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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results for the 2025 WASSCE, revealing a significant national education setback as failure rates (Grade F9) across all four core subjects sharply increased compared to 2024.
Official data show a dramatic rise in the number of candidates who failed Core Mathematics outright. The F9 rate jumped from 6.10% in 2024 to 26.77% in 2025, meaning nearly one out of every four candidates failed the subject. Social Studies also recorded a steep increase, with the failure rate rising from 9.55% to 27.50% within a year.
The trend extended across the remaining core subjects, with both Integrated Science and English Language recording more than double their 2024 F9 percentages. Integrated Science failure rates rose from 7.12% to 16.05%, while English Language increased from 5.88% to 12.86%.
The overall performance indicates a worrying decline in foundational academic competency among the 461,736 candidates who sat for the exams.
Summary of F9 Rates (2024 vs 2025)
- Core Mathematics: 6.10% → 26.77%
- Social Studies: 9.55% → 27.50%
- Integrated Science: 7.12% → 16.05%
- English Language: 5.88% → 12.86%
Beyond the poor academic outcomes, the 2025 WASSCE was overshadowed by widespread examination malpractice. WAEC announced severe sanctions approved by the Ghana Examinations Committee, affecting thousands of candidates and several school officials.
Key Sanctions Issued:
- Subject Results Cancelled: 6,295 candidates for bringing unauthorized materials into examination halls.
- Entire Results Cancelled: 653 candidates for possessing mobile phones during exams.
- Withheld Results: 908 candidates (subjects withheld) and 158 candidates (entire results withheld) pending investigations.
- School Collusion: Results of candidates from 185 schools withheld over suspected collusion.
Additionally, 35 individuals including 19 teachers have been implicated in compromising exam integrity. Nineteen of them have already been arraigned and sentenced to fines or prison terms.
The 2025 results have sparked renewed concerns over learning outcomes, exam preparedness, and the widening integrity issues within the education system.
