The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that it withheld the results of 7,192 candidates who participated in the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for private candidates across Nigeria due to various cases of examination malpractice.
According to a statement signed by Moyosola F. Adesina, the acting Head of Public Affairs for WAEC Nigeria, out of the 80,904 candidates who sat for the examination, 39,790 were male and 41,114 were female. This represented 49.18% and 50.82% respectively of the total candidates.
The withheld results represent 8.89% of the total number of candidates who took the examination. The statement highlighted that the cases of malpractice are currently under investigation, and reports of these investigations will be presented to the appropriate Committee of the Council for consideration. The decisions of the Committee will then be communicated directly to the affected candidates.
Furthermore, the statement indicated that out of the candidates who sat for the examination, 78,419 had their results fully processed and released, while 2,485 candidates had a few of their subjects still being processed due to errors traceable to them. Efforts are being made to expedite the processing of these results.
Regarding the performance of candidates, 46,267 candidates obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, while 35,830 candidates obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Additionally, the statement noted that 7,192 candidates’ results were being withheld due to reported cases of examination malpractice. The examination, which took place between October 27, 2023, and December 20, 2023, saw the participation of 85,600 candidates, representing a 10.07% increase compared to the previous year.
Overall, the examination process involved coordination and marking by 4,162 examiners across seven marking venues in Nigeria.
