By Fatou Krubally
Only 1,556 candidates, representing 7.94 percent of those assessed, obtained credit passes in five subjects including English Language and Mathematics in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in The Gambia, according to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The results, released by WAEC’s Banjul Office, show that 20,610 candidates from 170 senior secondary schools registered for this year’s examination, representing a 1.79 percent increase from the 20,248 candidates registered in 2025.
Female candidates accounted for the majority, with 13,070 females, representing 63.42 percent, compared with 7,540 males, or 36.58 percent.
WAEC said Gambian candidates registered for 40 subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, Civic Education and subjects covering the Science, Arts, Commerce, Technical and Vocational fields.
Of the registered candidates, 19,605, representing 95.12 percent, were included in the assessment of the results.
The results show that 722 candidates, representing 3.68 percent, obtained credit passes in nine subjects, while 831 candidates, or 4.24 percent, obtained eight credits.
A further 923 candidates, representing 4.71 percent, obtained seven credits, while 969 candidates, or 4.94 percent, obtained six credits.
The largest category among candidates obtaining five or more credits comprised those with exactly five credits, numbering 1,076 candidates, or 5.49 percent.
WAEC’s breakdown further shows that 1,316 candidates obtained four credits, 1,647 obtained three credits, 2,072 obtained two credits and 2,964 obtained one credit.
Among candidates who obtained five or more credits including English Language and Mathematics, 649 were male and 907 were female.
Meanwhile, WAEC has withheld the results of 98 candidates from 13 schools over suspected cases of examination malpractice.
The Council said the results would remain withheld pending consideration of the cases by its appropriate committee, which will determine the outcome.
WAEC also indicated that certain circumstances had affected some candidates’ results and could have an impact on the overall performance statistics. However, details of those circumstances were not clearly provided in the release.
The examination body expressed appreciation to the Government of The Gambia, through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, as well as examiners, senior secondary school principals and the Conference of Principals of Senior Secondary Schools (GAMCOP), for their support in conducting the examination and releasing the results.
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