The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially released the results of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates. The announcement was made on Monday, August 4, via the Council’s verified X (formerly Twitter) account, with candidates advised to check their results through the WAEC result portal, SMS, or the WAEC mobile app. This year’s examination saw a significant decline in performance, with only 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the exam obtaining at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics. This marks a sharp 33.8 percentage point drop from the 72.12% recorded in 2024.
At a press briefing held in Lagos, Dr Amos Dangut, Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, attributed the performance dip to the Council’s new strategy of serialising objective test papers in core subjects like English, Mathematics, Biology, and Economics. This move, aimed at curbing collusion and examination malpractice, led to a noticeable decline in objective scores, although essay performance remained consistent. Dangut described the strategy as a strong message to candidates that reliance on malpractice is no longer sustainable and that thorough personal preparation is crucial.
Out of the total candidates, 1,517,517 (77.06%) had their results fully released, while 451,796 (22.94%) are still awaiting results in some subjects due to technical delays. WAEC assured that these issues would be resolved in the coming days. Furthermore, results of 192,089 candidates (9.75%) are being withheld due to various forms of malpractice, including the use of mobile phones and collusion, a slight improvement from the 11.92% withheld in 2024.
WAEC also used the occasion to address wider challenges, including late registration by schools, delays in uploading continuous assessment scores, and logistical setbacks that, in some cases, forced students to sit exams in poor conditions. Additionally, states that have not settled their debts to the Council will not have access to the results of their sponsored candidates. Dangut warned rogue websites and individuals impersonating WAEC online to stop spreading false information and contributing to exam fraud, noting that arrests have been made and sanctions will follow.
This year’s WASSCE marked a significant step toward digitisation. Candidates were allowed to choose between the traditional paper-based format and a new computer-based testing (CBT) format for select subjects. WAEC says this hybrid format is a prelude to its full digitisation plan for 2026. The CBT rollout places WAEC among the first examining bodies in Africa to conduct large-scale achievement tests using a digital platform.
In terms of inclusivity, 12,178 candidates with special needs participated in the exam, including students with visual impairments, hearing challenges, and mental and physical disabilities. The Council ensured they were adequately supported. Gender data showed a nearly equal distribution of candidates: 992,526 females and 976,787 males, with girls slightly outperforming boys in core subjects: 53.99% of those who passed with five credits, including English and Maths, were female, compared to 46.01% male.
Despite the operational hurdles and performance drop, WAEC maintained that the conduct of the 2025 examination was a success and signals a new era of integrity-driven assessment in West Africa.
