WASSCE 2025: Only 38.32% pass English, Mathematics with five credits

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The West African Examinations Council revealed a sharp decline in performance compared to the previous year, following the release of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results for school candidates.

Out of a total of 1,969,313 candidates who sat the examination across 23,554 schools, only 754,545 candidates — representing 38.32 per cent — obtained a minimum of five credits, including English Language and Mathematics. This marks a significant 33.8 per cent drop from the 72.12 per cent recorded in 2024.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, August 4, 2025, at WAEC’s national headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, the Head of Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, attributed the drop in performance to the Council’s new approach of serialising objective test papers in key subjects such as English, Mathematics, Biology, and Economics.

“This approach drastically reduced the incidence of collusion and made examination malpractice more difficult. We observed a dip in the performance of objective papers, but essay papers remained consistent with previous years. It’s a strong signal that candidates must rely on their own preparation,” Dangut said. Punch