The West African Examinations Council has released the provisional results for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, First Series.

The examination, conducted earlier this year, involved 23,410 candidates, comprising 9,980 males and 13,430 females. A total of 746 registered candidates were absent.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Head of Public Affairs of WAEC, John Kapi, said the results are available online at the council’s official portal.

Malpractice cases recorded

The council disclosed that it had withheld the subject results of 76 candidates and the entire results of 87 candidates over suspected examination malpractice detected during the conduct and marking of the papers.

“Instructions for affected candidates: Visit https://irreg.waec.org or click the "withheld/cancelled" button on the WAEC homepage.

“The page will display specific reasons for withholding the result and provide the next line of action,” it said.

WAEC also cautioned the public against fraudsters who claim to upgrade results for a fee, stressing that its database is secure and that all results can be independently verified.

Performance highlights

The results show mixed performance across the core subjects.

In English Language, 6,486 candidates, representing 55.94 per cent, obtained grades A1 to C6. For Core Mathematics, 6,675 candidates, representing 37.84 per cent, achieved A1 to C6, while 3,679 candidates (28.13 per cent) attained similar grades in Integrated Science.

Social Studies recorded the highest pass rate, with 8,131 candidates, representing 75.10 per cent, obtaining A1 to C6.

Lower grade distribution

At the lower end of the grading scale, 1,625 candidates (14.02 per cent) obtained grade D7 in English Language, while 1,926 candidates (10.92 per cent) recorded the same grade in Core Mathematics. For Integrated Science, 1,743 candidates (13.33 per cent) had D7, while 660 candidates (6.10 per cent) recorded D7 in Social Studies.

For grade E8, 1,604 candidates (13.83 per cent) were recorded in English Language, while 2,103 (11.92 per cent) obtained the same grade in Core Mathematics. Integrated Science recorded 2,413 candidates with E8, while 533 (4.92 per cent) were recorded in Social Studies.

A total of 1,879 candidates (16.21 per cent) obtained grade F9 in English Language, while 6,936 candidates (39.32 per cent) recorded F9 in Core Mathematics. In Integrated Science, 5,239 candidates (40.06 per cent) obtained F9, while 1,503 (13.88 per cent) recorded F9 in Social Studies.

WAEC said candidates with withheld results should follow the outlined procedures to address any issues, as investigations into malpractice cases continue.