The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, with thousands of results cancelled or withheld over suspected examination malpractice.
A total of 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools took part in the examination, comprising 225,270 males and 287,592 females. The number represents an 11.07 per cent increase compared with the 461,736 candidates who registered for the 2025 examination.
WAEC said 5,049 candidates, representing 0.98 per cent of the total number of registered candidates, were absent from the examination.
In a statement issued on September 4, the Council said the results had been made available online. Heads of participating schools are expected to receive login details to access the results of their candidates.
However, WAEC said investigations into cases of examination irregularities recorded during the exercise had led to the cancellation or withholding of the results of several candidates.
The Ghana Examinations Committee, at its 42nd meeting held on August 7, 2026, approved the cancellation of subject results of 7,434 candidates who were found to have brought foreign materials, including prepared notes, textbooks and printed materials, into examination halls.
The entire results of another 861 candidates were cancelled after they were found in possession of mobile phones during the examination.
WAEC also withheld the subject results of 957 candidates and the entire results of 270 others over various suspected offences. Results from candidates in 169 schools have also been withheld over alleged collusion, with investigations still ongoing.
The Council said the affected results could either be released or cancelled by October 30, 2026, depending on the outcome of the investigations.
Meanwhile, Social Studies recorded the strongest performance among the four core subjects, with 78.04 per cent of candidates obtaining grades A1 to C6.
English Language recorded a pass rate of 62.40 per cent, followed by Integrated Science at 62.08 per cent and Core Mathematics at 60.75 per cent.
WAEC has urged candidates to be cautious of fraudsters promising to upgrade results for money, stressing that its results are secured and can be verified through its official verification system and QR code.
