The programme is structured into two semesters with four courses: BIO001 (General Biology), BIO002 (Basic Botany), BIO003 (Microbiology), and BIO004 (Fundamentals of Zoology) — each carrying 3 credit units.
ⓘ On mobile, tap any topic card to expand its objectives.
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIO001 | General Biology | 3 Units |
| BIO002 | Basic Botany | 3 Units |
i. Definition of biology
ii. Importance of biology
iii. The nature of science
- Scientific methods
- Testing of hypothesis
- Data collection and analysis
iv. Application of scientific methods in biological experiments
v. Relationship between Biology and Medicine, Agriculture, etc.
i. Different kingdoms and characteristics
ii. Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids
i. Demonstration of cell structure on microscopes
ii. Biological drawings of plant and animal cells
iii. Comparisons of plant and animal cells
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
- Determination of inheritance using coloured seeds e.g. beads, grains, etc.
- 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. Verification of the principles of Mendel's laws
i. Practical class
- Classification and identification of organisms
- Highlighting adaptive features and their uses
ii. Ecology
- Symbiosis; mutualism; parasitism
- Environmental studies
- Practical use of ecological equipment
- Population study in a specific habitat
- Environmental changes
- Biological impacts of climate change
i. Standard drawing rules governing: use of pencils, specimen proportions, magnification, size of specimen drawing and labelling
- Diagrams must be according to length specification; lines must not be woolly or broken
- Drawings must carry appropriate titles at the correct positions
- Labelling must be horizontal and parallel with ruled guidelines
- Drawing must not be artistic (no shading or painting)
- Spellings must be correct and touched by labelling lines
i. Definition of evolution
ii. Types of evolution
iii. Application of evolution to Plants and Animal Taxonomy
i. General characteristics and diversity of plants
ii. Importance of plants in the ecosystem
i. Classification of major plant groups (Lower and Higher plants)
ii. Divisions up to generic level — level plants-stage, fungi, bryophytes, pteridophytes
iii. Morphological and life cycle of named examples in each major group (simplest and complex in each group of lower plants)
iv. Economic and ecological importance of plant groups
v. Practical class — classifications and morphological drawing of lower plants:
- Algae: Chlorella, Chlamydomonas, Volvox, Spirogyra
- Fungi: yeast, Rhizopus, Mucor, Aspergillus, Penicillium, mushroom, Phytophthora
- Bryophytes: Riccia, Marchantia, Funaria
- Pteridophytes: Lycopodium, Selaginella, Nephrolepis
- Higher plants (Non-Vascular and vascular plants)
- Spermatophytes: Cycas, Pinus, Gnetum, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
- Eleusine indica and Talinum triangulare treated comparatively
i. Plant nomenclature
ii. Plant classification
iii. The difference between taxonomy and systematics
i. In-situ and ex-situ conservation
ii. Advantages and disadvantages of each
iii. Biological control; poor management
iv. Impact of climate change on plants
i. Emphasis on composition, distribution, forms and functions of each type:
- Parenchyma
- Collenchyma
- Sclerenchyma
- Epidermal
- Peridermal
- Vascular (cambium, phloem, xylem)
ii. Practical class in osmosis and transpiration in plants
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:
- Roots — advantages and tap root systems, modification and adaptations
- Anatomical observation and drawing of permanent/temporary mount of monocot and dicot roots (T.S and L.S); locate, draw and label different plant tissues (parenchyma, collenchyma etc.)
- Leaves — simple and compound leaves, arrangements, modifications to suit habitats; T.S of leaves of both monocot and dicot
- Flowers — L.S of dicot flowers e.g. regular and irregular flowers; floral diagrams and formula
- Fruits — L.S and T.S of various types of fruits (dry dehiscent, indehiscent and fleshy fruits)
i. Autotroph (photosynthesis and chemosynthetic)
ii. Dark and light reactions in photosynthesis
iii. Heterotrophic nutrition
iv. Holozoic nutrition
v. Mineral requirements of plants — sources, roles and deficiency symptoms
vi. Composition of chemical fertilizers
vii. Practical class:
- Demonstration of etiolation
- Measurement of photosynthesis in leaf
- Growth experiments to show deficiency symptoms
- Field study of deficiency symptoms in plants
i. Mineral requirements of plants
ii. Transport in xylem
iii. Transport in phloem
iv. Transport media in plants and materials to be transported
v. Practical class — transpiration, osmosis and food transport in plants
i. Stomata apparatus
ii. Lenticels
iii. Aerobic and anaerobic respiration
i. Angiosperm flower and differences between monocot and dicot flowers
i. Auxins
ii. Gibberellins
iii. Cytokinins
iv. Ascorbic acids
v. Ethylene
i. Genetically Modified Crops (GMC)
ii. Challenges of resistant plant species
iii. Ethical implications of genetic modifications
i. Economically important food plants
ii. Economically valuable medicinal plants
iii. Ornamental plants
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIO003 | Microbiology | 3 Units |
| BIO004 | Fundamentals of Zoology | 3 Units |
i. The theory of spontaneous generation of organisms
ii. Conflict over spontaneous generation
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
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, seaweeds, lichens, sexual and asexual reproduction
vi. Practical class — aseptic techniques in microbiology
i. Structure of bacterial cells — capsule, flagella, pili and fimbriae, 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
i. Predation
ii. Competition
iii. Synergism
iv. Commensalism
v. Infectious diseases
vi. Immunity
vii. Spoilage of food
viii. Control of microbial activities
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:
- Food industry and environment
- Pharmaceuticals, medical and agricultural fields
i. General characteristics of animals
ii. Diversity of lifestyles and habitats
iii. Categories of animals
i. Unicellular levels of organisation: metazoan
ii. Classification of invertebrates:
- Animals without tissues
- Animals with tissues
- Animals exhibiting bilateral symmetry
- Animals with body cavity (coelomates)
- Segmented animals
- Animals with jointed appendages
- Animals with backbone (vertebrates)
iii. Major and minor phyla
iv. Types of tissues and organ systems
v. Practical class:
- Identification and classification of animal specimens from the different phyla
- Dissection of selected animals — cockroaches, fish, frog, rat, etc.
i. Adaptation of animals in water
ii. Adaptation of animals on land
iii. Adaptation of animals in air
i. Taxonomy, characteristics, diversity, lifestyles, morphology and life cycle providing named representative examples
ii. Free-living flat worms
iii. Parasitic flat worms (trematodes and cestodes) of medical and veterinary importance
iv. Emphasize the body plan
v. Why arthropods are successful
i. Challenges and adaptations to living in different habitats
ii. History and important adaptations
iii. Diversity, classification, morphology and life cycle with representative examples from the different orders
iv. Rise and fall of dominant reptiles
v. Clearly state the taxonomic features that warrant grouping into classes
i. Benefits of animals to man
ii. Economic importance of arthropods
i. Nutrition in animals
- Types of nutrition in animals
- Nutrition in humans
- Types of dentition in animals
- Alimentary system in man
- Digestion (diverse enzymes) and absorption
- Practical class — food test
ii. Respiration in mammals
- Lung as a respiratory organ
- Role of the circulatory system in respiration
iii. Skeletal system
- Morphology and function of the human skeleton
- Forms of skeleton
- Components of and differences between bone and cartilage
- Parts of mammalian endoskeleton
- Definition and types of joints
iv. Reproduction
- Vertebrate reproduction
- Structure and function of human female and male reproductive systems
i. Excretion
- Osmoregulation
- Structure and function of the nephron — ultrafiltration, selective reabsorption and excretion
- The effects of weather on excretion
ii. Circulatory system
- Human circulatory/transport system
- Blood as agent of transport
- Components of blood; functions of blood
- Types of circulation
iii. Growth and development
- Principles of development — stages in embryology
iv. Osmotic balance
v. Selective transport of substances across membranes
vi. Osmotic pressure
vii. Turgor pressure
viii. Active transport
ix. Practical class — experiment demonstrating diffusion, osmosis and plasmolysis
- 1Ndu, F.O., C. Ndu, Abun A. and Aina J.O. (2001) — Senior Secondary School Biology: Books 1–3. Lagos: Longman.
- 2Odunfa, S.A. (2001) — Essentials of Biology. Ibadan: Heinemann.
- 3Ogunniyi M.B., Adebisi A.A. and Okojie J.A. (2000) — Biology for Senior Secondary Schools: Books 1–3. Macmillan.
- 4Ramalingam, S.T. (2005) — Modern Biology, SS Science Series. New Edition, AFP.
- 5STAN (2004) — Biology for Senior Secondary Schools. Revised Edition. Ibadan: Heinemann.
- 6Stone R.H. and Cozens, A.B.C. (1982) — Biology for West African Schools. Longman.
- 7Usua, E.J. (1997) — Handbook of Practical Biology, 2nd Edition. University Press Limited.
| Marks | Grade & Points | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 70 – 100 | A — 5 | Excellent |
| 60 – 69 | B — 4 | Very Good |
| 50 – 59 | C — 3 | Good |
| 45 – 49 | D — 2 | Merit |
| 40 – 44 | E — 1 | Pass |
| 39 and below | F — 0 | Fail |
9-Month Reading Plan
A structured, week-by-week study schedule to cover the full JUPEB Biology syllabus and ace your examination.
This 9-month plan runs from September to May, aligned with a typical JUPEB academic calendar. Each month is divided into 4 weeks. The first semester (BIO001 & BIO002) is covered in months 1–5, and the second semester (BIO003 & BIO004) in months 6–9, with dedicated revision and past-question practice built into every month.
Each week includes: new topic study, self-testing, and either a review session or a FreshNote past-question practice session. The final month is reserved entirely for revision, past questions, and examination preparation.
On mobile, tap any month to expand its weekly breakdown.
- Definition and importance of biology
- Scientific methods; hypothesis testing; data collection
- Biology's relationship to Medicine and Agriculture
- Make summary notes
- The five kingdoms and their characteristics
- Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids
- Draw classification diagram
- FreshNote: kingdoms & biomolecules MCQs
- Cell structure under microscope; organelles
- Plant vs. animal cell comparison
- Biological drawing rules and conventions
- Draw and label plant and animal cells
- Review Topics 1–3 notes
- Attempt past questions on cell biology
- FreshNote: cell structure practice test
- Rest day; catch up on weak areas
- Chromosome, gene, allele, genotype, phenotype
- Mitosis and meiosis; stages and significance
- Mendel's laws and their deviations
- Multiple alleles: blood groups, eye colour
- Classification and identification of organisms
- Ecology: symbiosis, mutualism, parasitism
- Environmental studies; population studies
- Climate change and biological impacts
- Standard biological drawing rules
- Definition and types of evolution
- Application of evolution to taxonomy
- Practice biological drawings from specimens
- Review all BIO001 topics
- Past questions: genetics and heredity
- FreshNote: genetics & evolution quiz
- Rest; prepare for BIO002
- Classification: lower and higher plants
- Algae, Fungi, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes
- Morphological and life cycle examples
- Economic and ecological importance
- Plant nomenclature and classification
- Taxonomy vs. systematics
- In-situ and ex-situ conservation
- Impact of climate change on plants
- Parenchyma, collenchyma, sclerenchyma
- Epidermal, peridermal, vascular tissues
- Monocot vs. dicot roots, stems and leaves
- Flowers and fruits — L.S and T.S drawings
- Review plant groups and tissues
- Past questions: botany and plant anatomy
- FreshNote: plant diversity quiz
- Rest; consolidate drawings
- Autotroph: photosynthesis (light & dark reactions)
- Heterotrophic and holozoic nutrition
- Mineral requirements; deficiency symptoms
- Chemical fertilizers; etiolation demo
- Transport in xylem and phloem
- Transpiration and osmosis in plants
- Stomata apparatus and lenticels
- Aerobic and anaerobic respiration
- Angiosperm flowers; monocot vs. dicot
- Auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins
- Ascorbic acids and ethylene
- Summarise plant hormone functions
- Genetically Modified Crops; ethical issues
- Food plants, medicinal plants, ornamentals
- Past questions: plant physiology
- FreshNote: photosynthesis & transport quiz
- Re-read all BIO001 summary notes
- Redo diagrams: cells, genetics crosses
- Past questions: General Biology (timed)
- FreshNote: BIO001 full practice test
- Re-read all BIO002 summary notes
- Redo plant anatomy drawings
- Past questions: Basic Botany (timed)
- FreshNote: BIO002 full practice test
- Attempt mixed BIO001 + BIO002 papers
- Mark answers; identify weak topics
- Re-study any weak topics
- FreshNote: targeted weak-topic drill
- Light reading of all topic headings
- FreshNote: quick 20-question daily quiz
- Rest; stay organised for Semester 2
- Prepare notes and materials for BIO003
- Spontaneous generation theory and debates
- Golden era of microbiology (1860–1910)
- Germ theory of disease; discovery of viruses
- Microbiology in the 20th century
- Bacteria: sizes, shapes, motility, classification
- Fungi: yeast and mould classification
- Protozoa, viruses, algae, bacteriophages
- Aseptic techniques practical
- Bacterial cell structure: capsule, flagella, pili
- Fungal cells; cultural characteristics; growth phases
- Microbial ecology: predation, competition, commensalism
- Infectious diseases; immunity; food spoilage
- DNA/RNA; transcription; translation; genetic code
- Mutations; biotechnological applications
- Past questions: microbiology
- FreshNote: microbiology practice test
- General characteristics and categories of animals
- Unicellular organisation; metazoan
- Classification of invertebrates: major phyla
- Types of tissues and organ systems
- Identification of animal specimens by phyla
- Dissection: cockroach, fish, frog, rat
- Draw and label dissection diagrams
- FreshNote: animal classification quiz
- Adaptations in water, on land, in air
- Invertebrate taxonomy, morphology and life cycles
- Free-living and parasitic flatworms
- Why arthropods are successful
- Review animal diversity and classification
- Past questions: zoology — invertebrates
- FreshNote: invertebrate & evolution quiz
- Rest; prepare for chordates
- Adaptations in different habitats
- Diversity, classification and morphology of chordates
- Rise and fall of dominant reptiles
- Taxonomic features for class groupings
- Types of nutrition; alimentary system in man
- Digestion enzymes and absorption
- Lungs as respiratory organs
- Skeletal system: bone, cartilage, joints
- Vertebrate reproduction; human reproductive systems
- Excretion: nephron, ultrafiltration, reabsorption
- Circulatory system; components and functions of blood
- Osmosis, diffusion, plasmolysis, active transport
- Review all BIO004 topics
- Past questions: animal physiology (timed)
- FreshNote: zoology & physiology full test
- Rest; finalise all semester 2 notes
- Speed-read all Semester 1 summary notes
- Timed full-paper past questions: BIO001
- Timed full-paper past questions: BIO002
- FreshNote: Semester 1 final drill
- Speed-read all Semester 2 summary notes
- Timed full-paper past questions: BIO003
- Timed full-paper past questions: BIO004
- FreshNote: Semester 2 final drill
- Simulate exam conditions: full Biology paper
- Mark and analyse every wrong answer
- Re-study all flagged weak areas
- FreshNote: targeted weak-area final quiz
- Light re-read of key diagrams and definitions
- FreshNote: 20 questions per day (light)
- Adequate sleep; no new topics
- Organise exam materials; stay confident
FreshNote — JUPEB Past Questions & Answers App
FreshNote gives you access to JUPEB Biology past questions and answers on your phone. Practice topic-by-topic or attempt full-paper simulations anytime, anywhere. Use it alongside this reading plan every week for maximum results.
Download FreshNote App- Study daily for at least 2–3 hours. Consistent short sessions beat long irregular cramming sessions.
- Always draw and label biological diagrams — examiners award marks for neat, correctly labelled drawings. Follow the standard drawing rules.
- Make summary flashcards for definitions, kingdom characteristics, and organ functions. Review them weekly.
- Use the FreshNote app every week to test yourself on the topics you have just studied. Don't wait until the last month to practise past questions.
- Attempt past questions under timed conditions from Month 5 onwards. This builds exam speed and reduces anxiety.
- Group study once a week helps with topics like genetics (Punnett squares) and ecology where discussion deepens understanding.
- For physiology topics (respiration, digestion, circulation), trace the pathways — write them out step by step until they are automatic.
- Never skip the Week 4 review in any month. Spaced repetition is the single most effective memory technique.
- Get 7–8 hours of sleep consistently. Memory consolidation happens during sleep.
- In the final week before the exam, review only what you already know. Trust your preparation.
JUPEB Exam Focus Textbook
A comprehensive A-Level exam focus textbook covering all JUPEB Biology topics. Use it alongside this reading plan to deepen your understanding of every topic before past-question practice.
View Textbook Past QuestionsJUPEB Past Questions & Answers
Official JUPEB Biology past questions with detailed answers. Practice with real exam questions topic-by-topic or attempt full-paper simulations to build speed, accuracy, and exam confidence.
View Past Questions