The West African Examinations Council is facing mounting scrutiny over its 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results following complaints from school administrators and education stakeholders about alleged grading anomalies, technical difficulties and the rollout of computer-based testing.
The concerns emerged after some schools reported that high-performing students received lower grades in the 2026 WASSCE than expected based on their previous academic records and performance in other standardised examinations.
Sam Abdulazeez, Director of Impact House Model Schools in Mowe, Ogun State, said his school recorded a sharp decline in students’ WASSCE performance despite retaining its teaching staff, improving facilities and intensifying examination preparations.
He said all 45 candidates presented by the school for Mathematics in 2024 obtained A1. However, among 69 candidates in 2026, only about three or four secured A1 in Mathematics.
Abdulazeez also said some students who scored highly in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination did not achieve comparable grades in WASSCE.
The school director linked some of the concerns to the introduction of serialisation and computer-based testing, saying the school experienced technical problems during a WAEC mock examination.
He said the systems initially failed to connect to WAEC’s server, prompting the school to contact officials in Ogun and Lagos. The school was eventually allowed to conduct a paper-based examination.
Abdulazeez also alleged that some grades in the school’s 2025 WASSCE results later changed on the result portal, saying the experience contributed to concerns surrounding the 2026 results.
Another school administrator, who spoke anonymously, alleged that some students with strong UTME scores and previous academic records received D7, E8 and F9 grades in core WASSCE subjects. The administrator said two affected students who had secured admission to the University of Ibadan were recorded as failing Mathematics and English Language.
Educationist Fola Adekeye called on examination bodies to ensure that their processes and results met required standards of integrity. He also urged WAEC to improve its facilities and clearly communicate changes to examination methods and curricula.
Meanwhile, the Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, through its solicitors, Zuriel Law Practice, has threatened legal action against WAEC over alleged irregularities in the conduct and processing of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE.
The organisation asked WAEC to preserve electronic records, including candidate response databases, audit trails, server logs and scoring records. It also requested disclosure of the technical standards governing the 2026 CBE and proposed an independent audit of the examination platform.
The organisation gave WAEC 14 days from receipt of its demand to confirm preservation of the records and establish review procedures.
Its founder, Alex Onyia, also called for greater transparency around WAEC’s grading and standardisation processes, including disclosure of raw-score distributions and grade thresholds for major subjects.
However, WAEC has defended the integrity of the 2026 WASSCE results.
The council said the examination was conducted in accordance with its established standard operating procedures and relevant educational policies. WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the results underwent rigorous quality-assurance processes.
The examination body explained that candidates’ scripts passed through multiple levels of marking, moderation and auditing using standardised marking schemes supervised by subject experts.
WAEC urged candidates, parents and schools with concerns about their results to contact the council directly through its offices and verified communication channels rather than relying on unverified claims on social media.
The controversy comes amid wider scrutiny of Nigeria’s examination system following errors associated with the 2025 UTME, for which former JAMB Registrar Prof Ishaq Oloyede publicly apologised.
The latest WAEC dispute has therefore renewed calls from education stakeholders for greater transparency in examination administration, result processing and the adoption of new testing technologies.
