The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is facing increasing scrutiny over the integrity of its 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results following complaints from school administrators, education stakeholders and candidates over alleged grading discrepancies and technical challenges associated with the examination.
The concerns emerged after the release of the 2026 results, with some school administrators claiming that students who had previously demonstrated strong academic performance received unexpectedly low grades in key subjects.
The stakeholders have called for greater transparency from WAEC and, in some cases, an independent review of the processes used to administer, mark and standardise the examination.
One of those raising concerns is the Director of Impact House Model Schools, Mowe, Ogun State, Sam Abdulazeez.
Abdulazeez said his school had recorded a noticeable decline in WASSCE performance in 2025 and 2026 despite retaining its teaching staff, improving its facilities and increasing the intensity of examination preparation.
He said the school had presented candidates for WASSCE since 2017 and had historically recorded particularly strong results in Mathematics and English Language.
According to him, all 45 candidates presented by the school for Mathematics in 2024 obtained A1.
He said the trend changed following the introduction of serialisation and the expansion of computer-based testing in WAEC examinations.
Abdulazeez said the school had 69 candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, with more than 30 scoring above 300.
He added that none of the candidates scored below 200, attributing the results to extensive preparation, including 22 mock examinations conducted before the UTME.
The school also ensured that students regularly used computers to familiarise themselves with the computer-based examination environment.
However, Abdulazeez said the strong UTME performances were not reflected in the school’s 2026 WASSCE results.
He said only about three or four of the school’s 69 candidates obtained A1 in Mathematics, despite some students recording scores as high as 98 in the UTME subject.
“This is a school that we usually have almost everybody having A1 in Math,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the English Language results, saying students who had performed strongly in the UTME received grades that were lower than the school expected.
Abdulazeez said the school had maintained what he described as a strong teaching workforce and had invested significantly in infrastructure after WAEC announced plans to expand computer-based examinations.
However, he alleged that the school experienced technical difficulties when WAEC officials conducted a mock computer-based examination shortly before the main examination.
According to him, the systems failed to connect to WAEC’s server during the first attempt. A second attempt was also unsuccessful.
He said the school subsequently contacted WAEC officials in Ogun and Lagos and expressed concerns about allowing its students to take the examination through a system it considered unreliable.
The school was eventually permitted to conduct a paper-based examination, despite initially being listed for the computer-based examination.
Abdulazeez said the school had experienced similar concerns with its 2025 WASSCE results.
He alleged that some candidates initially received grades lower than those expected by the school before subsequent changes appeared on the result portal.
He said candidates who had initially received B grades were later shown as having A1, while some candidates who had received C grades were subsequently recorded with B grades.
The experience, he explained, led him to delay publishing the 2026 results in anticipation of possible adjustments.
However, he said no changes were made and the school eventually released the results.
The school director also questioned the possible effect of serialisation, particularly in subjects such as Mathematics, English Language, Economics and Biology.
He said students appeared to have performed better in subjects where serialisation was less prominent, although he acknowledged that he could not determine how the different examination versions were administered or standardised.
Abdulazeez therefore called for an independent assessment of the 2026 results.
He argued that students should not bear the consequences of any shortcomings in the administration or processing of examinations.
“If the schools and the examining bodies cannot conduct the exam properly, it should not affect these children and their future,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that the poorer WASSCE results could simply be attributed to inadequate preparation for computer-based examinations.
According to him, students had already gained considerable experience with CBT through UTME preparation and could not reasonably be described as unfamiliar with computer-based testing.
Other schools raise concerns
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 subjects in the 2026 WASSCE.
The administrator said two affected students who had already secured admission to the University of Ibadan were recorded as failing Mathematics and English Language in their WAEC results.
The allegations have also attracted the attention of education stakeholders.
An educationist, Fola Adekeye, urged examination bodies to ensure that their procedures and results remained credible and capable of withstanding independent scrutiny.
Adekeye said examination results could have long-term consequences for students because they often determine access to universities and professional careers.
He argued that examination bodies should investigate credible complaints promptly rather than waiting for public pressure before taking action.
Adekeye disclosed that students at his school who had previously performed exceptionally well were also among those whose WAEC results had generated concern.
He cited the school’s head boy, who scored 369 in the UTME and ranked among the top performers nationally, as an example.
According to him, the student obtained five A and B grades in the WASSCE, while other high-performing students reportedly recorded results that did not correspond with their previous academic performances.
Despite his concerns, Adekeye cautioned against making unsupported accusations against WAEC.
His main demand, he said, was that the examination process should be transparent and capable of passing an objective integrity test.
He also urged WAEC to upgrade its technological infrastructure where necessary and clearly communicate changes to examination methods and curricula before implementation.
Legal challenge threatened
The controversy has also taken a legal turn.
The Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, through its solicitors, Zuriel Law Practice, has threatened legal action against WAEC over alleged irregularities surrounding the conduct and processing of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE.
The organisation said it had received complaints from candidates alleging discrepancies in the recording and processing of their examination responses.
In a formal demand to WAEC, the lawyers requested the preservation of original electronic records relating to the examination.
Among the records sought are candidate response databases, system audit trails, server logs and scoring records.
The organisation also requested disclosure of the technical standards, regulations and manuals used to administer the 2026 computer-based examination.
It further called for a process that would allow affected candidates to inspect relevant examination records, including the questions presented to them, their recorded responses and the method used to score those responses.
The group proposed that independent education and information technology experts should audit the computer-based examination platform.
The lawyers reportedly gave WAEC 14 days from receipt of the letter to confirm that the relevant records had been preserved and to establish procedures for reviewing disputed results.
They warned that failure to engage could result in court proceedings seeking orders for disclosure, verification and human review of affected results.
Questions over standardisation
The founder of the Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, Alex Onyia, also called for greater transparency in WAEC’s grading and standardisation procedures.
Onyia raised questions about how candidates who sat examinations under different conditions were standardised.
He argued that allegations of question leakage in some paper-based examination centres could potentially complicate the process if candidates who benefited from leaked questions achieved unusually high scores.
His concern was whether such scores could influence the distribution used to determine grade thresholds for the wider candidate population.
Onyia therefore called on WAEC to publish more information about the process, including raw-score distributions, grade thresholds for major subjects and details of how candidates from different examination modes were standardised.
He also requested clarification on the procedure available to candidates who wish to challenge their results.
“This is not an attack on WAEC. It is a demand for accountability,” he said.
Onyia urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Assembly to invite WAEC Nigeria’s leadership to explain how the 2026 results were processed.
WAEC defends results
WAEC, however, has rejected suggestions that the 2026 WASSCE results lack credibility.
The council said it had taken note of comments circulating on social media and elsewhere questioning the accuracy of the results.
WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the results were generated through rigorous quality-assurance procedures that had guided the council’s examinations over the years.
According to the council, the 2026 WASSCE for School Candidates was conducted in accordance with its established standard operating procedures and relevant educational policies, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.
WAEC also urged candidates, parents, schools and members of the public to avoid relying on unverified claims circulating online.
The council said every candidate’s script undergoes multiple stages of marking, moderation and auditing using standardised marking schemes and under the supervision of qualified subject specialists.
WAEC advised candidates and other stakeholders with specific concerns about their results to approach the council directly through its offices and verified communication channels.
Wider concerns about examination technology
The latest controversy comes against the backdrop of broader concerns about the reliability of Nigeria’s examination systems.
In 2025, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board faced criticism over errors associated with the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The then JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, publicly apologised for the problems and acknowledged errors in the conduct and processing of the examination.
The episode renewed questions about the ability of examination bodies to deploy technology on a large scale while maintaining the accuracy and reliability of candidates’ results.
For stakeholders challenging the 2026 WAEC results, the central issue is therefore not simply whether individual students received unexpectedly low grades, but whether the examination system can demonstrate that every candidate was assessed fairly and consistently.
As calls for greater transparency grow, the pressure is now on WAEC to provide evidence capable of resolving the concerns without undermining confidence in the examination system.
For thousands of candidates whose university admissions and future career plans depend on their WASSCE results, the outcome of that process could be consequential.