The Editor
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced a significant revision in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.
According to the updated figures, 1,239,884 candidates, representing 62.96% of the total, obtained credit passes in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
This development marks a notable increase from the initial report released earlier in the week, which had indicated that only 754,545 candidates, or 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat the examination, met the benchmark for five credits, including English and Mathematics.
The updated figures were disclosed on Friday by Amos Dangut, the Head of the Nigeria National Office (HNO) of WAEC, during a press briefing held in Lagos.
Mr. Dangut explained that the Council had undertaken a comprehensive post-examination review following widespread backlash and stakeholder concern over the previously released results, which had been described as WAEC’s worst performance in years.
He revealed that discrepancies were found in the grading of serialised objective test papers, particularly in key subjects such as Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics.
“During an internal post-examination review of the 2025 WASSCE results for school candidates, we discovered anomalies in the scoring of certain serialised papers,” “Specifically, a serialised code file was erroneously used in the printing of the English Language Objective Test (Paper 3), which led to candidates being marked using incorrect answer keys.”Dangut stated.
He further clarified that schools that opted for the computer-based testing mode were not affected by this error.
In response to the flawed results, WAEC had temporarily shut down its result-checking portal on Thursday, citing a suspected technical glitch during the result computation process. This move came after a wave of criticism from stakeholders including students, parents, teachers, and school administrators many of whom accused WAEC of subjecting candidates to unfair examination conditions.
WAEC’s May 28 English Language examination was notably marred by logistical challenges, which left many candidates waiting late into the night to complete their papers. These operational setbacks compounded the discontent triggered by the initial results release.
Mr. Dangut issued an official apology to all affected parties, acknowledging the psychological and emotional toll the situation may have caused.
“The Council sincerely apologises for this imbroglio and deeply regrets the emotional and mental distress it may have caused the affected candidates, their parents, and other stakeholders. We are committed to upholding the integrity, transparency, and credibility that WAEC stands for,” he said.
He confirmed that the grading error has been resolved and that the updated results are now accessible via WAEC’s official portal: www.waecdirect.org.
In Nigeria, securing credit passes in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, is a core requirement for admission into most tertiary institutions. The revised results, therefore, carry significant implications for candidates awaiting placement into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
WAEC’s decision to correct the grading error reflects both the scale of the issue and the Council’s responsiveness to public scrutiny. Stakeholders are now watching closely to ensure that future examinations are administered and graded with greater precision and transparency.
The statement by Mr Dangut is reproduced below:
ADDRESS BY THE HEAD OF THE NIGERIA NATIONAL OFFICE OF THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL (WAEC), DR. AMOS JOSIAH DANGUT, FSTAN, MNIM, RAS, AT A PRESS BRIEFING TO RELEASE THE REVIEWED RESULTS OF THE WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (WASSCE) FOR SCHOOL CANDIDATES, 2025, ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2025, AT THE NATIONAL OFFICE, YABA, LAGOS
Gentlemen of the media, with deep sense of sorrow and regret, I, on behalf of the Registrar to Council, Management and Staff of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, welcome you to this press briefing to announce the reviewed results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2025 in Nigeria.
You will recall that on Monday, August 4, 2025, the Council, in Nigeria, announced the release of results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2025. In the course of the briefing, we told you that ONE MILLION, NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN (1,969,313) candidates sat the examination and that, NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SIX THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNRDED AND EIGHTY-SEVEN (976,787) were males while NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX (992,526) were females, representing 49.60% and 50.40%, respectively.
From the analysis of statistics of candidates’ performance in the examination, we told you that out of the ONE MILLION, NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN (1,969,313) candidates that sat the examination, ONE MILLION, SEVEN HUNDRED AND EIGTHTEEN THOUSAND AND NINETY (1,718,090) candidates, representing 87.24%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five (5) subjects (i.e. with or without English Language and/or Mathematics). And SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE (754,545) candidates, representing 38.32%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Furthermore, THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO (347,192) representing 46.01% were male candidates, while FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVEN THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE (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 (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 72.12%.
However, during an internal post-examination review of the released results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, (SC) 2025, some discrepancies were discovered in the grading of serialized papers. We had earlier informed you that the Council embarked on an innovation (paper serialization) already deployed by a national examination body.
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. Nevertheless, the schools that sat WASSCE for School Candidates, 2025, using the Computer-based mode were not affected by this error.
Consequently, the observable decline in the performance of candidates earlier announced was partly traceable to this absurd situation. The Council sincerely apologises for this imbroglio and deeply regrets the emotional and mental dismay it might have caused the affected candidates and all stakeholders. We have been able to fix the anomaly and candidates can now access their results on the portal (www.waecdirect.org). At this juncture, may I announce the accurate results obtained by candidates.
REVIEWED RESULTS FOR WASSCE (SC) 2025
As announced earlier, a total of ONE MILLION, NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN (1,969,313) candidates sat the examination. The examination 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.
I also wish to report that a total of TWELVE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT (12,178) candidates with varying degrees of Special Needs registered for the examination. Out of this number, ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE (112) were visually challenged, SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN (615) had impaired hearing; FIFTY-TWO (52) were spastic cum mentally challenged and THIRTY-SEVEN (37) were physically challenged. All these candidates 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.
Of the total number of ONE MILLION, NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN (1,969,313) candidates that sat the examination, NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SIX THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNRDED AND EIGHTY-SEVEN (976,787) were males while NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX (992,526) were females, representing 49.60% and 50.40%, respectively.
RESULTS BEING PROCESSED
Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, ONE MILLION, SEVEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY (1,763,470) candidates, representing 89.55% have their results fully processed and released while TWO HUNDRED AND FIVE THOUSAND, NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN (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 the affected candidates’ results within a couple of days.
The analysis of statistics of candidates’ performance in the examination shows that out of the ONE MILLION, NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN (1,969,313) candidates that sat the examination, ONE MILLION, SEVEN HUNDRED AND NINETY-FOUR THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE (1,794,821) candidates, representing 91.14%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five (5) subjects (i.e. with or without English Language and/or Mathematics).
ONE MILLION, TWO HUNRED AND THIRTY-NINE THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR (1,239,884) candidates representing 62.96%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Of this number, FIVE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTY-FIVE (582,065) representing 46.95% were male candidates, while SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND NINETEEN (657,819) representing 53.05% 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 9.16% decrease in performance (that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 72.12%.
Examination Malpractice
Meanwhile, the results of ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE THOUSAND, FIFTY-THREE (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.
As we had earlier stated, all the cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate Committee of the Council for consideration and final decisions. The Committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their various schools, in due course. Candidates affected by these decisions can now call for redress of their malpractice cases if they so wish via https://waecinternational.org/complaints
The Council will continue to sanction all cases of examination malpractice as schools, supervisors, teachers and candidates perpetrating this evil are not helping the educational system. All hands must therefore be on deck to sanitize the system.
Gentlemen of the Media, as the reviewed results of the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2025 are being uploaded on the results website, candidates should after checking the result online, apply for their Digital certificate which will be released forty-eight (48) hours thereafter. Candidates who have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Council can access their results on the Council’s results website: www.waecdirect.org, within the next twelve hours. Copies of the new Result Listing will be sent to schools shortly.
I need not restate the fact that the results of candidates who are sponsored by States indebted to the Council will not be released now until payment is made. We appeal to the concerned to do the needful to enable the affected schools/candidates access their results.
Students writing WAEC
The Result Checker PIN and Serial Number required by candidates to check their results online, are contained on the Candidate’s Smart Identity Card issued and used during the conduct of the examination. Hard copies of certificates of candidates whose results have been fully processed and released will be ready within the next 90 days, counting from today.
CONCLUSION
Once again, the Management of the West African Examinations Counc pleads with all stakeholders to pardon us 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.
Gentlemen of the media, the Management and entire Staff of the Council in Nigeria, wish to express our profound gratitude to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Honourable Minister of Education, Minister of State for Education, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and the various State Governments, for providing the enabling environment for us to navigate this hurdle and quagmire at this moment.
I thank you all, Gentlemen of the Media, for always responding to our calls and in helping WAEC to tell its story.
Thank you all and God bless.
