WAEC Boosts 2025 WASSCE Pass Rate To 62.9% Following Correction Of Marking Errors.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced a significant revision to the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, elevating the pass rate from an initial 38.32% to 62.9% after rectifying a critical marking error. The updated figures, disclosed by Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, during a press briefing in Yaba, Lagos, on Friday, 8 August 2025, reflect a substantial improvement for the 1,969,313 candidates who sat the examination.
The initial results, released on 4 August 2025, indicated that only 754,545 candidates, or 38.32%, achieved credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, the benchmark for university admission. However, an internal review revealed discrepancies in the grading of serialised objective papers, particularly the English Language Objective Test (Paper 3). The error stemmed from a wrongly assigned serialised code file used in printing, which led to incorrect scoring. Notably, candidates who took the computer-based test (CBT) were unaffected by this issue.
Dr. Dangut expressed deep regret for the oversight, stating, “The Council sincerely apologises for the emotional and mental dismay caused to candidates and stakeholders. This is a trying time for us at WAEC, and we are doing everything to ensure such errors do not recur.” The revised results now show that 1,239,884 candidates, representing 62.96%, secured credits in five or more subjects, including English and Mathematics. Of these, 657,819 (53.05%) were female candidates, while 582,065 (46.95%) were male candidates. Despite the improvement, this year’s pass rate reflects a 9.16% decline compared to 2024’s 72.12%.
The correction followed widespread public concern, with parents and candidates raising alarms over the initial results, particularly as some high-performing students in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) recorded unexpectedly poor grades in English Language. WAEC’s swift response, facilitated by its new digital scoring system, has been praised for restoring confidence in the examination process.
Candidates can now access their updated results on the WAEC portal, www.waecdirect.org, within 12 hours of the announcement, with digital certificates available 48 hours thereafter. WAEC also noted that 191,053 results (9.7%) remain withheld due to ongoing investigations into examination malpractice, a slight improvement from 2024’s 11.92%. The Council urged affected candidates to seek redress via its official complaints portal and called on state governments to settle outstanding debts to ensure the release of results for sponsored candidates.
Dr. Dangut reaffirmed WAEC’s commitment to transparency and integrity, stating, “We acknowledge the emotional ordeal faced by candidates, parents, teachers, and schools. The Council is taking steps to prevent such discrepancies in the future.” The revised results mark a significant step towards addressing the concerns of stakeholders and ensuring fairness in the evaluation process.
