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 securing credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The figure represents 61.54 per cent of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination, a 1.42 percentage-point decline from the 2025 performance. Announcing the results in Lagos on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, said 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea registered for the examination.
WAEC disclosed that 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent of participants, obtained credits in at least five subjects, with or without English Language and Mathematics. Of those who met the benchmark of five credits including the two core subjects, 641,631 were female candidates (32.89 per cent), while 558,883 were male candidates (28.65 per cent).
Overall participation stood at 997,267 female candidates (51.12 per cent) and 953,459 male candidates (48.88 per cent). The council said the results of 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent of participants, have been fully processed and released, while 116,031 results (5.95 per cent) remain under processing.
The examination body also recorded 1,213 candidates with special needs, including visually impaired candidates, candidates with hearing impairment, and those with physical and intellectual disabilities.
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WAEC withheld the results of 167,486 candidates over alleged examination malpractice, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the examination. The figure is lower than the 9.70 per cent recorded in 2025.
Dangut cited the continued use of mobile phones in examination halls and organized cheating in some schools as major concerns, adding that supervisors and invigilators found culpable would face sanctions.
The 2026 examination marked the second edition of the CB-WASSCE for School Candidates as WAEC deepens its digital transition. The council deployed the Digital Examiner Marking System (DEMS), serialized question papers and an electronic result-checking platform to improve processing speed and strengthen examination security.
WAEC said candidates can apply for digital certificates 48 hours after checking their results, while physical certificates will be available within 90 days. Registration for the 2026 WASSCE for Private Candidates (Second Series) is ongoing at ₦37,500, with walk-in registration available.
The examination was conducted from April 24 to June 19, 2026, with 102,708 examiners deployed across 88 marking centres. WAEC added that results of candidates sponsored by states with outstanding financial obligations to the council will remain withheld until the debts are cleared.