The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has confirmed a major national education concern with the release of the provisional WASSCE 2025 results, which show a sharp surge in outright failure rates (Grade F9) across all four core subjects compared to the 2024 performance.
An analysis of the official data reveals that the percentage of candidates who failed Core Mathematics outright (Grade F9) has nearly quadrupled, rising from 6.10% in 2024 to an alarming 26.77% in 2025.
Similarly, the failure rate for Social Studies has almost tripled in just one year, increasing from 9.55% in 2024 to 27.50% in 2025.
The Great Collapse: F9 Rates Spike Across the Board
The sharp rise in F9 grades points to a dramatic decline in foundational knowledge among the 461,736 candidates who registered for the examination. The steepest increases were recorded in the core subjects crucial for tertiary education admission.
In Core Mathematics, the F9 rate soared by 20.67 percentage points — jumping from 6.10% in 2024 to 26.77% in 2025. This means nearly one out of every four students failed the subject outright.
For Social Studies, the F9 rate also rose sharply from 9.55% in 2024 to 27.50% in 2025, representing an 188% increase.
Even the core literacy and science subjects recorded more than double their previous failure rates:
Integrated Science:
The F9 rate increased from 7.12% in 2024 to 16.05% in 2025 — an 8.93 percentage point rise.
English Language:
The failure rate more than doubled, rising from 5.88% in 2024 to 12.86% in 2025.
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| Core Subject | 2024 F9 Percentage | 2025 F9 Percentage |
| Mathematics (Core) | 6.10% | 26.77% |
| Social Studies | 9.55% | 27.50% |
| Integrated Science | 7.12% | 16.05% |
| English Language | 5.88% | 12.86% |
Integrity Crisis: Thousands Penalised for Malpractice
The release of the provisional results by WAEC on November 29, 2025, was also marred by an unprecedented crackdown on examination malpractice.
The Ghana Examinations Committee approved severe sanctions against thousands of candidates and dozens of educational personnel.
Key sanctions include:
- Subject Results Cancelled: 6,295 candidates had their subject results annulled for bringing unauthorized materials like notes, textbooks, and printed material into the examination hall.
- Entire Results Cancelled: The results of 653 candidates were canceled entirely for the possession of mobile phones in the examination hall.
- Withheld Results: The subject results of 908 candidates and the entire results of 158 candidates remain withheld pending investigations into various suspected offences.
- School Collusion: Results for candidates from 185 schools were withheld for alleged collusion.
In addition, 35 persons, including 19 teachers, who compromised the integrity of the examination face legal and disciplinary action. Already, 19 of those individuals have been arraigned before court and convicted to fines or prison terms.
