WAEC: 1.2 million candidates secure five credits as 2026 WASSCE pass rate declines

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the release of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for school candidates.

Speaking at the official presentation of the results in Lagos, Josiah Dangut, head of WAEC Nigeria, said 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 percent of the 1,950,726 students who sat the examination, obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.

Dangut noted that the performance was lower than that of the 2025 examination, when 1,239,884 candidates, or 62.96 percent, achieved five credits, including English and Mathematics, marking a decline of 2.26 percentage points.

He also said WAEC had processed and released the results of 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 percent of those who sat the examination. The remaining 116,031 results, accounting for 5.95 percent, are still undergoing processing.

According to Dangut, 1,213 candidates with special needs registered for the examination. The figure included 137 visually impaired candidates, 491 with hearing impairment, 55 candidates with spastic and mental disabilities, and 41 physically challenged candidates.

He further disclosed that the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 percent, were withheld over alleged examination malpractice.

Dangut said the percentage of withheld results was lower than the 9.7 percent recorded in the previous year’s examination, representing a decline of 1.11 percentage points.

He attributed the withheld results to various forms of examination misconduct, including the use of mobile phones in examination halls despite the ban and organised cheating involving some schools.

The WAEC official added that some supervisors and invigilators accused of aiding examination malpractice had been apprehended and would be subjected to disciplinary measures through the appropriate state ministries of education.

“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools are other nagging issues,” Dangut said.

Fake news alert

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has debunked a letter circulating on social media alleging that the results of candidates from 50 secondary schools in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were withheld over examination malpractice.

In a statement shared on its official X account on Wednesday, the examination body described the document as fake and advised the public not to be misled by its contents.

“FAKE NEWS ALERT: Please disregard the message below. It did not originate from WAEC,” the council stated.

The fabricated letter, dated August 2, 2026, claimed to have been sent to principals and administrators of public and private secondary schools nationwide.

It falsely alleged that the results of candidates from 50 schools had been withheld over examination misconduct and instructed the affected institutions to submit reports within 14 days or risk additional sanctions.

The forged document also contained a list of schools allegedly affected, including institutions in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

To make it appear authentic, the letter was falsely attributed to the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, and featured a counterfeit version of the council’s letterhead and official stamps.

WAEC’s disclaimer came shortly after it released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE for school candidates.

The council had earlier announced that it withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 percent of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat for the examination, over suspected examination malpractice.

According to WAEC, the withheld results stemmed from several forms of examination misconduct, including the use of mobile phones in examination halls despite existing restrictions and coordinated cheating in some schools.

The examination body added that a number of supervisors and invigilators accused of facilitating malpractice had been apprehended and would be subjected to disciplinary procedures through the appropriate state ministries of education.