WAEC 2026 results: Schools raise alarm over alleged grading anomalies

WAEC 2026 results: Schools raise alarm over alleged grading anomalies

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is facing growing scrutiny over the 2026 WASSCE results, following complaints from some school administrators and education stakeholders over what they describe as unexpected grades, possible grading discrepancies and technical challenges linked to the expanded Computer-Based Testing (CBT) system.

The concerns emerged after WAEC released the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results for school candidates, with some schools questioning the grades awarded to students they considered high performers based on their academic records and performance in other standardised examinations.

While the allegations have not been independently established as evidence of a widespread grading problem, affected schools are calling for greater transparency and a review of disputed results.

One of the schools raising concerns is Impact House Model Schools, Mowe, Ogun State.

The school’s Director of Impact, Sam Abdulazeez, said the institution had noticed a decline in its students’ WASSCE performance in 2025 and 2026 despite maintaining its teaching staff, improving its facilities and intensifying preparations for external examinations.

Abdulazeez said the school had presented candidates for WASSCE since 2017 and had consistently recorded strong performances, particularly in Mathematics and English Language.

He recalled that all 45 candidates presented by the school for Mathematics in 2024 obtained A1.

However, he said the pattern changed in subsequent years following the introduction of paper serialisation and the expansion of computer-based examinations.

Abdulazeez said the school’s performance in the 2026 UTME had given it confidence that its students were adequately prepared for computer-based examinations.

READ ALSO:

• Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman Over Strait of Hormuz as US-Iran Deadline Expires
• Osun guber: APC rejects Adeleke’s victory, begins audit of INEC results
• Court Freezes 71 Banks’ Accounts Over N1.34bn Access Bank Cyber Fraud

“This year, out of the 69 children we presented for JAMB, over 30 of them had more than 300 in JAMB. And you know that JAMB is completely CBT,” he said.

He added that none of the school’s candidates scored below 200 in the UTME, while the institution had conducted 22 mock examinations to familiarise students with computer-based testing.

According to him, the disparity became apparent when the 2026 WAEC results were released.

“In Mathematics, we had children who had up to 98 in Mathematics during UTME. Now, the As we had in Mathematics, maybe about three or four out of 69. This is a school that we usually have almost everybody having A1 in Math,” Abdulazeez said.

He also questioned the school’s English Language results, saying some students who had performed strongly in the UTME did not obtain the WASSCE grades the school expected.

“We only had B and maybe a few Cs. Out of the 69, I think we have three credits, and all others are B2, B3,” he said.

Abdulazeez maintained that the school’s academic standards had remained strong, noting that it had retained its teaching workforce and continued to invest in its facilities.

He said the school had also spent heavily on computer infrastructure after WAEC announced plans to expand the use of CBT in WASSCE.

However, he alleged that the school encountered technical difficulties when WAEC officials attempted to conduct a mock computer-based examination there before the 2026 examination.

“They did it the first day; the systems could not connect to their own server. They came the second day; they did it, but it was not successful,” he said.

According to Abdulazeez, the school subsequently contacted WAEC officials in Ogun and Lagos states, expressing concern about allowing its candidates to sit an examination through a system the school considered unreliable.

He said WAEC eventually approved the school to use the paper-based examination format despite the institution initially being listed for CBT.

READ ALSO:

• Customs Intercepts Over $73,000, £15,957, 827,800 Saudi Riyals Hidden in Shoes at Kano Airport
• Customs Names Importers of 399 Pump-Action Rifles, Hands Over Weapons to NSA Office
• TCN Injects 220MVA Into Lagos Grid, Boosts Power Supply to 134,000 Residents

The school director also alleged that it experienced concerns with its 2025 WASSCE results, claiming that some grades appeared to change after the initial release.

“Last year, we had this same problem with WAEC. Some of my children who were expecting A1, they dropped to B. Those who were expecting B dropped to C,” he said.

He alleged that some grades were subsequently adjusted on the result portal.

“When we checked the result back again, we saw that those who they gave B had moved to A1. Those who they gave C moved to B last year,” he said.

Abdulazeez said the experience influenced the school’s decision to wait before publishing its 2026 results in case similar adjustments occurred. He said no such adjustment was observed before the school eventually released the results.

He also questioned whether paper serialisation could have contributed to some of the discrepancies reported by schools.

“For me, because I did not do CBT in our school, I don’t know how they go about their serialisation. I think it has to be, because we saw it in the subjects that have serialisation, like Mathematics, like English, Economics, and Biology,” he said.

He argued that students should not bear the consequences of any problem arising from the examination system.

“If the schools and the examining bodies cannot conduct the exam properly, it should not affect these children and their future,” he said.

Abdulazeez also rejected suggestions that the weaker results could simply be attributed to poor preparation by students because of the shift to computer-based examinations.

He noted that his students had already demonstrated their ability to perform under CBT through the UTME.

Another school administrator, who requested anonymity, alleged that some students with strong UTME scores and established academic records received D7, E8 and F9 grades in core WASSCE subjects.

The administrator claimed that two students who had secured admission to the University of Ibadan were recorded as failing Mathematics and English Language in their newly released WAEC results.

The claims could not independently be verified, and the result records of the students were not made available for independent examination.

Educationist Fola Adekeye called on WAEC to ensure that its examination and result-processing systems meet the highest standards of transparency and credibility.

He said examination bodies should proactively investigate credible complaints rather than wait for public pressure before reviewing disputed results.

“Those who are managing destinies — exams, exams are destiny issues. Children want to make their results; they want to be doctors, they want to be lawyers, they want to be astronauts. Those managing those checkpoints should do better,” Adekeye said.

“The public outcry shouldn’t become the determinant of most of these things. They should do the right thing.”

The complaints come as WAEC reports a decline in the overall performance of candidates in the 2026 WASSCE.

WAEC said 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination, obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

The figure represents a 1.42 percentage-point decline from the corresponding performance recorded in 2025.

WAEC also said it withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the examination, over suspected cases of examination malpractice.

The council said the figure was lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in the previous year’s examination.

The 2026 examination was also significant because of the expanded deployment of computer-based testing, part of WAEC’s gradual transition towards digital examinations.

The Federal Government said ahead of the examination that preparations had been made to support the CBT rollout, including monitoring of centres and alternative power arrangements.

However, WAEC acknowledged that some operational difficulties occurred during the examination period, including delays affecting some papers at certain centres.

The council attributed the disruptions to a combination of logistical, security and operational challenges.

WAEC also maintained that there was no question-paper leakage despite the difficulties recorded during the examination.

The current controversy has been further heightened by a technical problem acknowledged by the Federal Ministry of Education in connection with the 2025 WASSCE results.

The ministry had confirmed that a technical issue affected the processing of some 2025 results, particularly in subjects where paper serialisation had been introduced, and said the problem was subsequently resolved.

That previous incident has increased the sensitivity surrounding fresh allegations involving the 2026 results, although it does not by itself establish that the same problem occurred this year.

WAEC has established procedures for candidates and schools that believe results may require review. School candidates can request a review of their scripts through their school authorities within the prescribed period and subject to the applicable fee.

The examination body also provides channels for schools and institutions to submit enquiries relating to examination results and other services.

For now, there is no independently verified evidence of a systemic grading error affecting the 2026 WAEC results.

The allegations raised by school administrators and education advocates therefore remain claims that require further investigation.

However, given the importance of WAEC results to university admission and other forms of academic progression, stakeholders are calling for credible complaints to be investigated promptly.

A transparent review of disputed results could help determine whether the reported cases represent isolated discrepancies, differences arising from examination standards or evidence of wider technical or grading problems.

The controversy has also placed renewed attention on WAEC’s transition to computer-based examinations, with schools and parents seeking assurances that the new system can accurately assess candidates without disadvantaging students.

As candidates begin using their results for admission and other academic purposes, the pressure will remain on WAEC to demonstrate that the 2026 WASSCE results were processed accurately, fairly and transparently.

WAEC 2026 results: Schools raise alarm over alleged grading anomalies