Omanghana
The West African Examinations Council has released the provisional results of candidates who participated in Ghana’s 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination, with hundreds of results cancelled and thousands more withheld over suspected examination irregularities.
In a statement signed by its Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, WAEC said investigations conducted during the examination and the marking of scripts uncovered cases of malpractice involving individual candidates and several schools.
The council consequently cancelled the subject results of 496 candidates found to have violated examination regulations.
Another 105 candidates had their entire examination results cancelled, meaning they will not receive valid grades in any of the subjects they wrote.
WAEC also withheld the subject results of 119 candidates and the complete results of 48 others pending further investigation.
A much larger group of 2,722 candidates from 229 schools has also been affected. Their subject results have been placed on hold for further scrutiny following the detection of suspected irregularities associated with their schools.
The council expects to conclude its investigations by August 31, 2026. Depending on the evidence gathered, the withheld results will either be released or permanently cancelled.
WAEC Takes Action Against Examination Malpractice
The sanctions followed investigations into alleged offences including collusion between candidates, impersonation, the possession of unauthorized materials and other breaches of examination regulations.
Cancellation of a subject result applies only to the paper in which malpractice was established. Cancellation of an entire result is a more serious penalty affecting every subject taken by the candidate.
A withheld result, however, does not represent a final finding of guilt. It means WAEC requires additional time to examine scripts, reports from examination officials or other available evidence before reaching a decision.
The council said the disciplinary measures were necessary to preserve the credibility of the BECE and ensure that candidates who followed the rules were not placed at a disadvantage.
The examination is used to certify students completing junior high school and plays an important role in placement into senior high, technical and vocational institutions.
More Than 620,000 Candidates Registered
A total of 620,243 candidates from 20,789 schools registered for the 2026 school examination.
The figure comprised 304,415 male candidates and 315,828 female candidates.
WAEC administered the examination at 2,237 centers across Ghana. A total of 3,601 registered candidates were absent during the examination period.
The candidate population included students who required special arrangements to participate fully in the assessment.
According to WAEC, 136 candidates had visual impairments, 282 had hearing impairments and 510 required other forms of testing accommodation.
The accommodations were intended to ensure that candidates with disabilities and other recognized needs could sit the examination under appropriate conditions.
How Candidates Can Check Flagged Results
Candidates whose results have been cancelled or withheld can obtain details about the action through WAEC’s irregularities portal.
Affected candidates should visit the official WAEC Ghana website and select the “Withheld/Cancelled” option on the homepage.
They will then be redirected to the irregularities and investigations portal, where the reason for the cancellation or withholding will be displayed.
Candidates with results still under investigation will also receive information about the next stage of the process.
Heads of schools and proprietors can use their official results-listing credentials to check the status of affected candidates from their institutions.
Candidates are encouraged to rely exclusively on WAEC’s official website and communication channels when checking their results or seeking information about investigations.
Results Being Sent to Schools
WAEC is dispatching the provisional results of school candidates to their respective institutions through the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors of Education.
Schools will make the results available to candidates through the approved Ghana Education Service and WAEC procedures.
Because the released results are provisional, they may be corrected if WAEC identifies processing errors or concludes outstanding investigations.
Candidates whose results have been withheld are advised to wait for the formal outcome rather than assuming that the affected grades have been cancelled.
WAEC Warns Against Result-Upgrade Scams
The council has cautioned candidates, parents and school administrators against fraudsters claiming they can change, upgrade or release examination results in exchange for money.
WAEC stressed that its results database is secured and that unauthorized individuals cannot legitimately alter candidates’ grades.
Parents and candidates should avoid sending money, index numbers, result-checker details or other personal information to people advertising result-upgrade services on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook or other online platforms.
Any communication concerning withheld results, investigations or disciplinary decisions should be confirmed through WAEC’s official channels.
The council expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, security agencies, school authorities, supervisors, invigilators, examiners and other stakeholders who supported the conduct of the 2026 BECE.
Source: Omanghana
