The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has cancelled subject results for 6,295 candidates and entire results for 653 others who participated in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, following widespread examination malpractice.
The sanctions, approved by the Ghana Examinations Committee at its 40th Meeting held on Wednesday, November 17, 2025, represent one of the highest recorded disciplinary actions in recent years and form part of a significant crackdown that also involves prosecution of teachers and examination officials.
John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at WAEC National Office, announced in a statement on Saturday, November 29, 2025, that the Council cancelled subject results for 6,295 candidates who brought foreign materials including prepared notes, textbooks and printed material into examination halls. An additional 653 candidates had their entire results cancelled for possession of mobile phones in examination halls, which is strictly prohibited.
The Council also withheld subject results for 908 candidates and entire results for 158 candidates for various suspected offences pending further investigation. Subject results of candidates from 185 schools have been withheld for alleged collusion, with WAEC working around the clock to ensure these results are published before the end of December 2025, depending on the outcome of ongoing investigations.
The integrity of the 2025 WASSCE, which saw a total of 461,736 candidates register across 1,021 schools, was seriously compromised by over 7,000 instances of malpractice that have now resulted in severe penalties. The total number of registrants included 207,415 males and 254,321 females, representing a 0.24 percent increase over the 2024 entry figure of 460,611. A total of 5,821 candidates, representing 1.26 percent of total registrants, were absent from the examination.
WAEC revealed that 35 persons, including 19 teachers, were found to have engaged in acts that compromised the integrity of the examination. So far, 19 of them have been arraigned before court and convicted to fines or terms of imprisonment. The remaining 16 are yet to be presented before the courts by the police.
Beyond what the courts may decide, WAEC confirmed that the list of teachers implicated will be presented to the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) for further disciplinary action. The Council's stern approach signals a renewed commitment to combating exam malpractice and protecting the credibility of Ghana's premier secondary school certification.
The 2025 WASSCE provisional results revealed alarming academic performance trends, with failure rates surging dramatically across all four core subjects compared to 2024. Analysis of official data shows that the percentage of candidates who failed Core Mathematics outright with Grade F9 nearly quadrupled, rising from 6.10 percent in 2024 to 26.77 percent in 2025.
Similarly, the failure rate for Social Studies almost tripled in a single year, from 9.55 percent in 2024 to 27.50 percent in 2025. The massive increase in F9 grades signals a dramatic downturn in foundational knowledge among candidates.
In terms of overall performance, a total of 220,008 students, representing 50.54 percent, failed Core Mathematics, while 209,068 students, representing 48.73 percent, passed the subject. For English Language, 131,097 students, representing 30.27 percent of the overall candidates, failed the subject, while 289,673 students, representing 69 percent, passed.
In Integrated Science, a total of 161,606 students, representing 39.87 percent, failed the subject, while 220,806 students, representing 57.74 percent, obtained grades ranging from A1 to C6.
WAEC has made login details available to heads of schools to enable them to access the results of their candidates. The results have been hosted online, and candidates who desire may access their provisional results at the Council's website, www.waecgh.org.
The Council cautioned all stakeholders to be wary of fraudsters who promise to upgrade results for a fee, reminding candidates that WAEC results are secured and can be authenticated using its results verification system.
Education stakeholders have expressed concern about the surge in examination malpractice and the declining academic performance, calling for comprehensive reforms to address systemic challenges in Ghana's secondary education sector. The sanctions demonstrate WAEC's determination to maintain examination integrity and uphold the credibility of the WASSCE certification, which serves as the primary qualification for tertiary education entry in Ghana and across West Africa.
The Council expressed sincere gratitude to stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, security agencies, heads of schools, supervisors, invigilators, examiners and all who in diverse ways supported it in the successful conduct of the examination and release of results.