A comprehensive list of offences is provided in Council's Regulations & Syllabuses.
- The following, among others, constitute examination malpractice:
- Candidates bringing books or cribs into the examination hall;
- Insulting or assaulting any examination official;
- Swapping of scripts in an examination hall;
- Replacing their answer scripts with another one during or after the examination;
- Impersonation;
- Taking part in mass or organised cheating in the exam hall;
- All other acts that contravene the rules governing the conduct of the examination.
WAEC certificates have no expiry date.
WAEC does not prepare candidates for its examinations by establishing secondary schools or tutorial centres, and no such institutions are affiliated to the Council.
WAEC provides feedback in the form of Chief Examiners' Report on candidates' perofrmance in the various papers for each examination diet, which helps schools and private candidates to prepare adequately for subsequent examinations. The Chief Examiners' Reports are avialable for sale at the Council's offices nationwide.
In the case of the school examination, the prospective candidate must be in the SS 3 class in a recognized school, For the private candidates' examination, any one of the following categories may enter for the WASSCE:
- Those who have attempted the WASSCE in previous years;
- Those who have attempted the GCE and obtained a pass in at least three subjects;
- Those who have passed the Teachers’ Grade two examination.
No. Instead it issues statements of result to the owners of lost certificates or, when necessary, confirms their results for a fee.
WAEC also issue attestation of result document for damaged and lost certificates.
Results are partially released due to queries arising from one or a combination of the following mistakes:
- Wrong transfer of examination numbers in one or more papers;
- Failure to shade examination numbers;
- Shading objective sheets with biro pens instead of pencil;
- Mistakes in entries leading to duplication of subjects.
Yes. Reports about functionaries who are teachers are made to the various State Ministries of Education and All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) for disciplinary measures. Such functionaries have been disciplined in the past. WAEC has its own procedures for disciplining erring inspectors.
Candidates are required to enter and sit for a minimum of eight (8) and maximum of nine (9) subjects. These must include the following:
- English Language
- General Mathematics
- *Citizenship and Heritage Studies Education
- *Digital Technologies
These are the core subjects. In addition to the above, all candidates must complete their registered subjects from the listed below:
Science: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Agriculture, Further Mathematics, Physical Education, Health Education, Foods & Nutrition, Geography, Technical Drawing
Humanities: Nigerian History, Government, Christian Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, One Nigerian Language (Hausa/Igbo/Yoruba), French, Arabic, Visual Art, Music, Literature-in-English, Home Management, Catering Craft
Business: Accounting, Commerce, Marketing, Economics
Trade Subjects: Fashion Design and Garment Making, Livestock Farming, Beauty and Cosmetology, Computer Hardware and GSM Repairs, Solar Photovoltaic installation and maintenance, Horticulture and Crop Production.
Note: *Citizenship and Heritage Studies, and Digital Technologies are new subjects that require the development of new curricula and examination syllabuses and would therefore not be examined until 2028 (after a full implementation of the syllabus).
Candidates registering for WASSCE in 2026 and 2027 would only be able to sit two (2) core subjects, namely:
- English Language
- General Mathematics
In addition to the two (2) core subjects currently available, candidates are to select six or seven other subjects to make a minimum of eight subjects and a maximum of nine subjects.