BREAKING: Government of Sierra Leone Releases 2026 WASSCE Results
Deborah Sorie The Government of Sierra Leone has released the results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with 47,454 candidates having their results withheld over suspected examination irregularities.
The results were announced by the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Conrad Sackey on Tuesday who said the examination results were received from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Friday, October 23, 2026.
According to the ministry, a total of 200,756 candidates from 1,038 schools were included in the list of results submitted to the government, while five private schools with 368 candidates were excluded because of outstanding fees owed to WAEC.
The five schools are Great High School of Science and Business, Reverend Christian International High School, Royal International School, Globe International and Faith Walk Academy Senior Secondary School.
The ministry said the results of 47,454 candidates, comprising 26,735 females and 20,719 males, were withheld over suspected examination malpractice. WAEC may release some or all of the withheld results after investigations. Candidates can check whether their results have been withheld through the WAEC Sierra Leone website.
The ministry said 141,810 candidates sat at least one subject, while 11,492 candidates appeared to have been absent from all subjects.
Of the candidates whose results were released, 91,122 obtained the benchmark of at least five credits in a single sitting, representing 64.3 per cent, an improvement on the previous year.
The ministry also reported a paper pass rate of 81.4 per cent, with 916,125 passes recorded from 1,125,314 subject papers sat by candidates.
Alfred Farwell Thorpe of Sierra Leone Grammar School was named the best-performing candidate based on the results released to the ministry. He sat eight subjects, obtaining six A1 grades, one B3 and one C4.
He was followed by Silawi Ali of Camboi Lebanese Senior Secondary School in Kenema, who also sat eight subjects and obtained four A1 grades, two B2s and two B3s.
In school performance, Awada Senior Secondary School in Bo was identified as the best-performing school under the ministry’s assessment criteria. The school had 30 candidates, with 29 meeting the requirements for direct entry into an undergraduate degree programme in Sierra Leone.
The ministry expressed concern over performance in English Language, reporting that only 9.77 per cent of candidates obtained grades between A1 and C6, while 63.33 per cent failed the subject.
Mathematics results were comparatively stronger, with 62.15 per cent of candidates obtaining a credit grade or better.
The ministry said it would strengthen measures to address examination malpractice, including closer monitoring of examinations and faster investigations into withheld results. It also announced plans for a new WAEC bill in 2027 to improve examination administration and introduce legal consequences for individuals involved in malpractice.
The government further said it would continue investigating examination absenteeism and introduce a unique learner identification system to help detect candidates registered in multiple schools.
The ministry congratulated candidates, teachers, parents and school administrators who participated in the examination honestly, stressing that examination malpractice would not be allowed to undermine the efforts of those who complied with the rules.