The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, found itself in the midst of a significant grading controversy following the release of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results. A “deeply embarrassing” error in the marking process, specifically affecting serialised papers in key subjects like English Language, Mathematics, Biology, and Economics, led to a substantial distortion of student performance statistics. WAEC’s Head of Nigeria, Dr. Amos Dangut, publicly apologized to all affected parties, acknowledging the emotional distress the situation caused candidates, parents, educators, and other stakeholders. The council promptly initiated a thorough review and correction process to rectify the grading discrepancies and ensure accurate results were released.
The root of the problem stemmed from a novel security measure implemented by WAEC – paper serialisation. This system, already in use by another national examination body, involved assigning unique codes to examination papers. However, a critical error occurred during the marking of the English Language Objective Test (Paper 3). The wrong serialised code file was used, resulting in the application of incorrect answer keys. This affected the grading of a substantial number of papers. Fortunately, candidates who opted for the computer-based examination were unaffected by this error, highlighting a potential advantage of digitally administered assessments.
Following the correction of the grading error, the revised results painted a significantly different picture of student performance. The percentage of candidates achieving credit and above in at least five subjects, including or excluding English and Mathematics, rose to 91.14%, representing 1,794,821 candidates. More specifically, 1,239,884 candidates, or 62.96%, secured credits in five subjects including English and Mathematics. This marked a substantial improvement from the initially reported 38.32% but still represented a 9.16% decline compared to the 2024 WASSCE results. The gender breakdown revealed a slight majority of female candidates (53.05%) achieved this benchmark, compared to 46.95% of male candidates.
The 2025 WASSCE saw a total of 1,969,313 candidates participate, including students from Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, countries that utilize the Nigerian curriculum. Notably, WAEC also facilitated the participation of 12,178 special needs candidates, ensuring appropriate accommodations were provided for those with visual, hearing, physical, and cognitive impairments. Of the total candidates, the vast majority (1,763,470 or 89.55%) had their results fully processed and released. However, approximately 10.45% (205,916 candidates) experienced delays due to technical issues. WAEC assured stakeholders that these outstanding results would be processed and released as quickly as possible.
Despite the grading discrepancies, WAEC maintained its firm stance against examination malpractice. Results for 191,053 candidates (9.7%) were withheld pending investigations into alleged malpractice. This figure represented a decrease from the 11.92% recorded in the previous year. The council reiterated its commitment to upholding the integrity of the examination process and urged all stakeholders to collaborate in combating malpractice. Affected candidates were advised to utilize the official WAEC complaints portal to lodge any grievances.
In the aftermath of the grading error and subsequent corrections, WAEC emphasized its commitment to transparency and accountability. Candidates were directed to the official WAEC portal to access their results and apply for digital certificates, available within 48 hours of result verification. Hard copy certificates were expected to be ready within 90 days. However, candidates sponsored by state governments with outstanding debts to WAEC faced potential delays in accessing their results. The council urged the relevant authorities to fulfill their financial obligations to ensure timely access to results for affected candidates and schools. WAEC expressed gratitude to the Federal Government, the Minister of Education, and state education authorities for their support throughout the review and resolution process, reiterating its dedication to preventing similar incidents in the future.
