WAEC Introduces New Resit Exams for Candidates

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has launched a new initiative offering students the chance to resit their West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as early as January and February 2025.

This initiative marks a significant shift from the previous system, which required candidates to wait for the next private exam session. John Kapi, the Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, shared this update in a recent statement.

Felix Oluwaseun Agbesanwa, Chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), commended this change, calling it a positive step forward.

The new programme, named WASSCE PC1 provides a faster opportunity for students to improve their grades. Kapi explained, “Students who access their WAEC results now and realize they need to resit one or two papers have until 8th January to register online through our website or at WAEC-accredited internet cafés. The exams will take place from 24th January to 15th February 2025.”

To aid candidates in their preparations, WAEC plans to expedite the release of detailed chief examiners’ reports, which will highlight areas where students may have underperformed and offer guidance on how to improve.

Kapi also emphasized the broad promotion of this initiative, noting that the programme has been widely advertised through banners, the official website, and the results checker platform, ensuring both students and parents are well-informed.

Moreover, students whose results were canceled are also eligible to participate in the WASSCE PC1 exams, provided they have not been banned for malpractice in previous exams. “For now, the exams will be conducted in regional capitals due to the limited number of candidates. Prospective participants are urged to complete their registration by the 8th of January to seize this opportunity,” Kapi stated.

WAEC remains optimistic that this initiative will allow students to quickly improve their grades and qualify for the upcoming academic year’s admission cycle, avoiding a year-long delay in their academic progression.

Meanwhile, ASUSS leader Agbesanwa voiced his approval of the policy, stating, “WAEC has introduced a new opportunity for students who failed their examinations to resit the failed papers, with the caveat that this opportunity is only available to those who have not been banned for malpractice.”

However, he suggested extending the registration deadline until the end of January to give students more time to prepare. Agbesanwa also recommended that if students pass the resit exams, their results should be combined with their previous scores to clear any two-sitting gaps, which could further aid their chances of gaining admission into higher institutions.

He further noted that the timing of the exams scheduled for March would likely ensure quick results, allowing students to proceed with their academic plans without significant delays. He also highlighted the potential for this initiative to help curb examination malpractices, although he expressed concern that students might misuse the opportunity if they don’t take their studies seriously.

While acknowledging that the registration fee for the resit exams is lower than that of a full exam session, Agbesanwa urged students not to view this window as a chance to be complacent, but rather as an opportunity to demonstrate discipline and commitment to their studies.

Ultimately, Agbesanwa expressed hope that WAEC would implement the policy transparently and that its intended benefits would be fully realized.