Nearly one in four students fail core Mathematics in 2025 WASSCE

Provisional results released by West African Examinations Council (WAEC) showed that there was outright failures across the core subjects regarding the 2025 WASSCE, with Core Mathematics recording the most alarming decline.

WAEC’s data confirms that the national F9 rate in Core Mathematics has surged from 6.10% in 2024 to 26.77% in 2025, meaning nearly one out of every four candidates failed the subject.

The trend is mirrored, though less severely, in the other core subjects. Social Studies saw its F9 rate jump from 9.55% to 27.50%, while Integrated Science moved from 7.12% to 16.05%. English Language also recorded a rise from 5.88% to 12.86%.

The council attributes part of the overall performance downturn to a significant integrity crisis during the exams.

WAEC reported widespread malpractice resulting in the cancellation of subject results for 6,295 candidates and the annulment of entire results for 653 candidates found with mobile phones.

In addition, the subject results of 908 candidates and the full results of 158 candidates have been withheld pending investigations, while alleged collusion has left results from 185 schools on hold.

WAEC further disclosed that 35 individuals, including 19 teachers, were implicated in acts that compromised the examination’s credibility, with several already convicted through the courts.