Social Studies emerged as the best-performing core subject in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), while English Language recorded its lowest performance in four years, according to statistics released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The 2026 performance statistics show that 393,918 candidates, representing 78.04 per cent, obtained grades A1 to C6 in Social Studies.
English Language followed with 315,094 candidates, representing 62.40 per cent, while 309,605 candidates, or 62.08 per cent, attained grades A1 to C6 in Integrated Science.
Core Mathematics recorded 306,234 candidates, representing 60.75 per cent, obtaining grades A1 to C6.
WAEC’s four-year performance statistics indicate a significant decline in English Language performance.
The proportion of candidates obtaining grades A1 to C6 in English fell from 73.11 per cent in 2023 to 69.52 per cent in 2024, 69.00 per cent in 2025 and 62.40 per cent in 2026.
Mathematics performance, meanwhile, improved considerably compared with the previous year. The proportion achieving A1 to C6 rose from 48.73 per cent in 2025 to 60.75 per cent in 2026.
Integrated Science also recorded an improvement, rising from 57.74 per cent in 2025 to 62.08 per cent in 2026, although its 2026 performance remained below the 66.82 per cent recorded in 2023.
Social Studies recorded the strongest improvement among the four core subjects. Its A1 to C6 performance increased from 55.82 per cent in 2025 to 78.04 per cent in 2026, surpassing the 76.76 per cent recorded in 2023.
WAEC noted that candidates’ performance in Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies varied over the four-year period, while English Language showed a progressive decline.
The 2026 examination involved 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools, an 11.07 per cent increase over the 2025 entry figure of 461,736.
The performance figures provide a mixed picture of academic outcomes, with notable improvements in Mathematics and Social Studies but a sharp decline in English Language performance.
