August 5, 2026 | 11:55 AM
The West African Examinations Council has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates in the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates over alleged examination malpractice.This represents 8.59% of the total candidates, a drop from the 9.7% recorded in 2025.Announcing the release of the results in Lagos on Wednesday, Head of WAEC Nigeria, Dr Amos Dangut, said the affected results were withheld due to infractions such as use of mobile phones in exam halls and organized cheating in some schools.
“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, despite the existing ban, and organized cheating in some schools, are still major issues,” Dangut said.He added that some supervisors and invigilators caught assisting candidates have been arrested and will face disciplinary action through their state ministries of education.
Performance Breakdown A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea. 1,950,726 sat for the exam.- 1,200,514 candidates (61.54%) made credits in 5 subjects including English and Mathematics — a 1.42% decrease from 2025.- 1,687,378 candidates (86.50%) got credits in at least 5 subjects, with or without English and Math.- Of the 1.2 million who got credits in English and Math, 641,631 (32.89%) were female.
Overall, 997,267 females (51.12%) and 953,459 males (48.88%) wrote the exam.WAEC said 1,834,695 candidates (94.05%) had their results fully released, while 116,031 (5.95%) are still being processed.1,213 candidates with special needs also participated, including 137 visually impaired and 491 with hearing impairment.Dangut noted this was the second CBT WASSCE for school candidates.
WAEC introduced new measures like Digital Examiner Mark System, serialised question papers, and an e-PIN portal for result checking.The exam was held between April 24 and June 19, 2026, with 102,708 examiners at 88 marking venues.
Dangut also said results of candidates sponsored by indebted state governments will not be released until payments are made.
