WAEC Under Pressure as Schools Query 2026 WASSCE Grades

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is facing mounting pressure from school administrators and education stakeholders over the credibility of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, amid allegations of grading irregularities.

Several school heads say students who performed strongly in other standardised tests, particularly the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), were awarded grades in WASSCE that did not reflect their academic standing, reviving questions about the reliability of the council’s marking and serialisation processes.

Both administrators, along with education advocates, are calling on WAEC to open an independent review of the 2026 results.

An education advocacy group, the Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, has given WAEC 14 days to address concerns over the credibility of the 2026 WASSCE results or face legal action.

Through its lawyers, the group said it received complaints from a “substantial number” of candidates over the “accuracy, reliability and verifiability” of their computer-based WASSCE results.

The group wants WAEC to preserve all electronic and documentary records connected to the examination, including candidate responses, examination-session records, system audit trails, server and application logs, scoring databases and result-generation records.

It also wants affected candidates to have access to their electronic examination records and information showing how their final grades were calculated. [nigeriainfo](https://www.nigeriainfo.fm/news/national/education-group-threatens-to-sue-waec-over-2026-wassce-results/)

The group further called for an independent review by experts in educational assessment and information technology to determine whether the computer-based examination and result-processing systems worked properly.

“Given the systemic nature of the concerns being reported, our client respectfully proposes that WAEC, in consultation with appropriate independent educational assessment and information-technology experts, establish an independent verification exercise,” the lawyers said.

“WAEC has 14 days to respond and take appropriate action, failing which we will proceed with litigation,” Onyia wrote.

WAEC released the 2026 WASSCE results on August 5, 2026.It said 1,950,726 candidates sat for the examination from 24,207 schools, while 1,200,514 candidates, or 61.54 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

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The council has rejected the concerns about the results, saying they were produced through established marking, moderation and auditing processes.

WAEC said it had noticed a “recent wave of public commentary” questioning the accuracy and credibility of the results and urged the public not to rely on unverified claims.

In a statement issued by its Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, WAEC said the 2026 WASSCE for School Candidates was conducted in line with its established standard operating procedures and relevant educational policies, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.

“While the Council welcomes constructive scrutiny as part of its accountability to candidates, parents, schools, and the wider public, it wishes to state unequivocally that this year’s results were produced through the same rigorous, transparent, and quality-assured processes that have guided the Council’s operations for decades,” the statement said.

The council explained that every candidate’s script undergoes several stages of marking, moderation and auditing before results are released.

WAEC also said it had established channels through which candidates and other stakeholders could raise concerns or seek clarification about their results.

“WAEC maintains clear procedures for addressing queries or grievances,” the statement added, noting that guidance on query resolution was available through its offices nationwide and its verified online communication channels.

The council advised members of the public with concerns about the results to contact it directly through its offices or verified communication channels rather than relying on social media speculation.

According to WAEC, 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent of those who sat the examination, had their results fully processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates, representing 5.95 per cent, were still being processed due to unresolved issues.

WAEC is yet to respond publicly to the specific allegations raised by the affected schools.