The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says just 38.32% of candidates who took the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) obtained credit passes in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
This represents a sharp 33.8% decline compared to the 72.12% recorded in 2024.
Announcing the results at a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, WAEC’s Head of National Office, Amos Dangut, said 1,969,313 candidates from 23,554 recognised schools participated in the examination. Of these, 1,718,090 candidates (87.24%) achieved credit and above in five subjects, irrespective of English and Mathematics, while 754,545 met the benchmark that includes both core subjects.3 OBT
According to the breakdown, 347,192 of those who passed (46.01%) were male, while 407,353 (53.99%) were female. Dangut attributed part of the performance drop to WAEC’s “serialisation strategy” — assigning different versions of objective questions to candidates — which reduced malpractice but may have affected scores in objective papers, even though essay paper performance remained stable.
The 2025 exams also included 12,178 candidates with special needs, such as those with visual and hearing impairments, who were fully accommodated. Despite isolated delays in some locations, WAEC described the exercise as successful, crediting support from education ministries, security agencies, and other stakeholders.
The council reported that 1,517,517 candidates (77.06%) had their results fully processed and released, while 451,796 (22.94%) were still being finalised. Results of 192,089 candidates (9.75%) are being withheld over suspected malpractice, down from 11.92% last year.
WAEC confirmed plans for a full rollout of computer-based testing for school candidates in 2026, following partial deployment for private candidates this year. It also urged candidates to obtain their digital certificates, available within 48 hours of result release, and reminded indebted state governments to pay outstanding fees so affected candidates can access their results.
Candidates can check their results online via www.waecdirect.org using the Smart Identity Cards issued during the examination.
