WAEC apologises to Nigerians, releases review 2025 WASSCE results, as 62.96% obtains credit

By Clifford Ejenavi

After properly reviewing the earlier results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2025 announced in Nigeria on Monday August 4, 2025, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has apologised to Nigerians for errors discovered.

While announcing the reviewed results on Friday August 8, 2025 in Lagos, the Head of National Office (HNO), WAEC Nigeria, Dr. Amos Dangut, apologised on behalf of the management and staff of the Council and said during an internal post-examination review of the released results, some discrepancies were discovered in the grading of serialized papers.

According to him, the Council embarked on an innovation (paper serialization) already deployed by a national examination body. He revealed that the Council, being accountable, transparent and credible organization, further investigated all the serialized papers (Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Economics Objective Papers) and discovered that a serialized code file was wrongly used in the printing of English Language Objective Tests (Paper 3), which resulted in them been scored with wrong keys.

Dr. Dangut further revealed that the schools that sat WASSCE for School Candidates, 2025, using the Computer-based mode were not affected by this error, adding that consequently, the observable decline in the performance of candidates earlier announced was partly traceable to this absurd situation.

The HNO, who was sad all through the briefing, emphasised that the Council sincerely apologised for this imbroglio and deeply regrets the emotional and mental dismay it might have caused the affected candidates and all stakeholders.

It would be recalled that on Monday, August 4, 2025, the Council in Nigeria, announced the release of results of the WASSCE for school candidates, 2025. During that briefing, WAEC announced that 1,969,313 candidates sat the examination and that, 976,787 were males while 992,526 were females, representing 49.60% and 50.40%, respectively.

From that analysis of statistics of candidates’ performance in the examination, 1,969,313 candidates that sat the examination, while 1,718,090 candidates, representing 87.24%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects (i.e. with or without English Language and/or Mathematics). And 754,545 candidates, representing 38.32%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

Furthermore, 347,192 representing 46.01% were male candidates, while 407,353 representing 53.99% were female candidates. A comparison of the percentage of candidates in this category in WASSCE for school 2024 and 2025, reveal that in this year’s (2025) WASSCE, there is 33.8% decrease in performance (that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 72.12%.

However, Dr. Dangut while announcing the reviewed results for WASSCE for school candidates, 2025, revealed that a total of 1,969,313 candidates sat the examination. The examination he stated was also administered to candidates from some schools in Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, where the Nigerian, curriculum for senior secondary schools is being used.

He said a total of 12,178 candidates with varying degrees of Special Needs registered for the examination, stressing that out of this number, 112 were visually challenged, 615 had impaired hearing; 52 were spastic cum mentally challenged and 37 were physically challenged. All these candidates according to Dr. Dangut were adequately provided for, in the administration of the examination. “The results of these candidates have been processed and are also now being released along with those of other candidates,” he noted.

For the reviewed results, of the total number of 1,969,313 candidates that sat the examination, 976,787 were males while 992,526 were females, representing 49.60% and 50.40%, respectively.

From the results being processed, out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, 1,763,470 candidates, representing 89.55% have their results fully processed and released while 205,916 candidates, representing 10.45% have one or more of their subjects still being processed due to some issues to be resolved. “Efforts are, however, being made to speedily complete the processes to enhance the release of the affected candidates’ results within a couple of days,” the WAEC boss said.

The analysis of statistics of candidates’ performance in the examination showed that out of the 1,969,313 candidates that sat the examination, 1,794,821) candidates, representing 91.14%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects (i.e. with or without English Language and/or Mathematics), while 1,239,884 candidates representing 62.96%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. 

Of this number, 582,065 representing 46.95% were male candidates, while 657,819 representing 53.05% were female candidates. A comparison of the percentage of candidates in this category in WASSCE for school candidates 2024 and 2025, revealed that in this year’s (2025) WASSCE, there is 9.16% decrease in performance (that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 72.12%.

The results of 191,053 candidates, representing 9.7% of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice. “This review does not affect them. This is 2.22% lower than the 11.92% recorded in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2024,” the HNO said.

Dr. Dangut stated that the reviewed results of the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2025 are being uploaded on the results website, adding that candidates should recheck their results.

Tthe Management of the Council therefore pleaded with all stakeholders to pardon them at this moment. “This is very difficult for us to say but we have to admit that it is very embarrassing. We acknowledge the emotional ordeal that candidates, parents, teachers, school administrators, Ministries of Education, the media and other well-meaning stakeholders must have had to deal with. This is a trying time for us at WAEC, we are doing everything we can to ensure that such dismal situation does not recur,” Dr. Dangut said.