The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has cancelled the results of hundreds of candidates and withheld thousands more following investigations into examination malpractice in the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The Council announced on Wednesday that the provisional results of the examination have been released to schools nationwide, but disciplinary measures have been taken against candidates found to have breached examination regulations.
According to WAEC, the subject results of 496 candidates have been cancelled for engaging in examination malpractice, while the entire results of 105 candidates have also been cancelled.
In addition, the subject results of 119 candidates and the entire results of 48 candidates have been withheld pending the conclusion of ongoing investigations into alleged examination irregularities.
The Council also disclosed that the subject results of 2,722 candidates from 229 schools have been withheld as investigations continue into suspected cases of malpractice.
WAEC said the investigations are expected to be completed by August 31, 2026, after which the affected results will either be released or cancelled based on the findings.
Candidates affected by the withheld results have been advised to check the status of their cases through WAEC’s irregularities portal.
A total of 620,243 candidates, made up of 304,415 males and 315,828 females, sat for this year’s BECE.
The candidates were drawn from 20,789 schools and wrote the examination at 2,237 centres across the country.
WAEC also reported that 3,601 registered candidates were absent from the examination.
The Council noted that special arrangements were made for candidates with special educational needs, including 136 visually impaired candidates, 282 hearing-impaired candidates, and 510 other candidates who required additional support.
The provisional results have been forwarded to schools through Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors of Education.
Candidates may also access their results online via WAEC’s official results portal.
WAEC cautioned candidates and the public against fraudsters who claim they can alter or upgrade examination results for a fee, stressing that its results are secure, tamper-proof and fully verifiable.
The Council further expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, security agencies, supervisors, invigilators, examiners, school authorities and other stakeholders for their support in the successful conduct of the 2026 BECE and the timely release of the results.
