On Monday, August 4, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) announced the release of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results. But unlike previous years, this year’s announcement came with a startling revelation — a massive decline in overall student performance.
Only 38.32 per cent of the 1.97 million candidates who sat for the exam secured credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. This is a steep drop from the 72.12 per cent recorded in 2024 — a difference of more than 33 percentage points.
WAEC Blames the Sharp Drop on Tougher Anti-Malpractice Measures
Addressing journalists at the WAEC headquarters in Lagos, Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of the National Office, explained that the Council had implemented a series of new measures aimed at reducing examination malpractice — and they worked, albeit with consequences.
“The drop in performance can be attributed to new anti-malpractice measures, including the serialisation of objective papers in key subjects, which made collusion and cheating more difficult,” Dr. Dangut stated.
He also highlighted that 1,517,517 results (77.06%) have been fully processed and released, while 22.94 per cent are still undergoing administrative procedures. Furthermore, 192,089 results (about 9.75%) are being withheld over suspected involvement in exam irregularities — a slight improvement from last year’s 11.92 per cent.
Interestingly, female candidates outperformed males, accounting for 53.99 per cent of those who passed the benchmark five subjects including English and Mathematics.
Big Changes Ahead for WAEC and Its Exams
Dr. Dangut reiterated WAEC’s commitment to innovation, revealing that by 2026, the entire WASSCE for School Candidates will transition to a fully Computer-Based Test (CBT) model. Already, 2025 candidates were allowed to opt for a hybrid format where they viewed questions on a screen and responded using answer booklets.
Additionally, WAEC is rolling out tech-based tools like:
-The WAEC E-Study platform
-The WAECKonnect app (featuring an AI assistant)
-Digital scoring systems
-And e-certificates available within 48 hours
However, candidates sponsored by indebted state governments were advised to wait for their results until the debts are settled.
“We appeal to concerned state governments to settle their debts so affected candidates are not denied access to their results,” the WAEC chief appealed.
Social Media Reactions
Following the release of the 2025 WASSCE results, Nigerians took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express frustration and disappointment over the sharp drop in performance — particularly in English Language and Mathematics.
User @UrhoboMayor addressed WAEC Nigeria directly, writing:
“We, students, parents, and stakeholders, are shocked and disappointed by the mass failure in English Language. Given the exam irregularities, including delayed materials and students writing in darkness.”
Another user, @winexviv, criticized the circumstances surrounding the exams:
“How can only 38% of students out of over 1.9M that sat for WAEC score credit in English and Mathematics? Mass failure… cannot be separated from events of that day whereby students had to suffer to write exam with candle stick and torch light till midnight.
Why is everything upside down in this country?”
While WAEC celebrates progress in reducing malpractice, the 2025 results serve as a reality check. The numbers suggest that without unfair assistance, a significant portion of students struggle to meet the required academic standards. And with WAEC pushing for full digitization by 2026, students, schools, and state governments must begin urgent preparations — not just for the exams, but for what lies beyond.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Comments are closed.