The 2025 WASSCE results have been released with an unusually heavy wave of cancellations and some of the weakest Mathematics performance recorded in recent years, adding fresh anxiety for students hoping to enter tertiary institutions next year.
The West African Examinations Council said it cancelled the subject results of 6,295 candidates for bringing foreign materials into exam halls and annulled the entire results of 653 others for possessing mobile phones during the tests. The Council also withheld hundreds more as it continues investigations into suspected collusion and other exam-room violations.
Only 48.73 percent of candidates earned pass grades (A1–C6), a sharp fall from the 66.86 percent recorded last year. More than a quarter of all candidates (26.77 percent) failed the subject outright with an F9. Educators say the figures reflect deepening concerns about classroom preparation and the pace of instruction in many senior high schools.
In contrast, performance in English was comparatively stronger, with roughly 69 percent earning credit passes. Integrated Science and Social Studies hovered in the mid-50s, still below expectations but more stable than Mathematics.
WAEC said a total of 461,736 candidates from 1,021 schools registered for the examination. Officials attributed the high number of cancellations this year to intensified monitoring and a deliberate effort to curb coordinated cheating. Results from 185 schools have been withheld over suspected mass collusion, a sign of what WAEC described as “organised attempts” to compromise the exams.
The Council disclosed that 35 individuals, including teachers, were implicated in malpractice cases, with 19 already convicted in court. The names of implicated teachers will be forwarded to the Ghana Education Service for disciplinary action.
Despite the disruptions, provisional results have been posted on the Council’s website. WAEC urged candidates to guard their result-checker details and warned against scammers who claim to “upgrade” grades for a fee. For those with withheld results, officials say final decisions should be made before the end of December.
The unusually high cancellations and the slump in Mathematics performance are likely to influence admissions decisions in the coming months. University officials say they are bracing for a possible dip in the number of candidates who meet minimum entry requirements, particularly for science, technology and business programmes that rely heavily on core Mathematics passes
