WAEC Cancels 8,295 WASSCE 2026 Results Over Exam Irregularities in Ghana
- The West African Examinations Council released the provisional 2026 WASSCE results for over 512,000 school candidates in Ghana
- WAEC cancelled the results of thousands of candidates caught with foreign materials and mobile phones in examination halls
- Social Studies and Mathematics recorded notable improvements, but English Language continued its decline for the third straight year
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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, with thousands of students facing consequences for examination misconduct.
Source: UGC
A total of 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools sat the examination, made up of 225,270 males and 287,592 females.
The figure marks an 11.07 per cent rise compared to the 461,736 candidates who entered in 2025. WAEC noted that 5,049 candidates, representing 0.98 per cent of the total, were absent.
The Council confirmed that results have been uploaded online, with login credentials shared with school heads. Individual candidates can also check their results directly through the WAEC website.
8,295 candidates lose results to misconduct
The 42nd Meeting of the Ghana Examinations Committee, held on Friday, 7 August 2026, approved the cancellation of subject results for 7,434 candidates who brought foreign materials such as prepared notes, textbooks, and printed material into examination halls.
A further 861 candidates had their entire results cancelled after being found with mobile phones during the examination.
Beyond outright cancellations, WAEC withheld the subject results of 957 candidates and the full results of 270 others as investigations into suspected offences continue.
Subject results from 169 schools have also been withheld over alleged collusion, with investigations expected to conclude by 30 October 2026. Results from those schools will either be released or cancelled depending on the findings.
Candidates whose results were cancelled or withheld have been directed to visit the Council's irregularity and investigations platform for further information on their specific cases.
Subject performance: Gains and a worrying decline
Social Studies led all four core subjects, with 78.04 per cent of candidates earning grades between A1 and C6.
That result represents a significant jump from 55.82 per cent in 2025 and surpasses both the 71.53 per cent recorded in 2024 and 76.76 per cent in 2023.
Mathematics (Core) also recovered after a sharp dip in 2025, climbing from 48.73 per cent to 60.75 per cent, though still slightly below the 62.23 per cent achieved in 2023. Integrated Science improved from 57.74 per cent in 2025 to 62.08 per cent in 2026.
English Language was the only core subject to register a decline, falling from 69.00 per cent in 2025 to 62.40 per cent in 2026. WAEC described it as the only core subject to have declined consistently from 2023 through to 2026.
The Council used the occasion to warn candidates and the general public against fraudsters who claim they can upgrade examination results for a fee, stressing that its results are secured and verifiable through its results verification system and QR code authentication. Stakeholders were urged to disregard any such claims.
WAEC releases 2026 WASSCE provisional results
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released the provisional results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates.
A total of 512,862 candidates drawn from 1,022 schools sat the examination, made up of 225,270 males and 287,592 females. The figure marks an 11.07 per cent jump from the 461,736 candidates who entered the examination in 2025.
WAEC confirmed that 5,049 candidates, representing 0.98 per cent of the total entry, were absent from the examination.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
