The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, Second Series, withholding hundreds of results over suspected examination malpractice.

In a press release issued on February 26, 2026, the Council said a total of 41,767 candidates sat the examination.

The figure comprises 20,036 males and 24,501 females, and includes 16 visually impaired and seven hearing impaired candidates. WAEC further disclosed that 2,422 registered candidates were absent.

However, the Council withheld the entire results of 348 candidates and subject results of 469 others pending investigations into alleged breaches of examination regulations.

The offences cited include collusion, impersonation, possession of foreign materials in examination halls and seeking external assistance.

“The withheld results of candidates will be released or cancelled based on the outcome of investigations into their cases,” the statement said.

WAEC indicated that affected candidates may check the status of their results on the Council’s irregularities portal, where details of the alleged infractions and the required procedures have been outlined.

An analysis of performance in the four core subjects reflects mixed outcomes.

In English Language, 67.43 per cent of candidates obtained grades A1 to C6, while 11.04 per cent recorded F9.

For Core Mathematics, 49.84 per cent achieved passes, while 27.69 per cent failed.

Integrated Science recorded comparatively weaker performance, with 35.00 per cent obtaining passes and 32.00 per cent failing.

Social Studies registered the strongest performance, as 81.21 per cent of candidates secured grades A1 to C6, while 10.42 per cent failed.

WAEC also cautioned the public to remain vigilant against fraudsters who take advantage of the results period to exploit candidates.

“The Council wishes to caution members of the public to be wary of scammers who contact candidates and promise to upgrade their results for a fee payable through mobile money transfers,” the statement said.

The Council stressed that its results database remains secure and that all results can be authenticated through official verification channels.

Candidates may access their results online via the WAEC website, while educational institutions have been advised to rely on the Council’s verification system to confirm the authenticity of certificates presented to them.