WAEC Syllabus for Hausa & Textbooks 2024/2025

The WAEC syllabus for Hausa is the topic you must study to sit for the examination. It contains the aims and objectives, notes and format for the Hausa exam.

Studying the Hausa syllabus is necessary for your exam preparation. It will serve as a guide for you to know the topics to read. There are also notes on concepts you should pay attention to learning.

Exam preparations without using the Hausa syllabus are like going to the farm without your agricultural tools. You will end up not being productive.

Ensure you begin your exam preparations using the syllabus.

This post contains the Hausa syllabus and recommended textbooks of the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

WAEC Hausa Syllabus

It will consist of two papers, Papers 1 and 2. Details on the papers are as follows:

Paper 1

Paper 1: This will be a multiple-choice objective test which will last1 hour and carry 60      marks. It will have three sections, Sections A, B, and C.

SECTION A: LANGUAGE

• Comprehension (2 short passages) – 10 items
• Composition/Letter Writing –  4 items
• Sound System –  6 items
• Grammar –  6 items
• Translation –  4 items

SECTION B: LITERATURE

• Basic Principles of Literary Appreciation –  4 items
• Oral Literature Prose –  3 items)
• Poetry –  3 items)   13 items
• Drama –  3 items)
• Written Literature Prose –  3 items)
• Poetry –  3 items)   9 items
• Drama –  3 items)

SECTION C: CULTURE

Customs –  4 items)

Institutions –  4 items)   8 items

TOTAL – (30 + 22 + 8) = 60 items

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

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 take 2 hours and 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.

Content of Paper 2

Section 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 no more than 45 minutes on this question.  The topics will include any of the following essay types:

• 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)

Section 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-Cinci-Ka-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)

Section 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
• 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

Weighting

Composition/Letter Writing – 25 marks

Other five questions (15 marks each) – 75 marks

Total – 100 marks

Summary

Paper 1 – 60 marks

Paper 2 – 100 marks

Maximum Marks Obtainable – 160 marks

(to be scaled down to 100%)

WAEC Hausa Textbooks

Language

• Sound System And Grammar – Tsarin Sauti Da Nahawun Hausa Sani, M. A. Z., U.P. Plc, Ibadan, 1999
• Hausa Language Sani, M. A. Z. et al. U.P. Plc, Ibadan, 2000      
• Darussan Hausa 1 – 3 Yahaya, I. Y. et al; U.P. Plc, Ibadan, 1992

Literature

Oral Literature

Prose

• 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

• Nagari Na Kowa
• Jabiru, A. NNPC, Zaria reprint 2004

Poetry      

• Ciza ka Busa
• Ismaila, J., Longman Nig Plc Lagos, reprint 2002

Drama

• Zamanin Nan Namu
• Shu’aibu, M. NNPC, Zaria, reprint 1983

Reference Texts

Literature

• Jagoran Nazarin Kagaggun Labarai
• Mukhtar, I., A.J. Publishers, Kano, 2002
• – Rabe-raben Adabi Da Muhimmancinsa
• Dangambo, A., Truimp Publishing Company, Kano, 1984
• – Harshe Da Adabin Hausa A Kamalle
• Ismaila, J. and Tanimu, M. Y.
• Spectrum Books, Ibadan, 2007

Culture

• Rayuwar Hausawa
• CSNL/BUK, Nelson Lagos, 1980
• Hausa Customs
• Madauci, I. el al, NNPC, Zaria, 1970
• Labaru Na Da Da Na Yanzu
• NNPC, 1985
• Zaman Mutum Da Sana’arsa
• E. M. Rimmer, et al, NNPC, Zaria, reprint 2002

                                                                                                                                                                                                         …/2