JAMB Biology Syllabus 2026: Recommended Books & PDF Download

Are you preparing for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)?

You need the official JAMB Biology Syllabus 2026 if you want to score high this forthcoming UTME examination. This guide provides a breakdown of the topics you must master, the areas of concentration, and the official list of textbooks recommended by JAMB to help you secure a high score in the science department.

General Objectives

JAMB Biology Syllabus 2026 aim candidates to:

1. Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the concepts of the diversity, interdependence and unity of life;
2. Account for continuity of life through reorganization, inheritance and evolution;
3. Apply biological principles and concepts to everyday life, especially to matters affecting living things, individual, society, the environment, community health and the economy.

JAMB 2026 Syllabus for Biology (UTME)

SECTION A: VARIETY OF ORGANISMS

1. Living organisms:

a. Characteristics

b. Cell structure and functions of cell components

c. Level of organizationi. Cell e.g. euglena and paramecium,

ii. Tissue e.g. epithelial tissues and hydraiii. Organ e.g. onion bulb

iv. Systems e.g. reproductive, digestive and excretoryv. Organisms e.g. Chlamydomonas

Candidates should be able to:

i. differentiate between the characteristics of living and non-living things.

ii. identify the structures of plant and animal cells.

iii. analyse the functions of the components of plant and animalcells.

iv. compare and contrast the structure of plant and animal cells.

v. trace the levels of organization among organisms in their logical sequence in relation to the five levels of organization of living organisms.

2. Evolution among the following:

a. Monera (prokaryotes), e.g. bacteria andblue green algae.

b. Protista (protozoans and protophyta),e.g. Amoeba, Euglena and Paramecium.

c. Fungi, e.g. mushroom and Rhizopus.d. Plantae (plants)

i. Thallophyta (e.g. Spirogyra).

ii. Bryophyta (mosses and liverworts) e.g.Brachmenium and Merchantia.

iii. Pteridophyta (ferns) e.g. Dryopteris.

iv. Spermatophyta (Gymnospermae and Angiospermae)– Gymnosperms e.g. Cycads and conifers. – Angiosperms (monocots, e.g. maize; dicots, e.g. water leaf)

e. Animalia (animals)

i. Invertebrates– coelenterate e.g. Hydra– Platyhelminthes flatworms e.g. Taenia– Nematoda (roundworms)– Annelida e.g. earthworm– Arthropoda e.g. mosquito, cockroach, housefly, bee, butterfly– Mollusca e.g. snails

ii. Multicellular animals (vertebrates)– Pisces (cartilaginous and bony fish)– Amphibia e.g. toads and frogs– Reptilia e.g. lizards, snakes and turtlesAves (birds)– Mammalia (mammals)

Candidates should be able to:

i. analyse external features and characteristics of the listed organisms.

ii. apply the knowledge from (i) above to demonstrate increase in structural complexity.

iii. trace the stages in the life histories of the listed organisms.

iv. apply the knowledge of the life histories to demonstrate gradual transition from life in water to life on land.

v. trace the evolution of the listed plants.

Candidates should be able to:

i. trace the advancement of the invertebrate animals.

ii. determine the economic importance of the insects studied.

iii. assess their values to the environment.iv. trace the advancement of multi-cellular animals.

v. determine their economic importance.

3. Structural/functional and behavioural adaptations of organisms:

a. adaptive colouration and its functions

b. Behavioural adaptations in social animalsc. Structural adaptations in organisms

Candidates should be able to:

i. describe how the various structures, functions and behaviour adapt these organisms to their environment, and way of life.

ii. Categorize countershading in fish, toads, snakes and warning colouration in mushrooms.

iii. Differentiate various castes in social insects like termites and their functions in their colony hive.

iv. Account for basking in lizards, territorial behavour of other animals under unfavourable conditions (hibernation andaestivation).

i. account for adaptation in organisms with respect to the following:

Obtaining food (beaks and legs of birds, mouthparts of insects, especially mosquito, butterfly and moth.)

Protection and defence (stick insects, praying mantis and toad).

Securing mates (redhead male and female Agama lizards, display of feathers by birds).

Regulating body temperature (skin, feathers and hairs)-Conserving water (spines in plants and scales in mammals)

SECTION B: FORM AND FUNCTIONS

1. Internal structure of plants and animals

a. Internal structure of a flowering plant

i. Root

ii. Stem

iii. Leaf

b. Internal structure of a mammal

Candidates should be able to:

i. identify the transverse sections of these organs.

ii. relate the structure of these organs to their functions.

iii. identify supporting tissues in plants (collenchyma) sclerenchyma, xylem and phloem fibres)

iv. describe the distribution of supporting tissues in roots, stem and leaf

v. examine the arrangement of the mammalian internal organs.

vi. describe the appearance and position of the digestive, reproductive and excretory organs.

Nutrition

a. Modes of nutrition

i. Autotrophic

ii. Heterotrophic

b. Types of Nutrition

c. Plant nutritioni. Photosynthesisii. Chemosynthesis

iii. Mineral requirements(macro and micro-nutrients)

d. Animal nutrition

i. Classes of food substances; carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils, vitamins, mineral salts and water

ii. Food tests (e.g. starch, reducing sugar, protein, oil, fat etc.)

iii. The mammalian tooth (structures, types and functions)

iv. Mammalian alimentary canal

v. Nutrition process (ingestion, digestion, absorption, and assimilation of digested food).

Candidates should be able to:

i. identify the transverse sections of theseorgans.

ii. relate the structure of these organs to their functions.

iii. identify supporting tissues in plants (collenchyma) sclerenchyma, xylem and phloem fibres)

iv. describe the distribution of supporting tissues in roots, stem and leaf

v. examine the arrangement of the mammalian internal organs.

vi. describe the appearance and position of the digestive, reproductive and excretory organs

After studying the syllabus, practice with our JAMB Biology Past Questions and Answers PDF.”