The number of candidates who registered for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) increased by 11.07 per cent compared with the previous year, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced.

A total of 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools entered the examination, compared with 461,736 candidates in 2025.

The 2026 cohort comprised 287,592 females and 225,270 males.

WAEC said 5,049 candidates, representing 0.98 per cent of the total entry, were absent from the examination.

The latest figures mean that the number of candidates entering the examination has increased by more than 50,000 compared with 2025.

Performance across core subjects

WAEC's provisional results show that 78.04 per cent of candidates obtained grades between A1 and C6 in Social Studies, making it the best-performing of the four core subjects.

English Language recorded 62.40 per cent, while Integrated Science recorded 62.08 per cent.

Mathematics (Core) recorded 60.75 per cent.

WAEC's four-year statistics show that performance in Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies varied between 2023 and 2026, while English Language recorded a progressive decline.

The Council has cautioned candidates against fraudsters who claim they can upgrade examination results for a fee and urged them to use its official results verification system.