2025 WASSCE Records Low English and Math Pass Rates; 631 Results Withheld Over Suspected Malpractice
By Buba Gagigo
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) has released the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, highlighting significant challenges in core subjects. Only 19.8% of candidates earned credit passes in English language, while a mere 7.3% achieved the same in mathematics. Additionally, results for 631 candidates have been withheld due to suspected examination malpractice, pending the outcome of ongoing adjudication.
“While the percentage of candidates obtaining credit passes in both English Language (19.8%) and Mathematics (7.3%) remains unacceptably low, underscoring persistent challenges in these foundational learning areas, the overall results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), 2025, provide clear evidence of students’ remarkable capabilities in several key disciplines,” MoBSE stated.
According to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), this year’s examination saw a notable increase in the number of candidates, with 20,247 students from 156 senior secondary schools registering—representing a 12.22% rise compared to the 18,042 candidates in 2024. Of the total candidates, 37.56% (7,604) were male, while 62.44% (12,643) were female.
MoBSE further reported that 961 candidates, accounting for 5.11% of the 18,819 candidates with complete records, achieved credit passes in five or more subjects, including the key areas of English language and mathematics.“Of this group, 𝟰𝟰.𝟮𝟮% were 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 and 𝟱𝟱.𝟳𝟴% were 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲. We recognize that while this achievement demonstrates commendable effort by the candidates, there remains substantial room for improvement in foundational subject mastery,” they said.
They further disclosed that a noteworthy segment of students have excelled across multiple subjects, albeit fewer in number: 457 students (2.43%) attained credit passes in 9 subjects, while 588 students (3.12%) achieved credit passes in 8 subjects.
“This demonstrates that some students are performing at a very high level, mastering a broad range of subjects. The largest groups of students are clustered in the middle range, with credit passes in 𝟯 𝘁𝗼 𝟲 𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀—for example, 𝟭,𝟳𝟵𝟵 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 (𝟵.𝟬𝟯%) 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟯 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟴𝟬𝟲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 (𝟰.𝟮𝟴%) 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟲 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀. This indicates a promising foundation for many, and with targeted support, these students can boost their performance further,” MoBSE said.
Officials noted that the majority of students—about 17% or more—earned credit passes in at least one subject, “indicating that initial steps toward academic success are being taken. This is a crucial foundation, reflecting engagement and potential that can be further developed.”
They clarified that these statistics are based on the majority of candidates, 18,819 (92.94%), while 797 incomplete records are still being processed and may affect the final performance data.
In addition, the results of 631 candidates flagged for suspected examination malpractice have been withheld pending the West African Examinations Council’s adjudication process, “underscoring our firm stance against any form of academic dishonesty.”
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) reported that a detailed analysis of the results shows outstanding performances in several subjects, each recording credit pass rates above 50%. According to the Ministry, these achievements reflect the potential and resilience of students when given access to quality resources, effective teaching, and consistent encouragement.
Key highlights include:
- Physics – The top-performing subject, with 70.5% of candidates demonstrating mastery.
- Auto Mechanics – An impressive 69.8% pass rate, indicating strong technical and practical skills crucial for the economy.
- Chemistry – 52.7% achieved credit passes, showing solid understanding of essential scientific principles for STEM growth.
- Health Science – At 50.9%, results point to the capacity to train future health and life sciences professionals, a sector vital for national well-being.