The West African Examinations Council, on Monday, released the results of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, attributing a significant drop in performance to newly implemented anti-malpractice measures.
Announcing the results at a press briefing in Lagos, the Head of WAEC National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, revealed that 38.32 per cent of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat the examination obtained credits and above in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
This marks a sharp decline of 33.8 per cent compared to the 72.12 per cent recorded in the 2024 WASSCE.
Dangut said the drop followed the introduction of stricter examination protocols designed to curb malpractice.
“The drop in performance can be attributed to new anti-malpractice measures, including the serialisation of objective papers in key subjects, which made collusion and cheating more difficult,” he said.
According to him, a total of 1,517,517 results, representing 77.06 per cent, were fully processed and released, while 451,796 results, accounting for 22.94 per cent, are still being processed due to technical or administrative issues.
He added that female candidates slightly outperformed their male counterparts in the key benchmark category. Of the 754,545 candidates who passed five subjects, including English and Mathematics, 407,353 were female (53.99 per cent) while 347,192 were male (46.01 per cent). WAEC also disclosed that 1,718,090 candidates, representing 87.24 per cent, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, whether or not they included English and Mathematics.
Furthermore, results of 192,089 candidates, amounting to 9.75 per cent, are being withheld over alleged involvement in various forms of examination malpractice—a reduction from the 11.92 per cent recorded in 2024.
A total of 12,178 candidates with special needs sat for the examination.
These included visually impaired, hearing-impaired, physically and mentally challenged students, whose results were processed along with others.Related News
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The briefing also saw WAEC reaffirm plans to fully transition to Computer-Based Testing for the WASSCE by 2026, in line with the directive of the Federal Government.
Dangut said the Council is concluding arrangements for the total conduct of Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates in 2026.
He explained that in 2025, candidates were given the option of writing the examination in the traditional pen-and-paper format or in a hybrid CBT model, where questions appeared on screen and answers were written in booklets.
By 2026, he said, all school candidates are expected to sit the examination using the full computer-based model.
He also warned that candidates sponsored by state governments owing the Council would be unable to access their results until the debts were cleared.
“We appeal to concerned state governments to settle their debts so affected candidates are not denied access to their results,” he said.
As part of its digital innovation efforts, WAEC has introduced several new platforms and tools to support candidates and institutions.
These include the WAEC E-Study platform for digital access to past questions, the WAECKonnect app, which features revision tools, updates, and an AI assistant, real-time digital scoring during marking coordination, and digital certificates now available within 48 hours of result release.
Dangut said the Council remains committed to improving access, security, and transparency in its examination processes.
“Our goal is to make examinations more accessible, credible, and transparent. We urge all stakeholders—schools, candidates, parents, and the media—to join us in preparing for this digital future,” he said.
The PUNCH Senior Correspondent, Grace, has over 17 years experience covering education, arts, business and health sectors. She’s a graduate of Sociology
