The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) today released the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for school candidates. The announcement was made via WAEC’s official X handle on Monday, August 4, 2025, confirming that candidates can now access their results online at www.waecdirect.org
Out of 1,969,313 candidates who sat the examination, only 754,545 candidates (38.32%) achieved credits in at least five subjects including English Language and Mathematics. This marks a 33.8 percentage point drop from the 72.12% pass rate recorded in 2024
While 87.24% of candidates obtained credits in any five subjects (including elective-only credits), performance in core subjects has significantly declined
WAEC’s Head of Nigeria Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, attributed the fall in performance to stricter anti-cheating measures, including the serialization of objective papers in key subjects such as English, Mathematics, Biology, and Economics. This method made collusion harder and reduced malpractice cases, but also exposed poor preparation among candidates
Outstanding Results and Malpractice Cases
- 1,517,517 candidates (77.06%) have had their results fully processed and released.
- 451,796 candidates (22.94%) still await completion of their results on some subjects due to technical issues; WAEC expects to resolve these within days
- 192,089 results about 9.75% of exam entries were withheld due to malpractice, marking a slight improvement from the 11.92% withheld in 2024
The withheld cases are under active review, with procedures underway to determine whether the affected results will be released or canceled.
WAEC confirmed that 12,178 candidates with special needs registered for the exam with support provided across categories such as visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability, and cognitive challenges. All these candidates’ results have been released alongside general results
Gender distribution showed 976,787 males (49.60%) and 992,526 females (50.40%). Among successful candidates, females slightly outperformed males with 53.99% of the 754,545 candidates being female
Candidates are encouraged to log in to www.waecdirect.org using their Smart Identity Card PIN and serial number to check results. Digital certificates will be made available 48 hours after checking results online, and hard copies will be ready within 90 days at respective schools
WAEC also warned that results of candidates sponsored by state governments with outstanding debts will remain inaccessible until payments are settled by the concerned authorities
WAEC’s move to incorporate Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for school candidates including options between paper-based and digital formats marks a transition toward fully digitized examinations by 2026. While this innovation shows progress, the performance drop highlights urgent needs for better exam readiness and educational reforms nationwide.
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