WASSCE 2026: Social Studies records sharp rebound as Maths, Science also improve

Social Studies recorded the strongest performance among the four core subjects in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with 78.04 per cent of candidates obtaining grades between A1 and C6. The figure represents a sharp improvement from the 55.82 per cent recorded in 2025, according to performance statistics released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Social Studies performance in 2026 was also higher than the 76.76 per cent recorded in 2023 and the 71.53 per cent recorded in 2024.

Mathematics (Core) also recorded a significant recovery after a sharp decline in 2025. The proportion of candidates obtaining A1-C6 in Mathematics increased from 48.73 per cent in 2025 to 60.75 per cent in 2026. The 2026 figure was also below the 62.23 per cent recorded in 2023 but higher than the 48.73 per cent recorded in 2025.

Integrated Science performance also improved, rising from 57.74 per cent in 2025 to 62.08 per cent in 2026. English Language records decline The improvement in the three subjects contrasts with the performance in English Language. The proportion of candidates obtaining A1-C6 in English Language fell from 69.00 per cent in 2025 to 62.40 per cent in 2026.

WAEC said its four-year performance data showed that English Language was the only one of the four core subjects to record a progressive decline during the period. The figures cover WASSCE performance from 2023 to 2026 and are based on candidates who obtained grades A1 to C6. The number of candidates who registered for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) increased by 11.07 per cent compared with the previous year, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced.

A total of 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools entered the examination, compared with 461,736 candidates in 2025. The 2026 cohort comprised 287,592 females and 225,270 males. WAEC said 5,049 candidates, representing 0.98 per cent of the total entry, were absent from the examination.

The latest figures mean that the number of candidates entering the examination has increased by more than 50,000 compared with 2025. Performance across core subjects WAEC’s provisional results show that 78.04 per cent of candidates obtained grades between A1 and C6 in Social Studies, making it the best-performing of the four core subjects. English Language recorded 62.40 per cent, while Integrated Science recorded 62.08 per cent.