Social Studies recorded the strongest performance among the four core subjects in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with 78.04 per cent of candidates obtaining grades between A1 and C6.

The figure represents a sharp improvement from the 55.82 per cent recorded in 2025, according to performance statistics released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

Social Studies performance in 2026 was also higher than the 76.76 per cent recorded in 2023 and the 71.53 per cent recorded in 2024.

Mathematics (Core) also recorded a significant recovery after a sharp decline in 2025.

The proportion of candidates obtaining A1-C6 in Mathematics increased from 48.73 per cent in 2025 to 60.75 per cent in 2026.

The 2026 figure was also below the 62.23 per cent recorded in 2023 but higher than the 48.73 per cent recorded in 2025.

Integrated Science performance also improved, rising from 57.74 per cent in 2025 to 62.08 per cent in 2026.

English Language records decline

The improvement in the three subjects contrasts with the performance in English Language.

The proportion of candidates obtaining A1-C6 in English Language fell from 69.00 per cent in 2025 to 62.40 per cent in 2026.

WAEC said its four-year performance data showed that English Language was the only one of the four core subjects to record a progressive decline during the period.

The figures cover WASSCE performance from 2023 to 2026 and are based on candidates who obtained grades A1 to C6.