BREAKING: WAEC revises pass rates upwards after review of 2025 SSCE results

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced a substantial increase in the number of candidates who obtained credit passes in five key subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, in the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

Following a thorough review, WAEC revealed that 1,239,884 candidates—representing 62.9% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the exams—have now met the credit pass benchmark.

This marks a significant jump from the initial figure of 754,545 candidates, or 38.32%, who were earlier reported as qualifying for admission into tertiary institutions.

The examination body attributed the revision to the correction of errors found in the marking of serialized objective questions, which affected the initial computation of the results.

Earlier reports had highlighted concerns over a mass failure rate in crucial subjects like English Language and Mathematics, which are critical for university admission in Nigeria.

The initial low pass rate sparked widespread criticism, particularly from parents and education advocates, who questioned the credibility of the results, timing and administration of the English Language exam while calling for the cancellation of the English Language paper and an investigation into reports that some candidates had to write the exam late at night under difficult conditions.