The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) announced that 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools will sit the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), a rise of 11.07 per cent over the 461,736 who registered in 2025.
The cohort is split between 287,592 females and 225,270 males. WAEC also noted that 5,049 candidates, or 0.98 per cent of the total, were absent from the examination.
Preliminary results show that 78.04 per cent of candidates scored between A1 and C6 in Social Studies, the highest among the core subjects. English Language and Integrated Science followed with 62.40 per cent and 62.08 per cent respectively, while Mathematics (Core) recorded 60.75 per cent.
WAEC’s four‑year trend indicates fluctuating performance in Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies, with English Language showing a gradual decline.
The Council warned candidates against fraudsters offering result upgrades for a fee and urged them to use the official results verification system.
Students and parents will now await the final results, which are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
