WAEC Releases 2024 Private WASSCE Results Amid Malpractice Crackdown

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has unveiled the provisional results for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, Second Series, with over 38,000 individuals assessed.

The release, however, is shadowed by reports of widespread malpractice, prompting the council to withhold scores for hundreds of candidates pending investigations.

A total of 38,316 candidates sat for the exams, comprising 17,596 males and 21,131 females, while 1,354 registrants were absent. During marking, WAEC flagged “multiple cases” of misconduct, leading to the withholding of subject results for 303 candidates and the full results of 108 others. The move underscores the council’s tightening grip on exam integrity, even as private candidacy grows in popularity across West Africa.

Performance in core subjects revealed stark contrasts. English Language saw 54.79% of candidates securing grades A1 to C6, with 13.45% scoring F9. Mathematics proved challenging, splitting candidates almost evenly: 37.44% achieved passing grades (A1-C6), while 37.42% failed. Integrated Science mirrored English success rates, with 53.31% excelling and 18.46% failing. Social Studies emerged as the standout, with 87.88% earning A1-C6 and a mere 5.76% failing—a result likely buoyed by the subject’s focus on critical thinking over technical rigor.

WAEC also issued a sharp warning against fraudsters peddling fake “result upgrades” for fees, stressing that its database remains impenetrable to such schemes. “All results are verifiable online,” the council reiterated, directing candidates to its official portal, www.waecgh.org, to access scores securely.

The high rate of withheld results—coupled with near-identical pass-fail ratios in Mathematics—highlights systemic pressures in private candidacy, where limited oversight and resource gaps may drive desperation. While WAEC’s crackdown signals vigilance, educators argue broader reforms are needed to support independent learners.

For now, the results offer a mixed snapshot: resilience in subjects like Social Studies contrasts with struggles in Mathematics, reflecting longstanding educational disparities. As investigations into malpractice unfold, WAEC’s balancing act between accessibility and accountability remains under scrutiny.