WASSCE 2025 Mass Failure: CBT Fears Surge After Decade-Worst WASSCE Results

Nigeria’s education sector is once again under scrutiny following the release of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results, which revealed the worst performance in a decade. As WAEC defends its new anti-cheating measures and digital transition, stakeholders identify foundational issues that must be addressed, writes WALE AKINSELURE

The West African Examinations Council announced on Monday the worst performance of candidates in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination in a decade, sparking widespread concern among stakeholders over the state of education, the rising influence of malpractice, and the readiness for full digital transition in national examinations. Unwrapping the results, head, National Office, WAEC Nigeria, Dr Amos Dangut, disclosed that 38.32 per cent of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat the examination obtained credits and above in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. The last time Nigeria recorded a pass rate lower than 38.32 per cent was in 2014, when only 31.28 per cent obtained credit in at least five subjects, including English and Mathematics.

Since 2015, the pass rate has been undulating, with the 2025 result a sharp decline of 33.8 per cent from the 72.12 per cent pass rate recorded just last year. In the past decade, the highest pass rate of 81.70 per cent was recorded in 2021. The year 2015 also witnessed a low pass rate of 38.68 per cent. It was 52.97 per cent in 2016, 59.22 per cent in 2017, 48.15 per cent in 2018, 64.18 per cent in 2019, and 65.24 per cent in 2020. The pass rate was not lower than 70 per cent from 2021 till 2024, until Monday’s release of the 2025, which was a drastic decline.

The WAEC National Office Head had acknowledged the decline, which he attributed to newly implemented anti-malpractice measures, including serialisation of questions. “The drop in performance can be attributed to new anti-malpractice measures, including the serialisation of objective papers in key subjects, which made collusion and cheating more difficult,” he said.

Dangut linked the slight drop in malpractice rate compared to last year to the introduction of Computer-Based Testing in key subjects such as English Language, Mathematics, Biology, and Economics. He expressed concern over the rising influence of online platforms in facilitating exam fraud. “Students now rely on so-called ‘expo’ from rogue websites and social media platforms, many of which only deceive them or offer already outdated materials,” Dangut said.

He, however, pointed out that 451,796 results, accounting for 22.94 per cent, are still being processed due to technical or administrative issues. Furthermore, he noted that the results of 192,089 candidates, amounting to 9.75 per cent, are being withheld over alleged involvement in various forms of examination malpractice—a reduction from the 11.92 per cent recorded in 2024. Despite the low number of candidates passing with credits, including English and Mathematics, Dangut disclosed that 1,718,090 candidates, representing 87.24 per cent, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, whether or not they included English and Mathematics. He explained that in 2025, candidates were given the option of writing the examination in the traditional pen-and-paper format or in a hybrid CBT model, where questions appeared on screen and answers were written in booklets.

Interestingly, the performance drop comes the year before the planned full transition to the conduct of WASSCE via Computer-Based Testing for the WASSCE by 2026, in line with the directive of the Federal Government. Dangut said the council is concluding arrangements for the total conduct of Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates in 2026.

This comes against the backdrop of the fact that since the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa in April directed the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council to adopt full CBT for all their examinations by 2026, there have been consistent declarations by stakeholders that the 2026 timeline for transition to CBT for WAEC or National Examination Council examinations rushed and impractical. Their worry is backed by the glitches recorded in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, which had to be retaken in some states over what was generally termed “glitches.”

This year’s WASSCE was also marred by logistics chaos and widespread criticism following the late-night conduct of the English Language paper on May 28 in several states, including Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Taraba. Candidates were seen writing exams under candlelight, phone torches, and lanterns, in some cases past midnight. Outrage grew as some parents and candidates had then expressed fears of failure over the conduct of the late-night English Language examination.

WAEC blamed the delayed conduct of the English Language paper on the leakage of question papers and anti-malpractice measures. Getting wind of a leak, the council said it had to reprint question papers, thereby disrupting its logistics. Following the disruptions, there were then calls for cancellation and subsequent rescheduling of the English paper, as there were allegations that the questions were leaked by some greedy officials of WAEC. The examination body was then reported to have launched an investigation into those compromised officials behind the leak.

Like WAEC, like the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, glitches trailed the conduct of their examinations. Acknowledging the glitches, resulting in late-night examination, Acting Head of Public Affairs, WAEC, Moyosola Adesina said the exam body took measures to prevent paper leakage, which affected the timing and seamless conduct of the examination. She also cited logistical challenges, security concerns, and sociocultural issues. Education stakeholders note that Monday’s result raises the question of the roles of participants and stakeholders involved in the 2025 WASSCE and what it portends for the proposed conduct of the 2026 WASSCE in full CBT mode.

National President of the Parents-Teachers Association of Nigeria, Haruna Danjuma, regarded this year’s results as poor. He attributed the results to poor preparation by the candidates, worsened by a deficient teaching and learning environment, especially in public schools.

Danjuma said, “The factors behind this year’s results include the introduction of computer-based examination. Some candidates do not have computer knowledge, while a computer-based examination also blocks the chances of examination malpractice. Some students did not prepare for the exam. Also, some public schools lack teaching and learning materials, and the environment is not conducive for both students and their teachers.”

A former director of the Distance Learning Centre, University of Ibadan, Prof Francis Egbokhare, argues that the declining performance of students in external examinations epitomises poor prioritisation of issues and a crisis of quality in the education sector. He notes the poor quality of teachers, coupled with poor infrastructure, to adequately prepare students to excel.

Egbokhare said, “This is a reflection of the crisis of quality in the education sector. Instead of focusing on teacher training and adequate reward for teachers, we are fixated on a review of the curriculum, age of enrollment in universities and perennial change of the school system. No education system can exceed the quality of its teachers and the level of infrastructure. We are so distracted by this issue of technology, AI and CBT exams as if these tools in themselves will replace quality instruction.

Egbokhare paints a holistic picture of decay, pointing to the growing illiteracy of school graduates, worse in public schools. “One danger today is the growing illiteracy of our basic school graduates, many of whom are barely able to read a text. If you look at the writing assignments even at the university level, you feel like crying because of disrespect for basic rules of punctuation and capitalisation, much like Okada riders in traffic.

“If you do a simple survey of the percentage of students who passed, you will find that they are from private schools where they either get helped by teachers or have good instruction. The public schools are done for. Their teachers can’t pass the exam themselves, and so when they help their students, they still fail. We are experiencing exponential decay in real time, and the effects cascade to every aspect of life in our country,” Egbokhare said.

Project Lead, Safe Schools, Lagos, Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi, agreed with the WAEC position, asserting that the introduction of measures like serialisation of objective papers into key subjects made cheating more difficult, forcing students to rely on their efforts. She said it was double jeopardy for poorly prepared candidates who were over-reliant on malpractices, examination leaks.

Akin-Alabi held, “The decline in performance can be attributed to the introduction of stricter examination protocols designed to curb malpractice, such as the serialisation of objective papers in key subjects by WAEC. In particular, there were stricter Anti-Malpractice Measures which made cheating more difficult, forcing students to rely on their efforts. Another factor is poor preparation by candidates. Most students are over-reliant on malpractices tagged “Expo” (exam leaks), leading to disappointment when they face genuine exam conditions.”

Akin-Alabi, who is a former Special Adviser on Education in Oyo State, also mentioned that the option of CBT may have also shocked several students, who are not proficient in the use of digital tools. Notwithstanding the introduction of various measures, she notes that exam malpractices remain a challenge. She stressed the need for educators to get more serious about preparing their students, rather than the typical reliance on leaks and cheating.

“The decline highlights the importance of addressing the underlying factors affecting student performance, such as adequate preparation and curbing reliance on cheating. The educators and schools would now need to be serious about effective teaching and learning, incorporating AI-assisted learning, which is the way forward. “We need to learn from developed countries how to prepare students for successful external examinations without compromising the integrity of the examination through examination malpractices and expo,” Akin-Alabi stressed.

An educationist and Director of Studies, Champions International Schools, Ogun State, Mr Fola Adekeye, noted that WAEC had to grapple with logistics issues, as he noted that question papers got to schools late. Against all odds, he, however, said he has a record of serious students who had distinction, credit passes in their subjects, including Mathematics and English Language.

“My brother, despite all odds, we have serious students make their papers with Mathematics and the English language. But WAEC should improve their logistics. In this year’s WASSCE, question papers got to many schools very late,” Adekeye said.

With barely a year left until the full rollout of CBT for WASSCE in 2026, Monday’s result has further left many asking whether the nation is truly ready. WAEC insists the reforms are necessary to protect exam integrity, but educators and parents warn that unless teacher quality, infrastructure, and student preparedness are urgently addressed, Nigeria may be setting up millions of young learners for future failure.