The credibility of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results has come under renewed scrutiny, with school administrators and education stakeholders raising concerns over alleged grading discrepancies, technical problems and the possible impact of the West African Examinations Council’s expanded use of Computer-Based Testing.
Several schools and education advocates have questioned why some students who performed exceptionally well in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and had strong academic records received unexpectedly low grades in the 2026 WASSCE.
The concerns have prompted calls for an independent review of the results, greater disclosure of the council’s grading and standardisation procedures, and preservation of electronic examination records that could enable affected candidates to verify how their scripts were processed and scored.
However, WAEC has defended the integrity of the results, saying they were produced through established quality-assurance procedures involving marking, moderation and auditing by subject specialists.
The controversy has nevertheless placed renewed attention on the transition to computer-based examinations and the reliability of the systems being used to administer and process candidates’ results.
School Records Sharp Disparity
At Impact House Model Schools, Mowe, Ogun State, the school’s Director, Sam Abdulazeez, said the institution had recorded an unexpected decline in WASSCE performance in 2025 and 2026 despite maintaining its teaching staff, upgrading facilities and intensifying preparations for external examinations.
Abdulazeez, who spoke in an interview with our correspondent on Monday, said the school had presented candidates for WASSCE since 2017 and had historically recorded strong performances, particularly in Mathematics and English Language.
He recalled that in 2024, all 45 candidates presented by the school for Mathematics obtained A1.
According to him, the pattern changed following the introduction of serialisation and the expansion of computer-based examinations.
The school director said the disparity was particularly striking when the performance of its students in the 2026 UTME was compared with their WASSCE grades.
“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,” Abdulazeez said.
He said none of the school’s candidates scored below 200 in the UTME, adding that the results followed extensive preparation and repeated exposure to computer-based testing.
The school, he said, conducted 22 mock UTME examinations before the actual test, with students regularly using computers to familiarise themselves with the examination environment.
The sharp contrast became apparent, he said, after the release of the WASSCE results.
“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 also expressed concern about the English Language results, saying some candidates who performed strongly in the UTME failed to obtain the WASSCE grades expected by the school.
“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.
‘We Invested Heavily in CBT Facilities’
Abdulazeez dismissed any suggestion that the school had failed to prepare its students adequately.
He said the school had maintained what he described as a strong teaching workforce and did not employ teachers with qualifications below a second-class upper degree.
He added that the institution invested substantially in infrastructure after WAEC announced plans to expand the use of computer-based examinations.
But the school encountered difficulties when WAEC officials came to conduct a mock examination ahead of the WASSCE.
“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.
The school subsequently contacted WAEC officials in Ogun State and Lagos, informing them that it was unwilling to expose its candidates to what it considered an unreliable examination system.
Abdulazeez said WAEC eventually approved the school to conduct the examination on paper, even though the institution had already been listed on the CBT platform.
He said similar concerns had emerged during the previous year’s examination.
“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.
According to him, the school later noticed changes in some grades displayed on the WAEC result portal.
“When last year’s result was released, I had already gone to publish the result, only for some people to call me that it’s like they have made some changes.
“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.”
The experience, he said, influenced the school’s decision to delay publication of the 2026 results in the hope that similar adjustments might occur.
But after waiting without observing any changes, the school eventually published the results.
Serialisation Raises Questions
Abdulazeez also questioned the possible effect of different versions of examination papers, commonly referred to as serialisation, on candidates’ results.
“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 said the school did not observe the same level of concern in subjects where serialisation was not a significant factor and where candidates generally performed better.
For Abdulazeez, the issue goes beyond the performance of individual candidates and raises questions about the consequences of examination processes for young people whose university admission prospects depend heavily on their results.
“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 the argument that the introduction of CBT had exposed students who were simply not reading or preparing adequately.
“Some people were saying that children don’t read again; it’s because WAEC has gone to CBT, that’s why children are failing. Sir, JAMB had been doing CBT for a long time now,” he said.
He added, “When you do all that, and you now discover that the result does not justify the effort, then it calls for concern.”
Administrator Alleges Unexpected Fail Grades
Another school administrator, who requested anonymity, said several students with strong UTME scores and established academic records had received D7, E8 and F9 grades in core subjects in the 2026 WASSCE.
“Students with top scores in JAMB and verified track records are suddenly receiving D7s, E8s, and F9s in WAEC,” the administrator said.
He claimed that two affected students who had already secured admission to the University of Ibadan were recorded as failing Mathematics and English Language in the newly released WASSCE results.
The claims, if established, could have serious implications for affected candidates, particularly those whose university admissions depend on meeting minimum requirements in core subjects.
Educationists Seek Accountability
Educationist Fola Adekeye called on WAEC to ensure that its examination and result-processing systems could withstand scrutiny and pass what he described as the test of integrity.
He argued that examination bodies should investigate credible complaints promptly rather than wait until public criticism becomes widespread.
“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.
“The public outcry shouldn’t become the determinant of most of these things. They should do the right thing.”
Adekeye said the controversy surrounding the 2025 UTME results, which prompted a public apology from the former JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, demonstrated the need for examination bodies to identify technical and procedural problems before results are released.
He disclosed that some students in his school who had previously performed exceptionally well were also among those whose WAEC results had raised concerns.
“Our head boy had 369, was the third in the federation. Our head girl and another student did so well in JAMB, but suddenly WAEC came out, and only the head boy is having five As and Bs.”
Adekeye, however, cautioned against making unsupported accusations against WAEC, stressing that his concern was primarily about maintaining confidence in the examination system.
“I don’t question exam bodies. I always plead that they should please ensure that what they do will pass the test of integrity,” he said.
He urged WAEC to upgrade its facilities where necessary and communicate changes in examination technology and methodology clearly to schools, teachers, parents and candidates.
“If their facilities are outdated and they need to upgrade them, please let them upgrade them,” he said.
Adekeye also called for adequate preparation whenever changes are introduced to the curriculum or examination format.
“If they are coming out with a new curriculum, let them do it. If they are shifting from one particular method of questioning to a particular method of questioning, let them make it clear so that students will be on the same page with all other stakeholders,” he added.
Legal Threat Over 2026 Computer-Based Examination
The controversy has also assumed a legal dimension, with the Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, through its solicitors, Zuriel Law Practice, threatening legal action against WAEC over alleged irregularities in the conduct and processing of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE.
The organisation said it had received complaints from candidates who alleged discrepancies in the recording and processing of their examination responses.
In a formal demand sent to WAEC, the lawyers requested the immediate preservation of original electronic records relating to the examination. These include candidate response databases, system audit trails, server logs and scoring records.
The organisation also demanded disclosure of the technical standards, regulations and manuals governing the 2026 computer-based examination.
It further requested a mechanism that would allow affected candidates to inspect their examination records, including the questions presented to them, the responses recorded by the system and the method used to arrive at their scores.
The group proposed that the CBT platform should be subjected to an independent audit by experts in education and information technology.
The lawyers gave WAEC 14 days from the date it received the letter to confirm that the relevant records had been preserved and to establish procedures for the proposed review.
Failure to engage within the stipulated period, they warned, could result in court proceedings seeking orders for disclosure, verification and human review of affected results.
‘Show Us the Data’
The founder of the Initiative for School Excellence and Education Foundation, Alex Onyia, also demanded greater transparency from WAEC, particularly over the standardisation of candidates who may have taken examinations under different conditions.
His concerns include allegations of question leakage in some paper-based examination centres and whether candidates who sat examinations under substantially different conditions were assessed on a comparable basis.
“When WAEC carried out its standardisation, were candidates from fundamentally different examination conditions treated as one population?” he asked.
Onyia argued that if leaked questions had significantly improved the scores of some candidates, the resulting score distribution could potentially influence the thresholds used in awarding grades.
He therefore called on WAEC to publish raw-score distributions, grade thresholds for major subjects and details of how candidates from different examination modes were standardised.
“Show us the data,” Onyia demanded, asking WAEC to disclose the thresholds that produced A1, B2, B3, C4, C5 and C6 in major subjects.
He also called for greater clarity on the process available to candidates who challenge their results and urged the authorities to investigate allegations of internal management problems within WAEC Nigeria.
“This is not an attack on WAEC. It is a demand for accountability,” he said.
Onyia further urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Assembly to invite the leadership of WAEC Nigeria to explain the methodology used in processing the 2026 results.
WAEC Defends Results
Despite the mounting concerns, WAEC has maintained that the 2026 WASSCE results are credible.
The council, in a statement reported on Thursday, said it had taken note of comments from content creators and social media commentators questioning the accuracy and credibility of the results.
WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the results were produced through rigorous and quality-assured processes 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 be cautious about unverified claims circulating online.
The council explained that candidates’ scripts passed through a multi-tiered process of marking, moderation and auditing based on standardised marking schemes and supervised by vetted subject experts.
It advised individuals with concerns about their results to approach the council directly through its offices and verified communication channels rather than relying on social media claims.
Examination Bodies Under Renewed Scrutiny
The latest controversy comes against the backdrop of increasing public scrutiny of Nigeria’s examination bodies over technical and administrative challenges affecting released results.
In 2025, the then JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, publicly apologised over errors in the 2025 UTME results.
At the beginning of a press briefing in Abuja, Oloyede acknowledged “one or two errors” in the examination process and broke down in tears while apologising to affected candidates and their families.
The development heightened calls for greater transparency, accountability and technological reliability in the administration of high-stakes examinations.
For the candidates now affected by questions surrounding the 2026 WASSCE, the issue is more than a disagreement over grades. Their results could determine admission opportunities, scholarships, choice of university courses and, ultimately, the direction of their academic careers.
As schools and education stakeholders await further clarification, the central demand remains the same: that examination results affecting the future of thousands of young Nigerians should be demonstrably accurate, transparent and capable of withstanding independent scrutiny.