WAEC records 61.54% pass rate, withholds 167,486 results

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates, with 61.54 per cent obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

The performance represents a 1.42 percentage-point decline from the 2025 result, according to the Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, who announced the results on Wednesday in Lagos.

Dangut said 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination conducted across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the examination.

He said 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, secured credits and above in five subjects, including English and Mathematics.

A total of 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, with or without English Language and Mathematics.

Female candidates recorded a stronger performance in the key benchmark, accounting for 641,631, or 32.89 per cent, compared with 558,883 males, representing 28.65 per cent.

However, WAEC withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent, over alleged examination malpractice. Though significant, the figure represents a 1.11 percentage-point decline from the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.

Dangut blamed the continued use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating in some schools for persistent malpractice.

“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,” he said.

He added that supervisors and invigilators found aiding malpractice had been apprehended and would face sanctions.

WAEC said 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, had their results fully processed, while 116,031 candidates, or 5.95 per cent, remained under processing.

The 2026 examination, conducted from April 24 to June 19, was the second CB-WASSCE for school candidates and involved 102,708 examiners across 88 marking venues.

Dangut said the Council also deployed innovations, including the Digital Examiner Mark System and serialised question papers, to improve efficiency and curb malpractice.

Meanwhile, WAEC has debunked a purported letter circulating on social media claiming that the results of candidates from 50 secondary schools were withheld over alleged examination malpractice.

The council, in a statement posted on its official X handle on Wednesday, described the document as fake and urged the public to disregard it.

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

The forged letter, dated August 2, 2026, was purportedly addressed to heads of public and private secondary schools across Nigeria.

It claimed that the results of candidates from 50 schools had been withheld over alleged examination malpractice and instructed the affected institutions to submit detailed reports within 14 days or face further sanctions.

The fake document listed schools purportedly located across several states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

It was also falsely signed in the name of the Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, and designed with what appeared to be the examination body’s official letterhead and stamps.

WAEC subsequently shared an image of the document on its social media platform, prominently marking it with a red “FAKE” stamp.

The clarification came only hours after the examination body announced the release of the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates.

WAEC disclosed that it had withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination, over suspected examination malpractice.

According to the council, the withheld results were linked to various infractions, including the use of mobile phones in examination halls despite an existing ban and organised cheating in some schools.

WAEC also disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators allegedly involved in facilitating examination malpractice had been apprehended.

The affected officials, it said, would face disciplinary action through the relevant state ministries of education.

The council’s warning comes amid heightened public interest in the 2026 WASSCE results, with candidates and schools urged to rely only on official WAEC channels for information concerning withheld results and other examination-related developments.