The performance of school candidates in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) has fluctuated over the past four years, particularly in the core subjects from 2022 to 2025. The provisional results for the 2025 WASSCE, released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Saturday, indicate the lowest performance in all four core subjects during this four-year period. The core subjects include English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social Studies.
The results fluctuating trend.
A total of 461,736 candidates from 1,021 schools took the examination this year. This represents a slight increase of 0.24 percent compared to the 460,611 candidates who registered in 2024. However, Core Mathematics saw a significant decline in performance. Only 48.73 percent of candidates achieved grades A1 to C6 in 2025, down from 66.86 percent in 2024, marking a drop of 18.13 percentage points.
This year’s performance is also lower than the 61.39 percent recorded in 2022 and 62.23 percent in 2023. In 2021, 54.11 percent of candidates passed Mathematics, making the 2025 results the lowest in the reviewed period. Of the candidates, 207,415 were males and 254,321 were females. Additionally, a total of 114,872 candidates received a grade F9 in Mathematics, accounting for 26.77 percent of all candidates.
Social Studies recorded a similar drop.
A total of 55.82 per cent of candidates obtained grades A1 to C6 in 2025, compared with 71.53 per cent in 2024. This 15.71 point fall makes the 2025 outcome the lowest since 2021, when 66.03 per cent passed.
The subject reached its highest result in 2023 with 76.76 per cent. The 2025 figure is 20.94 points lower.
In all, 122,449 candidates failed Social Studies with grade F9 in 2025. This represents 27.5 per cent of the candidates.
English Language remained stable. A total of 69 per cent of candidates obtained grades A1 to C6 in 2025, compared with 69.52 per cent in 2024. The subject reached its highest outcome in 2023 with 73.11 per cent. The 2025 result is above the 60.39 per cent recorded in 2022 and the 54.08 per cent posted in 2021.
Integrated Science recorded a fall to 57.74 percent in 2025, down from 58.77 per cent in 2024. The subject has now dropped from the 66.82 per cent recorded in 2023 and remains lower than the 62.45 per cent posted in 2022. In 2021, 65.7 per cent passed Integrated Science, making 2025 the weakest result in the four-year period.
The data shows that 2023 remains the strongest year for all core subjects. The decline began in 2024 and worsened in 2025. The 2025 results are now lower than the 2021 outcomes in Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social Studies. The English Language remains above the 2021 level, although the subject has seen a drop from the 2023 peak.
Of the 461,736 candidates who registered for the 2025 examination, 5,821 were absent. This represents 1.26 per cent. In 2021, 3,545 candidates were absent, representing 0.79 per cent. A total of 207,415 male candidates and 254,321 female candidates wrote the 2025 examination.
The Council has cautioned the public against fraudsters who claim they can change results for a fee. It said all WAEC results are secured and can be checked through the Council’s verification system.
Source: Mohammed Ali