The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, announcing that thousands of results have been cancelled or withheld due to examination irregularities.
A total of 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools registered for the examination, comprising 225,270 males and 287,592 females. This represents an 11.07 per cent increase compared to the 461,736 candidates who sat for the 2025 edition. WAEC further disclosed that 5,049 candidates, representing 0.98 per cent of the total entry, were absent.
In a statement dated September 4, the Council indicated that the results have been uploaded online, with login credentials to be provided to heads of schools for access. It added that investigations into reported cases of malpractice had concluded, leading to the cancellation or withholding of thousands of results.
The Council noted that the 42nd Meeting of the Ghana Examinations Committee, held on August 7, 2026, approved the cancellation of subject results for 7,434 candidates found to have brought foreign materials—including prepared notes, textbooks, and printed documents—into examination halls.
The entire results of 861 candidates were also cancelled for possessing mobile phones in examination halls. In addition, the subject results of 957 candidates and the entire results of 270 candidates have been withheld over various suspected offences. WAEC further said some subject results of candidates from 169 schools had been withheld over alleged collusion.
“These cases are still under investigation,” the Council said. It added that “the withheld results of these candidates may be released or cancelled depending on the outcome of investigations by October 30, 2026.”
Candidates whose results have been cancelled or withheld have been directed to visit WAEC’s irregularity and investigations platform to view the reasons for the action and information on the next steps. The Council said candidates who wish to access their results could do so through the WAEC Ghana website.
In the four core subjects, 315,094 candidates, representing 62.40 per cent, obtained grades between A1 and C6 in English Language. For Core Mathematics, 306,234 candidates, representing 60.75 per cent, obtained grades A1 to C6. In Integrated Science, 309,605 candidates, representing 62.08 per cent, obtained grades A1 to C6.
Social Studies recorded the highest performance among the four core subjects, with 393,918 candidates, representing 78.04 per cent, obtaining grades between A1 and C6. Meanwhile, 55,940 candidates obtained an F9 in English Language, representing 11.08 per cent.
In Core Mathematics, 74,692 candidates, representing 14.82 per cent, obtained F9, while 76,136 candidates, representing 15.27 per cent, obtained F9 in Integrated Science. For Social Studies, 39,416 candidates, representing 7.81 per cent, obtained F9.
WAEC also cautioned candidates and the public against fraudsters who may claim they can upgrade examination results for a fee. The Council said its results are secured and can be authenticated through its results verification system. It added that the WAEC QR code could be downloaded and used to verify results.
