The West African Examinations Council is facing mounting criticism over its 2026 WASSCE results after schools and education stakeholders raised concerns about unexpectedly low grades, alleged technical glitches and possible irregularities linked to the examination body’s expanded use of computer-based testing and paper serialisation.
The controversy emerged after some schools reported sharp differences between students’ performance in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and their newly released WAEC results. At Impact House Model Schools in Mowe, Ogun State, the school director, Sam Abdulazeez, said more than 30 of its 69 candidates scored above 300 in the UTME, while none scored below 200.
However, he said the WAEC results showed a significant drop in performance, particularly in Mathematics and English Language. According to Abdulazeez, all 45 candidates presented by the school for Mathematics in 2024 obtained A1, but only about three or four of the 69 candidates recorded A1 in Mathematics in 2026.
He also said the school had experienced technical problems during a WAEC mock computer-based examination, forcing it to seek approval to conduct the actual examination on paper.
The concerns have extended beyond one school. Another school administrator, who requested anonymity, alleged that some students with strong UTME scores and previous academic records received D7, E8 and F9 grades in core subjects. The administrator claimed that two affected students who had already secured admission to the University of Ibadan were recorded as failing Mathematics and English in their WAEC results.
The Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation has also threatened legal action against WAEC over alleged irregularities in the conduct and processing of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE.
Through its solicitors, Zuriel Law Practice, the organisation demanded that WAEC preserve electronic records, including candidate response databases, system audit trails, server logs and scoring records. It also called for an independent audit of the computer-based examination platform and greater access to information about how affected candidates’ responses were recorded and graded.
The group gave WAEC 14 days from receipt of its demand to respond, warning that failure to engage could lead to court proceedings seeking disclosure, verification and human review of affected results.
Education stakeholders have meanwhile called for greater transparency. Fola Adekeye, an educationist, urged WAEC to ensure that its examination procedures and results meet the highest standards of integrity, while Alex Onyia, founder of the Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, called for the release of raw-score distributions and grade thresholds for major subjects.
Onyia also questioned how candidates who sat examinations under different conditions were standardised, particularly amid allegations of question leakage at some paper-based examination centres.
WAEC, however, has defended the credibility of the 2026 results and cautioned against relying on unverified claims circulating online.
The council’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the results were produced through rigorous quality-assurance procedures. WAEC said candidates’ scripts passed through multiple stages of marking, moderation and auditing using standardised marking schemes and vetted subject experts.
The examination body advised candidates, parents and schools with concerns about their results to contact WAEC through its official offices and verified communication channels rather than relying on social media claims.
The controversy comes less than two weeks after WAEC released the 2026 WASSCE results. The council reported that 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent of those who sat the examination, obtained credits in at least five subjects including English Language and Mathematics. It also withheld the results of 167,486 candidates over alleged examination malpractice.
With schools and education groups now demanding an independent review, pressure is mounting on WAEC to address the complaints and reassure candidates and parents that the 2026 results accurately reflect students’ performance.
