The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has revealed that only 38.32% of candidates who sat for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) obtained credit passes in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
This figure represents a significant drop compared to the 72.12% recorded in 2024, marking a 33.8% decline in overall performance.
The announcement was made by Amos Dangut, Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, during a press briefing on Monday, August 4, in Lagos, where he officially released the results for school candidates.
“Out of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat the examination, 1,718,090 — representing 87.24% — obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, with or without English Language and/or Mathematics. However, only 754,545 candidates, or 38.32%, earned credits in at least five subjects including English and Mathematics,” Dangut stated.
Of those who met the benchmark, 347,192 (46.01%) were male, while 407,353 (53.99%) were female.
A total of 1,969,313 students from 23,554 accredited secondary schools across Nigeria took part in the exam. Among them were 12,178 candidates with special needs, including those with visual and hearing impairments, who were accommodated during the exams.
The gender breakdown showed 976,787 male candidates (49.60%) and 992,526 female candidates (50.40%).
Despite some logistical challenges and delays at a few centres, Dangut described the conduct of the examination as largely successful, crediting cooperation from federal and state education ministries, security agencies, and other stakeholders.
He noted that WAEC’s use of serialized objective test questions—where candidates receive different versions—helped curb malpractice but may have contributed to the performance dip.
“While performance in the essay papers remained steady compared to previous years, the objective papers recorded a slight but noticeable decline,” he added.
Of the total candidates, 1,517,517 (77.06%) had their results fully processed and released, while 451,796 (22.94%) are still being processed due to various issues under investigation.
Regarding exam malpractice, WAEC reported that the results of 192,089 candidates (9.75%) are currently being withheld, pending the outcome of investigations—a slight improvement from the 11.92% recorded in 2024. The Council flagged rising concerns about the use of mobile phones and the activities of organized cheating networks.
WAEC also reiterated its commitment to transitioning to fully computer-based testing for school candidates by 2026, after beginning a phased rollout for private candidates in 2025.
The Council encouraged candidates to apply for digital certificates, which will be available within 48 hours of result release. It also urged indebted state governments to settle outstanding payments so affected candidates can access their results.
