The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially released the results for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, revealing a significant drop in overall performance.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the Head of the WAEC National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, disclosed that out of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the examination, only 754,545, representing 38.32%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. This figure marks a sharp decline of 33.8% from the 72.12% recorded in the previous year.
Dr. Dangut attributed the drop in performance to several factors, including a new strategy of serializing objective test papers in core subjects such as Mathematics, English, Biology, and Economics. This measure, he explained, was aimed at curbing examination malpractice, and it appeared to have made it more difficult for candidates to engage in collusion. While essay paper performance remained consistent, the dip was most notable in objective papers.
The examination body also announced that the results of 192,089 candidates (9.75% of the total entries) are being withheld due to allegations of examination malpractice. These cases are currently under investigation and involve infractions such as the use of mobile phones and the circulation of leaked question papers on social media. While the malpractice rate showed a slight improvement from the previous year, WAEC expressed concern over the rising influence of online platforms in facilitating exam fraud.
In line with WAEC's policy, the results of candidates whose examination fees were sponsored by state governments with outstanding debts will be withheld until the payments are settled.
Despite the challenges, Dr. Dangut confirmed that the results of all 12,178 candidates with special needs have been released. These candidates included those with visual, hearing, and physical impairments, for whom adequate support was provided.
Candidates can now check their results online using their Smart Identity Cards issued during the examination. WAEC also announced that digital certificates will be available for download 48 hours after results are checked, with physical copies to be dispatched to schools at a later date.
The 2025 WASSCE also marked a milestone in WAEC's transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT), as candidates were given the option of choosing between the traditional paper-and-pencil format or a CBT version in some subjects. WAEC plans to fully digitize the school candidate examination process by 2026.
