The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has long been the gatekeeper of secondary education certification in Nigeria, determining who gains access to universities, polytechnics, and the labour market. But between 2022 and 2026, the exam body’s credibility has been tested by falling pass rates, rising examination malpractice, and operational failures that have left millions of candidates in limbo, IYABO LAWAL reports.

The 2026 introduction of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for WAEC’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination has contributed to a 1.11 percentage point reduction in malpractice, but it has not eliminated cheating.

Persistent issues like mobile phone use, Artificial Intelligence (AI) rogue websites, organised cheating, and technical failures suggest that CBT alone cannot restore the regional exam body’s credibility.

While overall malpractice rates fell from 9.70 per cent in 2025 to 8.59 per cent in 2026, the nature of cheating shifted.

In 2025, WAEC’s WASSCE pass rate plunged to 38.32 per cent, the lowest in five years, before being revised to 62.96 per cent after grading errors were discovered. In 2022, 76.36 per cent of candidates obtained at least five credits, including English Language and mathematics, out of 1.6 million who sat the exam. This fell from 81.70 per cent in 2021, a 5.34 percentage-point decline. In 2026, the pass rate improved slightly to 61.54 per cent, but malpractice remained a stubborn challenge, with 8.59 per cent of results withheld.

According to WAEC, CBT reduced traditional malpractice. Before CBT, mass leakage of question papers, impersonation, and “miracle centres” were rampant. After CBT, WAEC reported no leakage of examination papers in 2026, crediting serialisation and digital question pools.

It noted that malpractice in CBT centres remained below one per cent, aligning with international standards. In contrast, overall malpractice stood at 8.59 per cent, with most infractions occurring in paper-based or hybrid centres.

However, new malpractice patterns emerged. Despite bans, the increasing use of mobile phones in exam halls became a recurring issue. Candidates used phones to access answers, communicate with external syndicates, and photograph questions.  AI and real-time answer sharing are the order of the day. While not yet widespread in WAEC, global trends show AI tools like ChatGPT being used in CBT exams.

In Nigeria, syndicates used WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels, and Bluetooth to share answers in real time. Additionally, there were reports of organised cheating syndicates that collude with candidates, invigilators, and school authorities, especially in ‘miracle centres’. Some schools allegedly coordinated mass cheating, with supervisors aiding candidates.

Meanwhile, some education stakeholders argued that the 1.11 percentage point reduction was insufficient, calling for more aggressive reforms. Others praised CBT as a more potent way to curb exam malpractice.

The 2023 WASSCE saw a rebound, with 79.81 per cent of candidates passing, the highest in the five years. This was attributed to better preparation and fewer pandemic-related disruptions.

In 2024, WAEC recorded its largest cohort to date, with 1.8 million candidates. However, the pass rate fell to 72.12 per cent, down 7.69 percentage points from 2023.

The 2025 WASSCE was described as the “worst in five years.” Initially, WAEC reported a pass rate of 38.32 per cent, triggering public alarm. Within days, the council admitted to grading errors caused by misapplied serialisation keys and revised the pass rate to 62.96 per cent. Of the 1.9 million candidates who sat the exam, 192,089 (9.75 per cent) had their results withheld due to malpractice.

In 2026, WAEC conducted its second computer-based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates. The pass rate was 61.54 per cent, a 1.42 percentage point drop from 2025’s revised figure.

Of the over 1.9 million candidates who sat the exam, 1.2 million (61.54 per cent) obtained at least five credits, including English Language and mathematics. Meanwhile, 167,486 (8.59 per cent) had their results withheld for malpractice, a 1.11 percentage-point improvement over 2025.

While specific malpractice figures for 2022 are not publicly available, WAEC’s historical data showed that between 170,000 and 365,000 results were withheld yearly from 2014 to 2023. In 2022, WAEC withheld 365,564 results, the highest in the period. In 2023, 262,803 results were withheld, representing 16.29 per cent of candidates. This was attributed to increased mobile phone use, group cheating, and impersonation.

In 2024, the malpractice rate dropped to 11.92 per cent, with 215,267 results withheld; in 2025, it fell further to 9.70 per cent, with 192,089 results withheld. WAEC attributed this to stricter anti-malpractice measures, including real-time digital scoring and increased surveillance.

In 2026, the malpractice rate dropped to 8.59 per cent, with 167,486 results withheld. This was a 1.11-percentage-point improvement over 2025.

The 2026 CB-WASSCE was conducted from April 24 to June 19, with 102,708 examiners across 88 marking venues, with key innovations including serialisation of question papers to prevent collusion, digital Examiner Mark System (DEMS) for faster, more accurate processing, real-time digital scoring to boost result processing speed and accuracy, and a new portal where candidates can directly generate e-PINs to check results.

WAEC’s Head of Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, admitted that “the increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, despite the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools are other nagging issues.”

In 2026, some CBT centres experienced power outages, network failures, and software glitches, leading to delays and candidate frustration. A 2025 Athena Centre report noted that “the erosion of WAEC’s credibility has consequences that extend well beyond examination halls,” affecting university admissions and labour market trust.

In Kenya (KNEC), biometric registration, secure paper handling, and real-time data publication led to fewer mass cancellations after 2016. In South Africa, independent oversight and annual integrity audits stopped systemic leaks in 2024, and 407 cases were disclosed transparently. In Ghana (WAEC-GH), QR-coded papers, targeted arrests, and public dashboards increased transparency and deterrence.

To truly reduce malpractice, some stakeholders urged WAEC to accelerate CBT roll-out with better infrastructure and power backup, strengthen logistics with regional secure printing hubs and real-time paper tracking, institutionalise oversight with an independent examination integrity panel, and improve communication with real-time dashboards and transparent reporting.

If pass rates fell, malpractice figures tell why WAEC believes the fall is progress, with the exam body driving exam malpractice to its lowest level in eight years.

Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa declared that “CBT will end malpractice” and “no going back on CBT” against the backdrop of the recent decline in cheating. For instance, 8.59 per cent is the lowest since 2019, down from 22.83 per cent in 2022. The drop from 9.7 per cent in 2025 to 8.59 per cent in 2026 coincided with the full implementation of CBT for school candidates. WAEC is touting these statistics.

Data from the Federal Ministry of Education showed an uninterrupted decline since serialisation and the CBT pilot (16.29, 11.92, 9.7, 8.59 per cent). According to WAEC, CBT eliminates physical answer sharing, making it easier to track rogue websites that sell questions. WAEC said it arrested suspects in collaboration with security agencies and now runs a cyber team to monitor examinations.

In December 2024, the government set a three-year timeline to migrate all NECO and WAEC examinations to CBT.

A committee was constituted to address key issues, including examination leaks, identity theft, fraud, and improving supervision.

Nigeria’s history of exam fraud
THE fight against exam malpractice in Nigeria has been ongoing for years, but it has built a strong defence line fortified by actors within it: students, teachers, parents, and poverty. Together, these factors have made the hope of victory over it a mere dream.

The birth of exam malpractice in Nigeria can be traced to 1914, when question papers for the Senior Cambridge Local Examinations were reported to have been leaked to students before exam day. From then on, the practice gradually became an unwelcome guest that refused to leave. Eventually, it became contagiously bold, infecting more and more people. Those who would have frowned at it saw it as an easy way to get by, and the trend escalated to an abysmal state that has swallowed not only quality education but also its effect on society.

In 1970, WAEC, to its chagrin, witnessed mass cheating during the examinations for the first time. With more participants sacrificing morality on the altar of ease and gain, exam malpractice hit a new, alarming height. Parents and guardians, teachers and examiners all became culprits in the cynical game. It was spreading like a virus and needed to be contained. In 1977, a judicial commission of inquiry was set up to ascertain the reasons for the shortcomings in conducting WASSCE and the late release of results.

In 1990, a survey reported that about 70 per cent of students admitted to having engaged in one form of exam malpractice or the other. The report noted that from 1991, the menace had taken on a new, more sophisticated dimension in both secondary and tertiary education institutions, prompting the government to enact a law that punishes any exam malpractice with four years’ imprisonment.

Stakeholders’ reactions
STAKEHOLDERS have raised concerns over new methods being adopted by perpetrators, noting that while the marginal decline showed that existing measures are working, urgent steps must be taken to checkmate the new digital methods before the full migration to CBT.

For Dr Olu Adekile, the Proprietor of Advance Learning Centre, a sixth-form school in Ikeja, the government should work with WAEC to deploy signal jammers and CCTV monitoring in CBT centres.

Adekile also called for the inclusion of digital ethics in the school curriculum to discourage students from engaging in tech-enabled cheating.

The Chairman of the Lagos State Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Mr Adebayo Adewale, blamed part of the problem on pressure from parents and lack of adequate preparation in some schools.

He said many parents still patronise “special centres” because they do not want their children to fail, thereby encouraging syndicates to innovate. “Parents must stop demanding miracles from schools. When you pay for malpractice, you are training your child to fail in life. We are proposing free extra lessons and sensitisation in all public schools and a hotline for parents to report schools that demand money for expo,” Adewale said.

The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Lagos zone, Funmilayo Bello, gave a different perspective. She said while malpractice was wrong, poor CBT infrastructure was pushing some students into desperation.

She cited issues of power failure, insufficient computers and lack of mock CBT practice as factors that cause panic during exams.

“Students are not excusing malpractice, but the system must also be fair. If a child has never used a computer before and is suddenly in a CBT hall, fear will set in. Some then turn to AI or phones. WAEC and the government should ensure stable power, provide mock tests and go after the real syndicates selling AI answers instead of only punishing students,” Bello said.

The Chairman of the Association of Private School Owners, Lagos Chapter, Dr Kehinde Ogunyemi, said some private CBT centres were under pressure to deliver high results.

“The 1.11 per cent drop is good, but we must admit that some centres are under pressure to ‘deliver results.’ The emergence of AI and hidden phones makes supervision harder because these devices are now the size of a fingernail. We need government subsidy for CBT equipment, mandatory training for supervisors, and random WAEC monitoring teams with metal detectors at every centre,” Ogunyemi said.

A cybersecurity consultant, Mr Lekan Fatodu, called for a tech-driven response to the menace. “Malpractice has gone digital. If WAEC is using CBT, then WAEC must also fight with CBT-level technology. A 1.11 per cent reduction is progress, but the method of cheating is now more dangerous. We must deploy AI proctoring, browser lockdown software, RF scanners and jammers, and partner with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to track online syndicates selling AI answers,” Fatodu said.