WASSCE 2026: WAEC cracks down on cheating as thousands of candidates face result cancellation

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has cancelled the results of thousands of candidates over examination irregularities in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The cancellations followed investigations into cases of alleged malpractice during the conduct of the examination, according to a statement issued by WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John K. Kapi on Friday 4th September, 2026.

The Ghana Examinations Committee, at its 42nd meeting held on Friday, August 7, 2026, approved several sanctions against candidates found to have breached examination rules.

WAEC cancelled the subject results of 7,434 candidates for bringing foreign materials into examination halls.

The materials included prepared notes, textbooks and printed materials, which candidates were prohibited from taking into examination rooms.

The Council also cancelled the entire results of 861 candidates for possessing mobile phones in the examination halls.

In addition, WAEC withheld the subject results of 957 candidates and the entire results of 270 candidates over various suspected offences.

The Council said, “some subject results of candidates from 169 schools have been withheld for alleged collusion.”

It added that the cases remain under investigation and the withheld results could either be released or cancelled depending on the outcome of the investigations.

According to WAEC, decisions on the affected results are expected by October 30, 2026.

The Council has directed candidates whose results have been cancelled or withheld to visit its results portal and access the “withheld/cancelled” section.

WAEC said the page would display the reasons for withholding or cancelling the results and provide information on the next line of action for candidates whose results have been withheld.

The sanctions form part of WAEC’s efforts to address examination malpractice following the conduct of the 2026 WASSCE.

The Council expressed gratitude to stakeholders who supported the examination process, including the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, security agencies, heads of schools, supervisors, invigilators and examiners.

A total of 512,862 candidates wrote the 2026 WASSCE, with WAEC releasing provisional results alongside details of the examination irregularities and sanctions imposed on affected candidates.