A total of 1,200,514 candidates who sat for the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, according to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The figure represents 61.54 per cent of the 1,950,726 candidates who participated in the examination across Nigeria, the Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea.
WAEC announced the release of the results on Wednesday in Lagos through its Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, who said the performance reflected the outcome of the second edition of the computer-based examination for school candidates. He also noted that 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, regardless of whether English Language and Mathematics were included.
Despite the overall performance, WAEC reported a 1.42 percentage point decline in the number of candidates who achieved five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, compared to the 2025 examination. A gender breakdown showed that 558,883 males and 641,631 females met the benchmark, while overall participation included 997,267 female candidates and 953,459 male candidates.
The council disclosed that 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination, while 1,950,726 eventually sat for it. It added that 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, had their results fully processed and released, while 116,031 candidates (5.95 per cent) were still being processed.
WAEC also withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the examination, over alleged malpractice. Dr. Dangut said the infractions included the use of mobile phones in examination halls despite a ban and cases of organised cheating in some schools, adding that supervisors and invigilators implicated in malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary action.
