The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released new details on the compulsory subjects for candidates taking the May/June 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), affirming that the revised structure will guide all future editions of the exam.
Speaking after the 63rd meeting of the Nigeria National Committee (NNC) in Umuahia, the Head of the National Office of WAEC, Amos Dangut, said no candidate would be restricted from choosing subjects across different fields. He added that science students remain eligible to take Economics as an elective.
Dangut said the updated structure follows the federal government’s directive on streamlined subject offerings. Under the new arrangement, subjects are grouped into five fields: core, science, humanities, business, and trade.
He listed the core (compulsory) subjects as English Language, General Mathematics, Citizenship and Heritage Studies Education, Digital Technologies, and a vocational trade subject. However, Citizenship and Heritage Studies Education and Digital Technologies will not be examined until 2028 to allow for full curriculum and syllabus development.
This means candidates sitting for WASSCE in 2026 and 2027 will be required to sit only three compulsory subjects—English Language, General Mathematics and one trade subject—alongside five or six electives, making a total of eight or nine subjects.
Dangut also announced that trade subjects have been reduced from 26 to six, though some have been renamed without changes to their curriculum content. He stressed that WAEC does not design curricula but only assesses students based on curricula provided by the government.
On the planned transition to computer-based testing (CBT), he said schools have been grouped into three categories to ensure a smooth rollout. While some centres may adopt full CBT by 2026, others—especially in rural communities—will use hybrid or paper-based formats.
He noted that no candidate will be assigned to an exam centre more than two kilometres from their residence and advised schools to administer at least three Continuous Assessment Tests ahead of the exam. WAEC has also extended the deadline for uploading Continuous Assessment Scores to ensure compliance.
