| Acronym | WASSCE |
|---|---|
| Type | Standardized test |
| Administrator | West African Examinations Council |
| Skills tested | Core: English, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Social Studies; plus Electives |
| Purpose | Secondary school graduation and university admission qualification |
| Score range | A1 (Excellent) to F9 (Fail) |
| Offered | Ghana,Nigeria,Sierra Leone,The Gambia, andLiberia |
| Regions | Anglophone West Africa |
| Languages | English |
| Annual number of test takers | Over 2 million |
| Prerequisites | Completion of senior secondary school (school candidates) or registration as a private candidate |
| Website | waecgh.org (Ghana) /waecnigeria.org (Nigeria) |
TheWest African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a type ofstandardized test inWest Africa. Students who pass the exam receive a certificate confirming their graduation fromsecondary education. It is administered by theWest African Examinations Council (WAEC).[1] It is only offered to candidates residing in Anglophone West African countries. The academic school-leaving qualification awarded upon successful completion of the exams is theWest African Senior School Certificate.
The WASSCE tests four core subjects—English Language,Mathematics,Civic Education, plus an additional core subject in the student's field (typically from thetechnology,science,art/humanities andcommercial categories)— and three or four elective subjects.[2]
There are two types of WASSCE examinations:
Under the WAEC Marking and Grading Scheme, the letters A to F indicate how good a result is (while the numbers 1-9 are only used to rank the grades). In other words, To get an A1 in a subject, WASSCE Mathematics, for example, you need to score at least 75%.
Below is a breakdown of the grading system and the points to screen prospective first-year undergraduate students as of 2021.
| Grade | Numerical Equivalent (%) | Points (%) | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | 75-100 | 8 | Excellent |
| B2 | 70-74 | 7 | Very Good |
| B3 | 65-69 | 6 | Good |
| C4 | 60-64 | 5 | Credit |
| C5 | 55-59 | 4 | Credit |
| C6 | 50-54 | 3 | Credit |
| D7 | 45-49 | 0 | Pass |
| E8 | 40-44 | 0 | Pass |
| F9 | 0-39 | 0 | Fail |
The least obtainable passing grade is a C6 (despite what the remarks in the table say). Candidates with a D7 and lower, especially in Mathematics and English language, are advised to retake the exam if they wish to pursue tertiary education in a degree-granting institution.
Candidates are advised that they will be required to satisfy not only the university's general entrance requirements but also the requirements of the particular faculty which they wish to enter and that these requirements vary considerably. Particulars of entrance requirements and exemption regulations may be obtained from the universities or professional bodies concerned.
Nigerian senior secondary school students can take either the WASSCE or theNational Examination Council (NECO) exam.
Students who choose to study in Nigerian universities are required to sit theUnified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), an entrance examination administered by the state-ownedJoint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Universities in theUnited Kingdom may require candidates who did not obtain a credit in Mathematics and English language to complete a one-year foundation course or acceptable alternative. WASSCE and GCE is theNARIC equivalent of GCSE and A-Levels respectively.[5]
Universities in Germany can matriculate students, if there are five independent subjects in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination with at least the grade "credit". One of these five subjects must be math or science. Additionally two languages must be among the five subjects, if humanities is the intended field of study at the German university. If the intended subject at the German university is outside the humanities, one language is sufficient among the five subjects graded with at least "credit".[6]