BY Nadia Ntiamoah
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially released the provisional results of candidates who sat for the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for school candidates, with strict sanctions applied against cases of malpractice.
In a statement dated August 23, 2025, WAEC confirmed that the results have been dispatched to schools through Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Directors of Education.
Candidates can also access their individual results online via the Council’s website.
Massive Participation Across the Country
A total of 603,328 candidates from 20,395 schools sat for the nationwide exam.
This number included 297,250 males and 306,078 females, reflecting the steady increase in female participation in basic education over recent years.
The exams were administered at 2,237 centres across Ghana.
WAEC also made provisions for candidates with special needs: 72 visually impaired students, 239 with hearing impairment, and 161 others requiring additional test accommodations. Despite the large turnout, 2,526 candidates were absent.
Crackdown on Examination Malpractices
As has been the trend in recent years, the 2025 BECE was not without cases of malpractice.
After investigations, WAEC’s Final Awards and Examiners’ Appointment Committee, at its 36th meeting on August 15, 2025, approved stringent measures against offending candidates.
The sanctions included:
Cancellation of subject results for 718 candidates.
Cancellation of entire results for 177 candidates.
Withholding of subject results for 1,240 candidates pending investigations.
Withholding of the entire results for 93 candidates.
Additionally, results from 119 schools had subject results cancelled, while results from 87 schools were withheld for further scrutiny.
WAEC indicated that withheld results may either be released or cancelled by September 6, 2025, depending on the outcome of investigations.
To ensure transparency, affected candidates have been directed to check the Council’s irregularities portal at irreg.waec.org for details on withheld or cancelled results, as well as next steps for resolution.
Warning Against Fraudsters
WAEC used the occasion to caution candidates, parents, and the general public against falling victim to fraudsters who promise to upgrade results for a fee.
The Council emphasized that its results database is secured and verifiable, making any claims of altering results false.
