According to the figures released on Monday, 4 August 2025, only 754,545 out of 1,969,313 candidates — representing 38.32 per cent — obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics. This marks a dramatic 33.8 per cent drop compared to the 72.12 per cent recorded in 2024.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Council’s national headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, the Head of Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, linked the sharp decline to WAEC’s recent implementation of serialised objective test papers in critical 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 explained.
The examination was conducted between 24 April and 20 June 2025, with coordination and marking carried out from 3 to 21 July. In a bid to improve the accuracy and turnaround time of result processing, WAEC deployed a real-time digital scoring system for this year’s exams.
Of the total candidates who sat the exam across 23,554 schools nationwide, 1,517,517 candidates (77.06 per cent) have had their results fully processed and released. However, the results of 451,796 candidates (22.94 per cent) are still undergoing processing due to technical challenges, which WAEC assured would be resolved shortly.
On the issue of malpractice, Dangut revealed that
192,089 results — representing 9.75 per cent of the total entries — are being withheld over infractions such as the use of prohibited mobile phones and collusion. This represents a slight improvement from the 11.92 per cent withheld in 2024.“These unscrupulous elements have become a thorn in the Council’s flesh. Some even use our name to distribute fake messages. We’ve apprehended some of them, and appropriate sanctions will be applied,” Dangut warned.
He further disclosed that states with outstanding debts to WAEC would not be able to access the results of their sponsored candidates until full payments are made.
A total of 12,178 candidates with special needs registered for the 2025 WASSCE. Among them were 112 visually impaired candidates, 615 with hearing challenges, 52 with mental impairments, and 37 with physical disabilities. WAEC confirmed that all candidates received the necessary support to sit the examination.
On gender distribution, 976,787 candidates (49.60 per cent) were male, while 992,526 (50.40 per cent) were female. Of those who achieved five credits including English and Mathematics, female candidates outperformed their male counterparts, making up 53.99 per cent (407,353) of the successful students compared to 46.01 per cent (347,192) male candidates.
In a major technological milestone, the 2025 WASSCE marked the first time candidates were allowed to choose between the traditional paper-and-pencil method and a computer-based test (CBT) option. WAEC said the move is in line with its goal to fully digitise examination delivery by 2026.
“This year’s exam placed us as a foremost examining body to have conducted an achievement test using a computer-based format,” Dangut noted proudly.
WAEC officially released the results via its X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday. Candidates are advised to check their results online at http://waecdirect.org.
Check full results 👉 http://waecdirect.org
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in 2024.
