The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has moved to reassure candidates, parents and schools about the credibility of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results following concerns over unexpectedly poor performances recorded by some students.

The concerns were raised by several schools and education stakeholders, particularly over results in subjects such as English Language and Mathematics, with some schools saying the grades obtained by their students appeared inconsistent with their previous academic performances.

Speaking during a virtual dialogue organised by the Education Writers Association of Nigeria (EWAN) on Thursday, the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, maintained that the council’s examination, marking, processing and moderation procedures remained credible.

The dialogue, which focused on concerns surrounding the 2026 WASSCE results, also provided an opportunity for stakeholders to question the examination body about complaints linked to the newly introduced computer-based examination system.

Dangut urged candidates, parents, schools and other stakeholders to seek clarification directly from WAEC rather than relying on claims circulating on social media.

He also dismissed concerns that technical glitches had compromised the integrity of the results, stressing that WAEC had established procedures for conducting, marking, moderating and processing the examination.

The 2026 WASSCE was conducted partly through computer-based assessment, with WAEC introducing technological measures including the randomisation and serialisation of questions as part of efforts to strengthen examination security and reduce malpractice.

However, the concerns from schools have continued. Some education stakeholders have called for affected results to be reviewed, particularly where students’ performances differed significantly from their records in school examinations and mock tests.

One of the schools that raised concerns was a school in Ogun State, where its principal reportedly said only 27 out of 190 candidates who sat for the examination achieved satisfactory results. The school described the outcome as unusually poor compared with the students’ previous performances.

The wider concern has also centred on the results of candidates who took the computer-based version of the examination, amid allegations that technical or processing issues may have affected some candidates.

WAEC had earlier released the 2026 WASSCE results on August 5. According to figures released by the council, 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the examination from 24,207 schools, while 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

The council also disclosed that the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat for the examination, were withheld over reported cases of examination malpractice.

WAEC has consistently maintained that the results were produced through established quality-control procedures and has warned the public against spreading unverified information capable of creating unnecessary anxiety among candidates.

The latest development has therefore placed renewed attention on the reliability of the 2026 examination results, with schools and parents seeking clearer explanations while WAEC insists that its systems remain credible.

For candidates awaiting admission into universities, polytechnics and other higher institutions, the outcome of the controversy could be significant, as their WASSCE results remain an important requirement for further education.

As calls for clarification continue, stakeholders are expected to look to WAEC for more information on individual complaints and any cases where candidates or schools believe their results do not reflect their actual performance.