By: Mohamed J. Bangura
The Government of Sierra Leone has announced an overall pass rate of 81.4 per cent in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with 916,125 passes recorded across 1,125,314 subject entries.
Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, announced the results following their submission to the government by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on October 23, 2026.
According to the report, 200,756 candidates from 1,038 schools were included in the examination results.
The results also showed that 91,122 candidates, representing 64.3 per cent, obtained at least five credits in one sitting, an important benchmark for candidates seeking direct entry into undergraduate degree programmes.
Despite the reported overall pass rate, performance in some core subjects remains a concern, particularly English Language. Only 9.77 per cent of candidates obtained grades between A1 and C6 in the subject, while 63.33 per cent failed.
Mathematics recorded a comparatively stronger performance, with 62.15 per cent of candidates obtaining credit grades or above.
In individual performance, Alfred Farwell Thorpe of Sierra Leone Grammar School emerged as the best-performing candidate, obtaining six A1s, one B3 and one C4 in eight subjects.
Silawi Ali of Camboi Lebanese Senior Secondary School in Kenema followed, securing four A1s, two B2s and two B3s.
Awada Senior Secondary School in Bo was named the best-performing school, with 29 of its 30 candidates reportedly qualifying for direct entry into undergraduate degree programmes.
However, the government disclosed that the results of 47,454 candidates had been withheld over suspected examination malpractice. The affected candidates comprised 26,735 females and 20,719 males.
The decision to withhold the results reflects concerns about examination integrity and the need to safeguard fairness and credibility in the country’s public examination system.
In a related development, five private schools involving 368 candidates were excluded from the results because of outstanding examination fees owed to WAEC.
The government has also indicated plans to strengthen measures against examination malpractice and introduce a new WAEC Bill in 2027 to improve the administration and credibility of public examinations.
The 2026 WASSCE results provide an assessment of students’ academic performance nationwide, while highlighting persistent weaknesses in core subjects and the need for continued investment in teaching, learning materials and student support.
As successful candidates prepare to pursue further education, the government faces the challenge of sustaining improvements in examination performance, addressing weaknesses in English Language and ensuring that future examinations are conducted transparently and credibly.