The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates, with 1,200,514 candidates obtaining the minimum benchmark of five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
Announcing the results on Wednesday at WAEC’s National Office in Yaba, Lagos, the Head of the Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, described the successful conduct of the examination as another major milestone in the council’s digital transformation drive.
He noted that WAEC has further strengthened its position as the first examining body in Africa to successfully conduct a computer-based achievement examination for school candidates.
According to Dangut, a total of 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 secondary schools registered for the 2026 examination, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually participated.
The examination was conducted over eight weeks, from April 24 to June 19, 2026.
He disclosed that the results of 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent of those who sat for the examination, have been fully processed and released.
The remaining 116,031 results are still undergoing processing due to unresolved issues. Dangut assured affected candidates that their results would be released once all necessary procedures are completed.
61.54% Meet University Admission Benchmark
Providing a breakdown of candidates’ performance, the WAEC boss revealed that 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics—the basic requirement for admission into most tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
He said the outcome reflects the determination and resilience of candidates despite the various challenges encountered during the examination period.
Education stakeholders, he added, are expected to analyse the results to identify performance trends and areas requiring further intervention to improve learning outcomes.
Over 167,000 Results Withheld for Examination Malpractice
WAEC also announced that 167,486 candidates had their results withheld over alleged involvement in examination malpractice.
Dangut explained that the affected cases are currently being investigated by the council’s relevant committees before final decisions are taken.
He, however, noted that the figure represents a 1.11 percentage-point reduction compared to the previous year’s record, suggesting that measures introduced to combat examination malpractice are beginning to produce positive results.
He warned that the council would continue to sanction candidates, schools, supervisors and invigilators found guilty of violating examination regulations.
Council Expands Digital Innovations
Highlighting improvements in examination administration, Dangut said WAEC has introduced several technology-driven initiatives to enhance efficiency and safeguard the integrity of its examinations.
These include the deployment of the Digital Examiner Marking System (DEMS), enhanced paper serialisation and the replacement of traditional scratch cards with an online electronic PIN generation platform for result checking.
According to him, the innovations are designed to improve security, streamline operations and provide candidates with easier access to their examination results.
## Operational Challenges Persist
Despite the successful conduct of the examination, the WAEC boss acknowledged that the council encountered several operational challenges.
He identified logistics delays, rising operational costs driven by inflation, late registration by some schools and the activities of fraudulent websites circulating fake examination questions as some of the major obstacles experienced during the exercise.
Dangut commended the Federal Government, security agencies, school administrators, supervisors, invigilators and other stakeholders for their support, which contributed to the successful conduct of the examination nationwide.
Result Checking Begins Immediately
Candidates whose results have been released can begin checking them through WAEC’s official online result portal.
Dangut further announced that digital certificates for successful candidates will be available within 48 hours after result checking, while physical certificates will be ready for collection within 90 days.
He advised candidates to disregard fraudulent individuals and websites claiming to upgrade or alter examination results, stressing that only WAEC’s official platforms are authorised for accessing examination results and certificates.
The release of the 2026 CB-WASSCE results marks another significant step in WAEC’s adoption of technology-driven assessment, reinforcing the council’s commitment to improving the credibility, efficiency and accessibility of public examinations across Nigeria.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.