The West African Examinations Council has announced sweeping sanctions against thousands of candidates following the release of provisional results for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
In a official statement issued on Friday, September 4, 2026, the examining body revealed that sanctions were approved during the 42nd meeting of the Ghana Examinations Committee following investigations into reported cases of examination malpractice.
The council recorded widespread infractions that affected single subjects as well as entire candidate performance portfolios. A total of 7,434 candidates suffered subject result cancellations after they were caught introducing foreign materials, including textbooks, prepared notes, and printed documents, into the examination halls. Meanwhile, 861 candidates had their entire examination results cancelled for bringing mobile phones into the examination centers.
Beyond outright cancellations, the examining body has placed temporary holds on the processing of various other results. Subject results belonging to 957 candidates, alongside the full results of 270 candidates, have been withheld pending further investigations into various suspected infractions.
Additionally, subject results of candidates across 169 schools remain withheld over suspicions of organized collusion. The council indicated that ongoing reviews into these cases will determine whether the affected results are eventually released or permanently cancelled, with final decisions expected by October 30, 2026.
Affected students have been directed to log onto the council’s irregularity portal to inspect the specific grounds for their withheld or cancelled results and to review available procedures for redress. WAEC also cautioned candidates against fraudsters offering fraudulent result upgrade services, reaffirming that its database remains secure and verifiable online.
