2025 WASSCE Results: WAEC flags rising social media language in exam scripts

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has raised several concerns about the performance of candidates who took part in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

According to Mr. John Kapi, Director of Public Affairs at WAEC, chief examiners observed that many students relied heavily on social media language and non-standard English in their answers across almost all subjects.

In the English Language paper, candidates struggled with vocabulary and the correct use of standard English.

In Social Studies, many were unable to adequately discuss key topics such as government policies and the economic impact of Ghana’s costly funerals.

Integrated Science scripts showed widespread spelling errors in scientific terms and difficulty with drawing or illustrating basic scientific concepts.

Mathematics also remained a major challenge, with many candidates unable to solve even simple calculations.

Mr. Kapi noted that this contributed significantly to the overall poor performance.

This year’s WASSCE recorded a noticeable decline, particularly in Core Mathematics, which saw the steepest drop.

The number of A1–C6 passes fell from 305,132 in 2024 to 209,068 in 2025,  a reduction of over 96,000 passes.

With a pass rate of just 48.73%, more than half of the candidates did not achieve the required grades for tertiary admission.