WAEC Reveals Top Reasons Behind 2025 WASSCE Failures in Core Mathematics and Social Studies
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released a comprehensive analysis explaining the significant drop in student performance in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with Core Mathematics and Social Studies emerging as the most affected subjects.
According to the Council’s Head of Public Relations, John Kapi, the findings, drawn from chief examiners’ reports, highlight deep-seated challenges in teaching, learning, and student preparedness. The revelations come amid heightened national concern following a steep decline in overall pass rates and a troubling increase in examination irregularities.
Core Mathematics saw the sharpest downturn. Passes from A1 to C6 plummeted from 305,132 in 2024 to 209,068 in 2025, leaving a deficit of more than 96,000 successful candidates. With just 48.73% of candidates attaining the required grades, more than half of this year’s students were unable to meet the minimum entry requirement for tertiary education.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Monday, December 1, Mr. Kapi clarified that the poor outcomes were not the result of an unusually difficult exam. In fact, chief examiners confirmed that the 2025 Mathematics paper matched the standard of previous years. “The challenge came from the candidates’ own weaknesses, not the quality of the paper,” he emphasised.
WAEC identified seven critical areas of weakness that contributed to the mass failure in Core Mathematics. Many students struggled with representing mathematical information using diagrams and solving real-world maths problems. Others were unable to construct cumulative frequency tables, make deductions from real-life scenarios, or solve basic simple-interest questions. A large number also failed to translate word problems into mathematical expressions or interpret cumulative frequency data accurately.
Social Studies, another compulsory subject essential for university admission, revealed its own worrying gaps. Chief examiners observed that many candidates were unable to write coherently about government policies designed to improve livelihoods. Some failed to explain how extravagant funerals negatively impact national development, while others demonstrated poor understanding of the forms of cooperation between Ghana and United Nations agencies. These shortcomings highlighted weaknesses in comprehension, critical thinking, and analytical skills.
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WAEC emphasised that these findings will inform targeted interventions aimed at strengthening teaching and learning nationwide. Mr. Kapi assured the public that the Council is committed to working closely with the Ministry of Education, teachers, and key stakeholders to address the systemic issues behind the decline, enhance student performance, and improve readiness ahead of subsequent examinations.
