BECE Syllabus (Junior WAEC) For Key Subjects 2024

One of the ways to prepare for the Basic Education Certificate Examination is by laying your hands on the BECE Syllabus for subjects like Mathematics, English Language, Basic Science, Basic Technology, etc., Schemes of Examination, and Sample Questions for the subjects you write. The syllabus will help guide you through the topics you must focus on while preparing for the examination.

For your preparation, I will provide some syllabus topics for compulsory subjects. Before that, BECE is taken to transit you from the ninth year of the basic education class to the senior secondary, i.e., the BECE is conducted for candidates in their third year of the Junior Secondary School (JSS3).

Eighteen subjects are administered at the BECE level. A candidate is expected to sit for a maximum of ten subjects, and the minimum number of subjects to pass is six, meaning that a candidate is deemed to have passed the Basic Education Certificate Examination if he/she has passed six subjects, including English and Mathematics.

Each candidate is expected to register a minimum of 13 (thirteen) and a maximum of 15 (fifteen) subjects according to the grouping of subjects below:

Subjects

GROUP A: CORE SUBJECTS

• English Studies
• Mathematics
• Basic Science
• Basic Technology
• Social Studies
• Civic Education
• Creative and Cultural Arts
• Computer Studies
• Physical and Health Education
• French
• Hausa L1, Igbo L1, Yoruba L1
• Christian Religious Studies/Islamic Studies

GROUP B: ELECTIVE SUBJECTS

At least one subject should be registered from group B.

• Agricultural Science
• Business Studies
• Home Economics
• Edo
• Efik
• Ibibio
• Arabic
• Hausa L2, Igbo L2, Yoruba L2

(c) OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Typewriting is a compulsory component of Business Studies.
• Technical Drawing is a compulsory component of Basic Technology.
• Practical computer is a compulsory component of Computer Studies.

Read: BECE Timetable

Syllabus

This information is meant to guide teachers and candidates in preparing for the examination. The Section on the syllabuses contains only lists of major topics to be covered, so teachers and candidates are advised to consult the teaching syllabuses developed by the Ministry of Education to acquaint themselves with the scope and depth of material thoroughly.

English Language

Lexis and Structure

• Tenses
• Concord/Agreement
• Conditional Sentence
• Vocabulary, e.g., Phrasal Verbs, General Vocabulary
• Passive and Active forms
• Direct and Reported Speech
• Question and Answer Tags
• Phrases and Clauses
• Idiomatic Expressions
• Parts of speech

Comprehension

Types of Passages: Concepts to be taught

• the use/meaning of certain words and expressions to their context;
• the understanding of the whole or part of the passage.

Types of Passages

Dialogue or conversation

• Narrative
• Descriptive

Essay Writing

• Letters – formal and informal
• narrative/descriptive
• exposition(describing processes)
• speech
• argument/debate
• article

Mathematics

• Sets
• Operations on Sets
• Properties of Natural Numbers
• Numeration System
• Operations on Whole Numbers
• Positive and negative Integers, Rational Numbers
• Common Fractions and Decimal Fractions
• Ratio and Proportion
• Percentages, Rates and Taxes
• Exponents (Indices)
• Collecting and Handling Data (Statistics)
• Probability
• Algebraic Expressions
• Linear Equations in One Variable
• Linear Inequalities in One Variable
• Mapping
• Number Plane
• Basic Solids
• Length and Area of Plan Figures
• Volume of Basic Solids
• Angles
• Right-Angled Triangle (Properties)
• Measurement of Capacity, Mass, Time, and Money
• Rigid Motion
• Enlargement and Similar figures
• Constructions, Loci
• Vectors
• Investigation with Numbers

Basic Technology

• Ferrous and non-ferrous
• Timber
• Building materials
• Abrasives
• Adhesives
• Finishes
• Plastics
• Safety precautions
• Measuring tools
• Setting-out and marking out tools
• Cutting tools
• tools
• Removing and driving tools
• Striking tools
• Digging tools
• Laying tools
• Moulding bricks
• Walling
• Fastenings
• Sheet metal work
• Basic Electrical circuits
• Basic Electronics circuits
• Isometric Drawing
• Oblique Drawing
• Perspective Drawing
• Orthographic Projections
• Development of Prisms

Basic Science

• General characteristics of matter
• Plants and Animals
• Measurement
• Density
• Soil
• Hazards
• Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures
• Chemical compounds
• Metals and Non-Metals
• Acids, Bases and Salts
• Mixtures
• Water
• Flowering Plants
• Vegetative Crop Production
• Animal Production
• Fish Culture
• Carbon Cycle
• Climate
• Life Cycle of a Mosquito
• Respiratory Systems of Humans
• Farming Systems
• Reproduction and Growth In Humans
• Heredity
• Diffusion and Osmosis
• Circulatory System in Humans
• The Solar System
• Dentition in Humans
• Digestion in Animals
• Sources and Forms of Energy
• Basic Electronics
• Light
• Electrical Energy
• Heat
• Photosynthesis
• Food and Nutrition
• Ecosystem
• Physical and Chemical changes
• Infections and Diseases
• Pests and Parasites
• Force and Pressure
• Machines
• Magnetism
• Technology and Development
• Machinery
• Entrepreneurship