By DAYO ADESULU
Published: August 8, 2025
In a press briefing held at the National Office in Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, the Head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), announced the reviewed results for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates 2025. The announcement comes in the wake of discrepancies discovered in the grading process that affected the initial results release.
Dr. Dangut opened the briefing with a somber tone, acknowledging the emotional impact the situation has had on candidates and stakeholders. He explained that on August 4, WAEC had initially released the results for the examination, which saw a record 1,969,313 candidates participating. This included 976,787 males and 992,526 females, indicating a near-even gender distribution.
However, following an internal review, the Council uncovered issues with the grading of serialized papers, particularly in the English Language Objective Tests. This error, attributed to the incorrect use of a serialized code file, resulted in candidates receiving incorrect scores. While the impact was significant, candidates who took the examination via computer-based mode were unaffected.
The initial results indicated that 1,718,090 candidates, or 87.24%, achieved credit and above in at least five subjects, but only 754,545 candidates (38.32%) met the same criteria including English Language and Mathematics. Dr. Dangut noted a concerning 33.8% decrease in performance compared to the previous year, which he linked to the grading errors.
In the revised results, WAEC reported that 1,794,821 candidates (91.14%) obtained credit in at least five subjects, and 1,239,884 (62.96%) achieved this benchmark including English Language and Mathematics. Despite this improvement, the overall performance showed a 9.16% decline compared to 2024.
The Council also reported that 191,053 candidates, representing 9.7% of the total, have had their results withheld due to allegations of examination malpractice. This figure marks a decrease from the previous year, indicating ongoing efforts to combat examination irregularities. The Council reiterated its commitment to investigating these cases thoroughly.
Dr. Dangut assured candidates that they could access their results through the WAEC portal (www.waecdirect.org) within twelve hours. He also noted that candidates should apply for their digital certificates, which would be available 48 hours after results are checked. Hard copies of certificates are expected to be ready within 90 days.
In closing, Dr. Dangut expressed gratitude to the Nigerian government and educational stakeholders for their support during this challenging time. He urged all parties to continue collaborating to enhance the integrity of the examination process, acknowledging the embarrassment the situation has caused and reaffirming WAEC’s commitment to preventing such issues in the future.
The results for the 2025 WASSCE are now being uploaded to the results website, and WAEC encourages candidates to check their results and apply for their digital certificates promptly.
