The West African Examinations Council has released the provisional results of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, Second Series, withholding hundreds of results over suspected examination malpractice.
In a press statement issued on February 26, 2026, the Council said 41,767 candidates sat the examination. The figure includes 20,036 males and 24,501 females, as well as 16 visually impaired and seven hearing-impaired candidates. WAEC added that 2,422 registered candidates were absent.
The Council withheld the entire results of 348 candidates and subject results of 469 others pending investigations into alleged breaches of examination regulations. The reported offences include collusion, impersonation, possession of foreign materials in examination halls and seeking external assistance.
“The withheld results of candidates will be released or cancelled based on the outcome of investigations into their cases,” the statement said.
WAEC advised affected candidates to check the status of their results on its irregularities portal, where details of the alleged infractions and required procedures have been outlined.
Performance across the four core subjects showed mixed outcomes.
In English Language, 67.43 per cent of candidates obtained grades A1 to C6, while 11.04 per cent recorded F9.
For Core Mathematics, 49.84 per cent achieved passes, with 27.69 per cent failing.
Integrated Science recorded a comparatively weaker performance, as 35.00 per cent obtained passes and 32.00 per cent failed.
Social Studies posted the strongest performance, with 81.21 per cent securing grades A1 to C6, while 10.42 per cent failed.
WAEC also cautioned the public against fraudsters who exploit the results period to defraud candidates.
“The Council wishes to caution members of the public to be wary of scammers who contact candidates and promise to upgrade their results for a fee payable through mobile money transfers,” the statement said.
The Council stressed that its results database remains secure and that all results can be authenticated through official verification channels.
Candidates may access their results online via the WAEC website, while educational institutions have been advised to rely on the Council’s verification system to confirm the authenticity of certificates presented to them.