CBT best way to curb ‘miracle centres’, examination malpractice — WAEC official

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially released the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for school candidates. The results were announced on Wednesday via an update on WAEC's official X account, informing candidates that they could now check their scores online after generating or recovering their result checker PIN. Out of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat for the examination, 1,200,514 obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, achieving a pass rate of 61.54 percent. This marks a slight decrease from the 62.96 percent pass rate recorded in 2025. The examination, which took place between April 24 and June 19, 2026, saw approximately 1.96 million candidates from over 24,200 secondary schools across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea participate. While most centers used the traditional pen-and-paper format, a significantly larger number of schools opted for the computer-based testing (CBT) option. The results were released approximately 45 days after the last paper, aligning with WAEC’s usual schedule. About 1.83 million candidates had their results fully processed and released, while the remaining 116,031 were still undergoing processing. Candidates are required to first generate a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and serial number on the WAEC website (waec.org) before accessing their results on the result-checking portal (waecdirect.org). To do so, they must provide their examination number, National Identification Number (NIN), and contact details for OTP verification. Those who did not receive their PIN during registration can recover it by visiting waec.org, selecting the “Serial Number and PIN” menu, entering their examination number and NIN, and receiving a One-Time Password (OTP) via email or phone. Once the PIN and serial number are obtained, candidates can check their results through the WAEC website, the WAEC Result Checker mobile app, or via SMS. On the website, they should go to waecdirect.org, enter their 10-digit examination number, comprising a 7-digit centre number and a 3-digit candidate number, and select the examination year (2026) and type (School Candidate Result). After inputting their serial number and PIN, they can submit the request, and their result will appear on the screen. Results can also be viewed and downloaded through the WAEC Result Checker app, which is available on the Google Play Store. For those without internet access, candidates can send an SMS formatted as “WAEC ExaminationNumber PIN*ExaminationYear” to the official WAEC SMS number supported by their mobile network. Standard SMS charges apply. WAEC grades range from A1 to F9, with A1, B2, and B3 indicating distinction and merit, C4, C5, and C6 signifying credit passes, D7 and E8 representing ordinary passes below credit level, and F9 denoting failure. For admission into most Nigerian universities, candidates are generally expected to achieve at least five credit passes, including English Language and Mathematics, with C6 being the minimum acceptable credit grade for this purpose. However, the results of 167,486 candidates were withheld due to allegations of examination malpractice. This represents 8.59 percent of the total number of examinees, a decline from the 9.7 percent recorded in 2025. The Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, attributed the withheld results to the increasing use of mobile phones in examination halls despite a strict ban, as well as organized cheating in some schools. Some supervisors and invigilators who assisted in malpractice were arrested and will face disciplinary action through the relevant state ministries of education. Candidates whose results were withheld are advised to stay calm and avoid panic, as a withheld result does not necessarily mean the entire result has been canceled. They should contact their school principal or examination officer for guidance and use the official WAEC Notice of Examinations Malpractice portal at https://waecinternational.org/complaints to view the reasons for the notice and submit a defense. They should check the portal periodically, especially around four weeks after the results were released, for updates. It is crucial to rely only on official WAEC channels, including its website, verified social media accounts, and local offices, and to avoid paying agents or third parties who claim to offer fast-tracking services, as these are typically scams. Additionally, WAEC disclosed that the results of candidates sponsored by states indebted to the council may remain unreleased until outstanding payments are settled. Affected candidates and parents are urged to rely solely on verified information from WAEC and to refrain from sharing or acting on unverified lists or letters regarding mass-withheld results. The 2026 examination marked the second edition of the Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates, following the introduction of the format by WAEC. Innovations such as the Digital Examiner Mark System, serialization of question papers to deter malpractice, and a new portal allowing direct e-PIN generation were implemented to enhance transparency and efficiency. The examination was conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026, with 102,708 examiners involved in marking across 88 venues. Dangut, who described the briefing as his third and final engagement as WAEC Nigeria National Office head, emphasized that candidates sponsored by indebted states would not see their results released until debts were cleared.