…as 1.2m pass English, Maths in 2026 WASSCE

…Council cites phones, organized cheating as 8.59% of candidates affected

..cases drop by 1.11%

By Elizabeth Osayande

LAGOS — The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, on Wednesday withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59%, over various cases of examination malpractice in the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates.

Announcing the results in Lagos, Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, said the figure is 1.11% lower than the 9.7% recorded in 2025, but warned that “the increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organized cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues.”

“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,” Dr. Dangut said.
He added that some supervisors and invigilators caught aiding malpractice have been apprehended and would face sanctions through State Ministries of Education. Affected candidates can now appeal via https://waecinternational.org/complaints.

1.2m meet university requirement Despite Drop


Despite the malpractice cases, WAEC released results for the majority of candidates. A total of 1,200,514 candidates representing 61.54% obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects including English Language and Mathematics.

This represents a 1.42% decrease compared to 62.96% recorded in 2025.

A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea. 1,950,726 candidates sat for the examination.

Of those who sat include:
1,200,514 candidates – 61.54% – obtained credits and above in five subjects including English and Maths
1,687,378 candidates – 86.50% – obtained credits and above in minimum of five subjects with or without English and Maths

Gender breakdown
Among the 1.2m candidates who passed English and Maths:
558,883 – 28.65% were male
641,631 – 32.89% were female

Overall, 953,459 males – 48.88% and 997,267 females – 51.12% sat the exam.

Processing and Special needs


Dr. Dangut said 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05%, have had their results fully processed and released. Results of 116,031 candidates, representing 5.95%, are still being processed due to technical issues.

A total of 1,213 candidates with special needs sat the exam. This includes 137 visually challenged, 491 with impaired hearing, 55 spastic cum mentally challenged and 41 physically challenged.

Other key issues


WAEC also disclosed that results of candidates sponsored by states indebted to the Council will not be released until payment is made.

This was the second time the Council conducted CB-WASSCE for school candidates. Dr. Dangut, who said this was his third and last briefing as Head of WAEC Nigeria, cited new innovations including the Digital Examiner Mark System, DEMS, and serialisation of question papers to fight malpractice.

How to check results


Candidates can check results within 12 hours at http://www.waecdirect.org and now generate e-PINs directly online. Digital certificates are available 48 hours after checking results, while hard copies will be ready in 90 days.

Registration for WASSCE for Private Candidates 2026 – Second Series is ongoing at N37,500 with provision for walk-in candidates.

The examination was conducted from April 24 to June 19, 2026 and marked by 102,708 examiners across 88 marking venues.