Yomi BlackWhat Government looks like in IJMB is set by how IJMB examines it: written examinations per subject, with practicals where relevant, at the end of the programme. The topic areas matter, but the format decides how you should work them.
- Subject
- Government
- Examined by
- IJMB
- Format here
- Written examinations per subject, with practicals where relevant, at the end of the programme
- Depth
- Advanced level depth, a taught year beyond the school certificate
- What the grade does
- An aggregate used for Direct Entry at 200 level, with recognition strongest among northern Nigerian universities
- Papers
- Objective and essay.
- Required for
- Political science, law, public administration, international relations and mass communication
How IJMB examines this subject
The format is written examinations per subject, with practicals where relevant, at the end of the programme, and it is marked for points, aggregated across three subjects.
Three subjects only, so each carries a third of your aggregate and there is nowhere to hide a weak one.
The paper structure, and how to weight your time
Objective and essay.
Split your preparation roughly in the proportion the components are weighted. Candidates habitually over-prepare the part they enjoy and meet the other part for the first time in the hall.
What makes it hard
The concepts section is abstract and the Nigerian section is factual, and candidates are usually strong in one and weak in the other.
Set that against how this examination works. A taught year at an accredited centre, with the centre’s quality mattering more than any study technique you bring.
Where marks are lost in this subject
- Confusing the features of a constitution with the features of a system of government.
- Answering on Nigeria when the question is general, or the reverse.
- Listing functions without explaining them, which caps the mark.
Learn the constitutional development chronology properly. It underpins a third of the paper and it is the most predictable content in the subject.
Turning it into a plan
- Get the current syllabus from IJMB and check the year range on the cover.
- Write one line per topic area, with a box beside it.
- Work a past paper in this examination’s format, written examinations per subject, and tag every question back to a line.
- Mark the lines your teaching has never covered. Those are the priority.
- Re-weight towards the component carrying the most marks. One academic session.
What a good grade here is worth
In this examination the grade is an aggregate used for Direct Entry at 200 level, with recognition strongest among northern Nigerian universities. Government is required for political science, law, public administration, international relations and mass communication, and course requirements are checked subject by subject, so a strong overall result with a weak grade here is a disqualification for the course that names it rather than a near miss.
What people ask about Government
Is Government compulsory?
No. It is a humanities subject, chosen as one of your electives, and you should choose it because a course you want names it.
What is it required for?
Political science, law, public administration, international relations and mass communication.
How many papers are there?
Objective and essay.
What makes it hard?
The concepts section is abstract and the Nigerian section is factual, and candidates are usually strong in one and weak in the other.
What is the most common way candidates lose marks?
Confusing the features of a constitution with the features of a system of government.
Where do I get the official syllabus?
From IJMB, on its own site, free. Check the year range on the cover before you use it.
Has the syllabus changed?
Syllabuses are revised on published cycles and old ones stay online after they expire. If the copy you are holding has no year range, you do not know what you are holding.
How do I turn it into revision?
One line per topic area with a box beside it, then tick the lines off against past papers rather than against your notes. The lines that stay blank are the finding.
What the subject covers
Use these topic areas as the frame for your own checklist, then verify the detail against the syllabus IJMB publishes itself, because depth and emphasis shift between curriculum cycles even when the headings do not.
- Basic concepts of government and political ideologies.
- Organs of government and the separation of powers.
- Constitutions and constitutional development in Nigeria.
- Political parties, elections and public opinion.
- The structure of Nigerian government, federal, state and local.
- Nigeria’s foreign policy and international organisations.
Sources
- Interim Joint Matriculation Board, Ahmadu Bello University. www.abu.edu.ng