The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, cautioning candidates against fraudsters offering to alter their grades.

A total of 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools entered this year’s examination, comprising 225,270 males and 287,592 females. The figure represents an 11.07 per cent increase over the 461,736 candidates who entered the 2025 WASSCE. However, 5,049 candidates, representing 0.98 per cent of the total, were absent from the examination.

WAEC said the provisional results have been hosted online, with login details to be provided to heads of schools to enable them to access the results of their candidates. Candidates who wish to check their individual results can also do so through the WAEC website. The Council has, however, warned candidates and the public to be wary of individuals who claim they can upgrade or alter examination results in exchange for money.

WAEC said its results are secured and can be authenticated through its results verification system, adding that candidates can also use the WAEC QR code to verify the authenticity of their results.

The Council urged candidates, parents and other stakeholders to disregard anyone who promises to change examination grades, describing such claims as fraudulent. The release of the results comes as the number of candidates sitting the examination continues to grow, with this year’s entry figure exceeding the 2025 total by more than 51,000 candidates.

WAEC advised candidates to rely only on its official channels when accessing or verifying their results and to report suspicious approaches involving attempts to manipulate examination outcomes.