SHS students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE)
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Saturday, November 29, 2025, released the provisional results for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, triggering alarm with a catastrophic decline in performance across key core subjects, particularly Mathematics.
Data released by WAEC shows a staggering drop in the percentage of candidates achieving grades A1 to C6 in Core Mathematics, falling by nearly 18 percentage points compared to the previous year.
The results also unveiled a disturbing integrity crisis, with over 7,000 candidates penalised and nearly 40 educational personnel facing criminal charges for exam malpractice.
The results were contained in a press release by John Kapi, Head of Public Relations at WAEC and represent only the Ghana version.
Catastrophic Slump in Core Subjects
The comparative statistics from the four-year trend analysis (2022-2025) confirm a sharp reversal of gains made in previous years, casting a shadow over the performance of the 461,736 candidates who registered from 1,021 schools.
The steepest drop was recorded in the two mandatory numeracy and humanities subjects:
- Core Mathematics: Only 48.73% of candidates attained grades A1 to C6 in 2025. This represents a massive collapse from the 66.86% achieved in 2024. A total of 209,068 candidates passed with A1-C6, but 114,872 candidates (26.77%) failed the subject outright with an F9 grade.
- Social Studies: Performance dropped significantly to 55.82% passing with A1-C6 , down from the 71.53% recorded in 2024. This leaves 122,449 candidates (27.50%) failing the subject.
Performance in the remaining core subjects also saw declines:
| Subject | 2024 Pass Rate (A1-C6) | 2025 Pass Rate (A1-C6) |
| English Language | 69.52% | 69.00% (289,673 candidates) |
| Integrated Science | 58.77% | 57.74% (220,806 candidates) |
The Council noted that the four-year period from 2022-2025 has shown “fluctuating trends in performance of candidates in all the core subjects”.
Sanctions and the Integrity Crisis
The provisional results were released with a heavy caveat: a large number of results were withheld or outright cancelled due to widespread examination irregularities.
The Ghana Examinations Committee, at its 40th meeting on November 17, 2025, approved severe sanctions, impacting thousands of candidates:
- Subject Results Cancelled: 6,295 candidates had their subject results cancelled for offenses such as bringing foreign material (notes, textbooks, and printed material) into the examination hall.
- Entire Results Cancelled: 653 candidates had their entire results annulled for the possession of mobile phones in the examination halls.
- Withheld Results: The Subject Results of 908 candidates and the Entire Results of 158 candidates have been withheld for various suspected offences.
Furthermore, the subject results of candidates from 185 schools have been withheld for alleged collusion, with investigations still ongoing. WAEC has pledged to publish these withheld results before the end of December 2025, contingent on the outcome of investigations.
Teachers and Examiners Face Prosecution
Perhaps the most damning finding is the involvement of supervisors and invigilators in compromising the examination’s integrity.
A total of 35 persons, including 19 teachers, were found to have engaged in such acts.
Legal action has already commenced against those involved:
- Convictions Secured: 19 of the individuals have already been arraigned before court, resulting in convictions that led to fines or terms of imprisonment.
- Pending Cases: The remaining 16 persons are yet to be presented before the courts by the police.
WAEC confirmed that the list of convicted teachers will be handed over to the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) for further disciplinary action beyond the court’s verdict.
WASSCE 2025 Entry Data
The 2025 examination saw a total of 461,736 candidates register, representing a slight 0.24% increase over the 2024 entry figure of 460,611.
| Demographic Data | Figure | Percentage |
| Total Registered Candidates | 461,736 | 100% |
| Female Candidates | 254,321 | 55.08% |
| Male Candidates | 207,415 | 44.92% |
| Total Schools | 1,021 | N/A |
| Absent Candidates | 5,821 | 1.26% |
Candidates who sat for the examination can access their results online at the Council’s website, www.waecgh.org. WAEC cautioned stakeholders to ignore fraudsters who promise to upgrade results for a fee, noting that their results are secured and can be authenticated using its verification system.
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