The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates.
The examination body announced that 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credit passes in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Speaking during the official release of the results in Lagos on Wednesday, the Head of the WAEC National Office, Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, said the performance represents a 1.42 per cent decline compared to the 2025 results.
A total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 candidates sat for the exercise conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026.
According to WAEC, 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credit passes in at least five subjects, with or without English Language and Mathematics.
Among those who secured five credits, including English and Mathematics, 558,883 (28.65 per cent) were male, while 641,631 (32.89 per cent) were female.
Overall, 953,459 males (48.88 per cent) and 997,267 females (51.12 per cent) participated in the examination.
Dr Dangut disclosed that 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, have had their results fully processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates (5.95 per cent) are still being processed.
WAEC also recorded 1,213 candidates with special needs, including 137 visually impaired, 491 hearing impaired, 55 spastic and mentally challenged, and 41 physically challenged candidates.
The Council withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent, over alleged examination malpractice.
According to Dr Dangut, the figure is 1.11 per cent lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.
“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues,” he said.
He added that supervisors and invigilators found aiding examination malpractice had been apprehended and would be sanctioned through their respective State Ministries of Education.
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Dr Dangut noted that the 2026 examination was the second edition of the computer-based WASSCE for school candidates.
He said WAEC also deployed the Digital Examiner Mark System (DEMS) to speed up result processing and introduced serialised question papers to curb examination malpractice.
The Council also launched a new portal that enables candidates to generate electronic PINs directly for checking their results.
Candidates can now apply for digital certificates within 48 hours of checking their results through www.waecdirect.org.
WAEC further announced that registration for the 2026 Second Series WASSCE for Private Candidates is ongoing at ₦37,500, while walk-in registration remains available.
The examination body also said its compiled past questions and answers are available at ₦5,200 per subject combination.
Candidates are expected to access their results online within 12 hours, while hard-copy certificates will be ready within 90 days.
The examination scripts were marked by 102,708 examiners across 88 marking centres nationwide.
WAEC added that the results of candidates sponsored by state governments that are indebted to the Council will remain withheld until the outstanding payments are settled.
