THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has revealed a sharp decline in candidate performance for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with only 38.32% securing credit passes in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
This represents a steep drop of 33.8% compared to the 72.12% recorded in 2024.
Speaking during a press briefing today in Lagos, WAEC’s Head of Nigeria National Office, Amos Dangut, announced the official release of the 2025 results.
He disclosed that out of 1,969,313 candidates who sat the examination across 23,554 accredited secondary schools in Nigeria, only 754,545 candidates met the key benchmark of credit in five core subjects, including English and Mathematics.
Of this number, 347,192 (46.01%) were male, while 407,353 (53.99%) were female.
In broader performance metrics, 1,718,090 candidates — or 87.24% — obtained credit and above in at least five subjects, regardless of whether English or Mathematics was included.
Dangut noted that the 2025 exam accommodated 12,178 candidates with special needs, including the visually and hearing impaired, who were adequately supported throughout the process.
He attributed part of the performance decline to WAEC’s intensified efforts against examination malpractice, particularly the introduction of “serialised” objective test papers, which assigned candidates different versions of the same exam to curb cheating.
“While essay paper performance remained consistent with previous years, the objective sections saw a noticeable dip,” he said.
On result processing, Dangut disclosed that 1,517,517 candidates (77.06%) had their results fully released, while 451,796 (22.94%) had one or more subjects pending due to ongoing investigations and result validation.
Additionally, the results of 192,089 candidates — about 9.75% — are being withheld over allegations of exam malpractice.
This marks a decline from the 11.92% withheld in 2024, although WAEC continues to express concern about the use of mobile phones and collusion during examinations.
WAEC also reaffirmed its commitment to transitioning fully to computer-based testing for school candidates by 2026, following a pilot phase for private candidates in 2025.
Candidates are encouraged to apply for their digital certificates, available within 48 hours of result release, and to check their results via [www.waecdirect.org](http://www.waecdirect.org) using the Smart Identity Cards issued during the exam period.
The Council also urged indebted state governments to settle their outstanding payments to ensure that affected candidates can access their results without delay.