By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
The West African Examinations Council has officially released provisional outcomes for the annual school certificate assessment. Thousands of students nationwide participated in the evaluation period. Officials finalized administrative processing ahead of the public announcement.
Candidate Demographics And Participation Statistics
A total of 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools entered the examination, comprising 225,270 males and 287,592 females. Participation grew steadily compared to previous cycles. The figure represents an 11.07 per cent increase over the 461,736 candidates who entered the examination in 2025. Despite broader engagement, administrative records note minor attendance gaps. WAEC said 5,049 candidates, representing 0.98 per cent of the total number of candidates, were absent from the examination.
Digital Access And Result Retrieval Methods
Educational institutions and individual test-takers now access grades through designated online portals. Security protocols protect individual grade profiles from unauthorized access. The Council said the results had been hosted online, while login details would be made available to heads of schools to enable them to access their candidates’ results. Candidates seeking individual scorecards utilize official digital pathways. Candidates who wish to access their results may do so through the WAEC website.
Fraud Warnings And Verification Safeguards
Cyber security threats and identity deception prompt strict warnings from testing authorities. Bad actors frequently target vulnerable students and parents. WAEC has also cautioned candidates and the public against fraudsters who claim they can upgrade examination results in exchange for money. Robust verification technology protects official academic records from tampering. The Council said its results are secured and can be authenticated through its results verification system. Modern validation tools further streamline credential checks for academic institutions and employers. It also said candidates could use the WAEC QR code to verify their results.
Stakeholders must remain vigilant against deceitful schemes. WAEC urged candidates and other stakeholders to be cautious of individuals who make promises of altering or upgrading examination results. Administrative bodies dismiss false promises entirely. The Council said such claims should be disregarded.
Core Subject Performance Analysis And Trends
Subject performance varies considerably across core academic disciplines during this testing cycle. English Language outcomes show a continuous downward trajectory over recent years. Performance in English Language has declined further in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with 62.40 per cent of candidates obtaining grades between A1 and C6. This outcome marks a drop from prior educational periods. The latest figure represents a further decline from 69.00 per cent recorded in 2025. Historical data outlines a steady downward pattern. According to statistics released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), English Language performance has fallen consistently over the four years covered by its data. Longitudinal numbers confirm this erosion.
The proportion of candidates obtaining A1-C6 in English Language dropped from 73.11 per cent in 2023 to 69.52 per cent in 2024, then 69.00 per cent in 2025, before falling to 62.40 per cent in 2026. Raw achievement totals illustrate the pass volume. For the 2026 examination, 315,094 candidates obtained grades between A1 and C6 in English Language. Marginal scores and failures highlight ongoing academic challenges. However, 49,771 candidates obtained D7, while 37,080 recorded E8 and 55,940 obtained F9. This specific subject trend remains unique among core disciplines. WAEC specifically noted that, unlike Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies, English Language recorded a progressive decline in performance over the four years.
Contrasting Improvements In Other Core Disciplines
While language metrics dropped, alternative core subjects demonstrated measurable educational gains. The decline in English Language performance contrasts with improvements recorded in some of the other core subjects. Quantitative reasoning scores rebounded significantly. Mathematics (Core) performance increased from 48.73 per cent in 2025 to 60.75 per cent in 2026. Scientific literacy measures followed a similar upward path. Integrated Science also improved from 57.74 per cent to 62.08 per cent, while Social Studies recorded a significant increase from 55.82 per cent to 78.04 per cent over the same period. Educational analysts observe fluctuating metrics across multiple annual evaluations. WAEC said performance in the three subjects had varied over the four years.
Balancing these contrasting trajectories across disciplines remains critical for educational policymakers as they interpret long-term regional learning outcomes.
