61.54% Pass as WAEC Releases 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE Results

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, with 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

The results, announced on Wednesday by the Head of the WAEC National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, indicate a slight decline of 1.42 percentage points compared to the performance recorded in the 2025 examination.

Speaking during the official release of the results in Lagos, Dr. Dangut disclosed that 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools across Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the test.

According to the examination body, 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent of those who sat the examination, secured credits in at least five subjects, with or without English Language and Mathematics.

A breakdown of the candidates who met the benchmark of five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, showed that 558,883, representing 28.65 per cent, were male, while 641,631, representing 32.89 per cent, were female.

WAEC further revealed that 953,459 male candidates, accounting for 48.88 per cent, and 997,267 female candidates, representing 51.12 per cent, participated in the examination.

On result processing, the council said 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, have had their results fully processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates, or 5.95 per cent, are still being processed.

The council also highlighted its commitment to inclusive education, noting that 1,213 candidates with special needs registered for the examination. The figure includes 137 visually impaired candidates, 491 candidates with hearing impairment, 55 spastic and mentally challenged candidates, and 41 physically challenged candidates.

Addressing examination malpractice, Dr. Dangut disclosed that WAEC withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the examination, over various offences. He noted that although the figure remains significant, it is lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in the 2025 examination.

He identified the persistent use of mobile phones in examination halls despite an existing ban, as well as organised cheating in some schools, as major challenges confronting the examination process.

Dr. Dangut also disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators allegedly involved in aiding examination malpractice had been arrested and would face appropriate sanctions through their respective State Ministries of Education.

Describing the briefing as his third and final media engagement as Head of the WAEC National Office, Dr. Dangut noted that the 2026 examination marked the second edition of the Computer-Based WASSCE for school candidates.

He said the council had introduced additional innovations to strengthen the credibility and efficiency of its examinations, including the Digital Examiner Mark System (DEMS) to speed up marking, serialised question papers to curb malpractice, and a new online portal that enables candidates to generate electronic PINs directly for checking their results.