WAEC rejects claims of marking down private school BECE candidates

GNAPS alleged that discrepancies in the grading process may unfairly disadvantage candidates from private schools and negatively affect their placement into senior high schools under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

The association has therefore called for an independent audit of the examination results to verify the integrity of the grading process.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, WAEC's Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, rejected suggestions that the Council discriminates against candidates based on the type of school they attend.

According to him, every examination script is marked under the same conditions using standardized marking schemes, moderation procedures and quality assurance measures.

These allegations are false, misleading and have no factual basis. WAEC wishes to assure all stakeholders, parents, guardians, educational authorities, school proprietors and the public that the Council's assessment and grading processes are guided by internationally accepted principles of fairness, consistency, objectivity and integrity," Mr. Kapi stated.

He stressed that neither public school candidates nor private school candidates receive preferential treatment during the marking process.

Mr. Kapi explained that WAEC uses the internationally recognised stanine grading system for the BECE.

Under this system, candidates are graded based on their performance relative to the overall performance of all candidates who sat the examination, rather than against fixed percentage scores.

He noted that the grading method is designed to promote fairness and consistency and is applied uniformly to every candidate, irrespective of the school attended.

According to WAEC, the use of the stanine system ensures that grades accurately reflect candidates' relative performance across the national examination.

Responding to GNAPS' demand for an independent review of the results, Mr. Kapi said the Council has no objection to an audit.

However, he stressed that any such exercise should have clearly defined terms of reference and be conducted by qualified professionals with expertise in educational assessment.

He also encouraged schools, parents and candidates with concerns about individual results to use WAEC's official review and enquiry procedures instead of relying on speculation or misinformation.

GNAPS had earlier announced that it had received numerous complaints from member schools across all 16 regions regarding what it described as grading inconsistencies in the provisional BECE results released by WAEC.

According to the association, the reported anomalies have raised concerns about the accuracy of the results compilation process and could affect thousands of students seeking admission into senior high schools.

The association believes a thorough audit would help restore public confidence in the examination process.

WAEC released the provisional results of the 2026 BECE on July 29, confirming that disciplinary action had been taken against candidates involved in examination malpractice.

According to the Council:

• The subject results of 601 candidates were cancelled for confirmed examination malpractice.
• The entire results of 167 candidates have been withheld pending investigations.
• The subject results of 2,722 candidates have also been withheld while suspected examination irregularities are investigated.

WAEC says investigations into the withheld results are ongoing and assured affected candidates that decisions will be communicated once the review process is completed.

The Council reiterated its commitment to maintaining the credibility, integrity and fairness of Ghana's public examination system while encouraging stakeholders to rely only on official information regarding examination results.