BREAKING: WAEC Releases 2025 WASSCE Results, Withholds 192,000 Over Malpractice

THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially released the results of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, while withholding results of 192,089 candidates over alleged cases of examination malpractice.

Announcing the release at a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, WAEC’s Head of the Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, said the withheld results represent 9.75% of the total number of candidates, a decline from the 11.92% recorded in 2024.

“Despite the slight improvement, WAEC remains deeply concerned about the persistent use of mobile phones in examination halls and the rising trend of organised cheating in some schools,” Dangut stated.

Investigations Ongoing Into Malpractice Cases

According to WAEC, all cases of malpractice are currently under investigation and will be reviewed by the Council’s disciplinary committee.

“Affected candidates will be duly informed through their schools once the committee reaches a decision,” Dangut said.

He added that dissatisfied candidates may submit complaints through WAEC’s official portal: https://waecinternational.org/complaints.

Dangut reaffirmed WAEC’s zero-tolerance policy for examination malpractice, warning that schools, teachers, and students involved in cheating were undermining Nigeria’s education system.

“All hands must be on deck to sanitize the system,” he urged.

How to Check WAEC 2025 Results

The Council confirmed that the released results are being uploaded to www.waecdirect.org and will be accessible within 12 hours.

Candidates who have cleared their financial obligations to WAEC can check their results using the PIN and serial number on their Smart Identity Cards.

“Candidates are also encouraged to apply for their digital certificates, available 48 hours after checking results online. Hard copy certificates will be ready within 90 days,” Dangut said.

He, however, noted that candidates sponsored by indebted state governments would not be able to access their results until full payments are made.

Participation and Performance Statistics

A total of 1,973,365 candidates registered for the examination from 23,554 secondary schools across Nigeria, while 1,969,313 candidates actually sat for the exams.

Among them were 12,178 candidates with special needs, including those who were visually impaired, hearing-impaired, mentally or physically challenged.

WAEC confirmed that these candidates were adequately accommodated during the examinations and their results released alongside others.

Of the total candidates:

• 976,787 were male (49.6%)

• 992,526 were female (50.4%)

Key Performance Highlights

• 1,517,517 candidates (77.06%) had their results fully processed and released.

• 451,796 candidates (22.94%) have one or more subjects still being processed due to technical issues.

• 1,718,090 candidates (87.24%) obtained credits or higher in at least five subjects.

• 754,545 candidates (38.32%) obtained credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

WAEC noted a 33.8% decrease in performance compared to the 2024 results.

“We are making efforts to complete the processing of the remaining results within a few days,” Dangut assured.

WAEC Urges States to Clear Debts

The WAEC head appealed to state governments owing examination fees to settle their debts promptly so that affected students can access their results.

He emphasized that the 2025 WASSCE was also administered in Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, where the Nigerian secondary school curriculum is adopted.