The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, with 1,200,514 candidates obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
WAEC announced the release of the results on Wednesday through its official X account, directing candidates to check their performance online.
Speaking while announcing the results in Lagos, the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, said the 1.2 million successful candidates represent 61.54 per cent of those who sat for the examination.
Of those who sat, 1,200,514 candidates—61.54%—obtained credits and above in five subjects, including English and Mathematics,” Dangut said.
He noted that the performance represents a 1.42 per cent decline compared to the 2025 examination.
According to WAEC, 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the tests.
The council also disclosed that 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, regardless of whether they passed English Language and Mathematics.
A breakdown of the successful candidates showed that 558,883 males (28.65 per cent) and 641,631 females (32.89 per cent) secured the minimum five credits, including English and Mathematics.
Overall, 953,459 male candidates and 997,267 female candidates participated in the examination.
WAEC said it has fully processed and released the results of 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, while the results of 116,031 candidates are still being processed.
The council also revealed that 1,213 candidates with special needs registered for the examination. They include 137 visually impaired candidates, 491 hearing-impaired candidates, 55 spastic and mentally challenged candidates, and 41 physically challenged candidates.
On examination malpractice, WAEC withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat for the examination.
Dangut said the figure is lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.
“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 some supervisors and invigilators caught aiding malpractice had been apprehended and would face disciplinary action through their respective State Ministries of Education.
Dangut, who described the briefing as his last as Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, noted that the 2026 examination marked the second edition of the Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates.
The examination was conducted using both the traditional paper-based format and the computer-based testing (CBT) option, with more schools adopting the CBT system than in previous years.
Candidates can now access their results through WAEC’s official result-checking portal.
