THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE First Series for Private Candidates, showing that just 32.72 per cent of candidates secured the minimum requirement of five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
WAEC private candidates are individuals who register independently to take the WASSCE, commonly known as the General Certificate Examination (GCE) or WAEC designed for those who are not enrolled in regular secondary schools or who wish to retake the WASSCE.
The examination was conducted between October 25 and December 20, 2024. It introduced a new computer-based hybrid mode alongside the traditional paper and pen option.
WAEC announced a new initiative in January 2025, allowing students to resit their WASSCE papers quickly instead of waiting for nearly a year to resit for the examination.
Announcing the result, the council said out of 10,480 candidates who sat for the examination conducted between January 28 and February 14 nationwide, only 3,429 met the benchmark, highlighting persistent performance gaps despite marginal improvement.
“The performance improvement is the result of better preparation by candidates and our continued efforts to enhance the conduct of examinations. We remain committed to promoting academic excellence and maintaining the integrity of our processes,” WAEC said.
A breakdown of candidates who did well in the examination shows 1,847 males and 1,582 females, representing 53.86 per cent and 46.14 per cent, respectively.
Although WAEC described the outcome as encouraging, the data reflects a system still grappling with low success rates. It noted that the result marked a 5.76 percentage point increase from 26.96 per cent recorded in 2025, suggesting incremental progress rather than a significant turnaround.
WAEC attributed the improvement to better candidate preparation and reforms in examination conduct, reiterating its commitment to maintaining credibility and academic standards across the region.
“Our goal is to ensure that all candidates, whether private or school-based, are provided with fair and credible examinations that uphold regional standards. We congratulate the candidates who met the benchmark and encourage those who did not to continue striving for success,” the exam body added.
WAEC disclosed that it withheld the results of 75 candidates over alleged malpractice, noting that the cases were under investigation, with final decisions to be taken by the council’s relevant committee.
The examination body said affected candidates would be notified once due process is completed.
The ICIR reported that the council withheld the results of 2,577 in the 2024 Second Series results for private candidates over alleged examination malpractice.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.