WAEC Reports Drop in 2025 WASSCE Results as Fewer Students Pass Core Subjects
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced a major decline in student performance in the 2025 May/June WASSCE exams. According to the council, only 754,545 out of 1,969,313 students who took the exam earned credit passes in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. This represents just 38.32% of candidates, dropping sharply from the 72.12% success rate recorded in 2024.
Dr Amos Dangut, Head of WAEC’s National Office, shared the news during a briefing in Lagos, citing poor preparation and increased exam malpractice as key reasons for the dip in results. “The number of candidates who met the minimum requirement for university admission has dropped significantly,” he said.
The 2025 WASSCE involved nearly equal numbers of male (976,787) and female (992,526) students. However, the exam period faced delays and disruptions, with some students taking key papers like English Language late at night.
WAEC has also withheld the results of students whose exam fees were paid by state governments that have yet to fulfill their financial obligations. “Their results will not be released until the debts are cleared,” Dr Dangut stated.
Of greater concern is the issue of malpractice. A total of 192,089 results—representing 9.75% of all entries—are currently withheld due to suspected cheating. These cases involve smuggling phones into halls and spreading leaked questions on social media. Although the malpractice rate dropped slightly from 11.92% last year, the council continues to battle online fraud networks offering fake exam materials.
Dr Dangut noted that WAEC is now using Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for subjects like English, Mathematics, Biology, and Economics, which has helped reduce cheating to some extent. He also expressed concerns over rising exam costs, blaming inflation, fuel prices, and printing expenses.
Despite the challenges, WAEC confirmed that all 12,178 candidates with special needs had their results released. These students included those with visual, hearing, and physical impairments.
Students can now check their results online within 12 hours at www.waec.org using their Smart Identity Cards. Digital certificates can also be downloaded and verified on the same platform, while physical certificates will be sent to schools later.
Dr Dangut ended by thanking the Federal Government, school leaders, and security agencies for their support in conducting the exams.
