WAEC Under Pressure as Schools Question 2026 WASSCE Grades, Demand Independent Probe

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is facing mounting pressure from school administrators and education stakeholders over the credibility of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, amid allegations of grading irregularities.
Several school heads have raised concerns over cases where students who performed strongly in other standardised examinations, particularly the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), reportedly received WASSCE grades that did not reflect their previous academic performance.
The concerns have renewed questions about WAEC’s marking, computer-based testing (CBT) and serialisation processes.
Sam Abdulazeez, a school director, said his institution had recorded a significant decline in WASSCE performance in 2025 and 2026 despite improvements in teaching staff, facilities and examination preparation.
The school, which has presented candidates for WASSCE since 2017, previously recorded strong performances in Mathematics and English Language. In 2024, all 45 candidates presented by the school for Mathematics reportedly obtained A1.
However, Abdulazeez said the trend changed after the introduction of CBT and serialisation.
Of the 69 candidates the school presented for the 2026 UTME, more than 30 scored above 300, while none scored below 200. He attributed the performance partly to 22 mock UTME sessions organised to familiarise students with the computer-based examination format.
Despite the strong UTME results, only three or four students reportedly obtained A1 in Mathematics in the 2026 WASSCE, compared with the near-universal success recorded in previous years.
A similar pattern was reported in English Language, where most candidates allegedly received B2 and B3 grades, with only a few obtaining credits.
Abdulazeez said the disparity coincided with technical difficulties experienced during a WAEC-supervised mock CBT exercise shortly before the main examination.
According to him, the school’s systems reportedly failed to connect to WAEC’s servers on two consecutive attempts. WAEC subsequently allowed the school to take the affected examination using the paper-based format, despite the school having already been listed on the CBT platform.
He also raised concerns about the 2025 WASSCE results, alleging that some grades on the results portal appeared to change after publication, with some candidates’ results reportedly moving from B to A1 and others from C to B.
The school director said he delayed releasing this year’s results because he expected a similar revision, although he said no such adjustment subsequently occurred.
He further questioned whether serialisation, which involves the use of different versions of examination papers, may have contributed to the reported anomalies.
According to him, the sharpest declines were concentrated in subjects that use serialised papers, including Mathematics, English Language, Economics and Biology, while subjects without serialisation did not show a similar pattern.
A second school administrator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also alleged that some students with strong UTME scores and good academic records were awarded D7, E8 and F9 in core subjects.
Two affected candidates, the administrator claimed, had already secured admission to the University of Ibadan but were recorded as having failed Mathematics and English Language in WASSCE.
The administrators and education advocates are now calling for an independent review of the 2026 WASSCE results.
Abdulazeez rejected suggestions that the decline could be attributed to inadequate student preparation following the transition to CBT, arguing that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has administered computer-based examinations for years without similar concerns over widespread disruptions to students’ results.
Fola Adekeye, an educationist, urged WAEC to proactively protect the integrity of its examination processes and address concerns raised by candidates and schools.
He stressed that examination results play a critical role in determining students’ access to universities and other higher institutions, as well as their future career opportunities.
The latest concerns come after the Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation threatened legal action against WAEC over the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) results.
Through Zuriel Law Practice, represented by Chinwe Onubugo, the foundation demanded an independent verification of the results and greater transparency in the review process.
The organisation also demanded that WAEC, within 14 days of receiving its letter, confirm that all electronic and documentary records relating to the 2026 CB-WASSCE had been preserved in their original and unaltered form.
WAEC, however, has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the integrity of its assessment processes and protecting the interests of candidates.
Moyosola Adesina, Head of Public Affairs at WAEC’s National Office in Yaba, Lagos, said the council was aware of public criticism surrounding the recently released 2026 WASSCE results.
“The council has observed with concern the recent wave of public commentary, particularly from content creators and social media commentators, questioning the accuracy and credibility of the recently released results of the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026,” Adesina said in a statement issued on behalf of the Head of the National Office.
She said WAEC welcomed constructive scrutiny but insisted that the 2026 results were produced through rigorous and quality-assured processes.
“While WAEC welcomes constructive scrutiny as part of its accountability to candidates, parents, schools, and the wider public, it wishes to state unequivocally that this year’s results were produced through the same rigorous, transparent, and quality-assured processes that have guided the council’s operations for decades,” she said.
WAEC also advised the public to refrain from relying on unverified claims circulating on social media.
The controversy is expected to persist as affected schools, parents and education stakeholders seek greater clarity on the processes used to determine the 2026 WASSCE results and call for an independent assessment of the disputed grades.