The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the May/June 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), revealing a worrying 61% failure rate among candidates.
Out of the 1,973,365 candidates who sat for the exam across Nigeria and some West African countries using the Nigerian curriculum, only 38.32% (754,545 candidates) obtained credits in at least five subjects including English Language and Mathematics— the benchmark for tertiary education admission.
This implies that over 1.2 million candidates may be ineligible for university, polytechnic, or college admissions this year.
Announcing the results in Lagos on Monday, WAEC’s Head of National Office (HNO), Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, attributed the poor performance to a steep drop from last year’s pass rate of 72.12%, marking a 33.8% decline in candidates who met the basic five-credit benchmark, including English and Mathematics.
He also disclosed that results of 192,089 candidates (9.75%) are being withheld over alleged involvement in examination malpractices, including widespread use of mobile phones during exams and organized cheating in some schools.
“The rising use of mobile phones in examination halls, despite a standing ban, and the growing cases of school-led cheating rings remain troubling,” Dangut said, adding that WAEC is investigating these cases and decisions will be communicated through affected candidates’ schools.
In addition to the withheld results, WAEC also flagged two unnamed states for non-payment of exam fees, resulting in delays in releasing results for candidates in those areas.
WAEC noted that 12,178 special needs candidates took part in the exams, including those with impaired hearing, physical disabilities, and mental challenges, and their results have also been processed.
On the gender breakdown of successful candidates, female students slightly outperformed their male counterparts, with 407,353 females (53.99%) meeting the minimum five-credit mark compared to 347,192 males (46.01%).
WAEC revealed that marking and coordination of exam scripts involved 87,499 examiners and lasted from July 3 to 21, 2025. Candidates can access their results on www.waecdirect.org, while digital certificates will be available within 48 hours of checking the result online.
Dangut urged candidates affected by withheld results to seek redress if they believe they were wrongly accused.
He warned that the council would not hesitate to sanction candidates, teachers, or schools found guilty of misconduct, stressing that such acts continue to undermine the integrity of the nation’s education system.
“WAEC remains committed to curbing exam malpractice and will continue to ensure that only deserving candidates are certified,” he said.
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