FREETOWN, 27th October 2026 – Nearly one in every four candidates who sat the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will have to wait longer for their fate, as the Government confirms 47,454 results have been withheld over suspected examination malpractice.
Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Hon. Conrad Sackey, announced the development on Tuesday 27th October 2026 while releasing the overall results live on SLBC TV.
The withheld figure – 26,735 females and 20,719 males – represents 23.6% of the 200,756 candidates whose results were submitted by WAEC to the Ministry on Friday 23rd October.
“WAEC is investigating all suspected cases of irregularities. Some results may be released after the investigation, others may be cancelled,” Minister Sackey said.
Candidates affected can check their status via WAEC’s irregularities portal: http://www.waec-sierra-leone.org/irregularities
This is one of the highest withheld figures in recent years, reigniting concerns over malpractice in examination centres nationwide, particularly collusion, use of mobile phones and pre-prepared answer sheets.
What About the Rest?
Despite the malpractice cases, the Ministry said there is improvement in general performance.
Of the 141,810 candidates whose results were released and who sat at least one paper:
– 91,122 (64.3%) obtained 5 Credits and above in a single sitting
– Paper pass rate was 81.4% – 916,125 passes out of 1,125,314 papers sat
– 11,492 candidates were recorded absent from all papers
Five private schools with 368 candidates – Great High School of Science and Business, Reverend Christian International, Royal International, Globe International and Faith Walk Academy – had their entire results excluded for failing to pay WAEC fees.
Top Scorer Emerges Amidst Crackdown
Even as malpractice overshadowed the release, Alfred Farwell Thorpe of Sierra Leone Grammar School was named the best-performing candidate, scoring Six A1s, One B3 and One C4 with an average of 1.63, Very Good.
The Murray Town Grammar School boy has become a symbol that excellence is still possible without cheating.
Warning Against Scammers
Minister Sackey warned candidates and parents to beware of fraudsters. Last week, he disowned a fake Facebook page bearing his name that claimed government saved $1.37m on WASSCE fees and asked candidates to pay money to access results.
“Do not pay anyone on Facebook or WhatsApp. Check only on the official WAEC Result Checker or through your school,” he cautioned.
Hard copies of results will be sent to 1,038 schools in the coming days.
