By Egharevba Aiseosa
WAEC Releases 2025 Results, Flags Sharp Decline in Core Subject Performance
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, revealing a significant drop in overall performance.
According to the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, only 754,545 candidates, representing 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the examination, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
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This reflects a 33.8% decrease from the 72.12% recorded in 2024.
A total of 1,973,365 candidates from 23,554 recognised secondary schools registered for the examination, while 1,969,313 eventually sat. The examination also featured candidates from schools in Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, where the Nigerian curriculum is used.
Of those who met the credit benchmark:
Male candidates: 347,192 (46.01%)
Female candidates: 407,353 (53.99%)
WAEC also announced that results of 192,089 candidates, representing 9.75% of the total, have been withheld due to various cases of examination malpractice, including the use of mobile phones and collusion in some centres.
“These cases are under investigation and will be reviewed by the appropriate committee,” said Dr. Dangut. “Affected candidates will be informed through their schools and may request redress where necessary.”
He added: “WAEC will continue to impose strict sanctions. Examination malpractice only weakens our educational system.”
Candidates who have met their financial obligations to the Council can access their results via https://www.waecdirect.org within 12 hours. Digital certificates will be available 48 hours after result release.
However, results of candidates sponsored by indebted states will remain withheld until payments are made.
WAEC also clarified that the PIN and serial number needed to check results are printed on each candidate’s Smart Identity Card used during the exam. Hard-copy certificates will be available within 90 days.
A total of 12,178 candidates with special needs participated in the 2025 examination. These included:
112 visually challenged candidates
615 hearing-impaired candidates
52 with physical and intellectual disabilities
Dr. Dangut described this as a significant step in promoting inclusive education, urging all stakeholders to work together to restore academic excellence and examination integrity.