The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has linked the decline in candidates’ performance in English Language in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to poor reading habits, grammatical weaknesses and the growing influence of informal language on social media.

According to WAEC, although candidates generally performed better in most subjects compared to the previous year, English Language was an exception, with the pass rate recording a significant drop.

Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi, said the trend was a concern for the examination body, particularly because of persistent weaknesses identified in candidates’ written and comprehension skills.

“The results have been an improvement on the previous year’s performance except for English Language, which saw a decline,” he said in an interview with Citi News.

The proportion of candidates who obtained grades A1 to C6 in English Language dropped from 73.11 per cent in 2023 to 69.52 per cent in 2024 and 69 per cent in 2025.

The figure fell further to 62.40 per cent in 2026, representing the lowest performance recorded over the four years.

Kapi said the Chief Examiner’s Report had identified several areas where candidates continued to struggle.

These include concord, spelling, grammar, comprehension and summary writing.

Beyond the technical aspects of the subject, he said WAEC was increasingly concerned about candidates’ reading habits, with some students finding it difficult to respond to questions based on prescribed literary texts.

The examination body has also raised concerns about the growing use of informal language in examination scripts, which WAEC believes could be linked to the way young people communicate on social media.

“They might only use the contracted forms as if they were the standard, and that is one area that is worrying,” Kapi said.

While English Language recorded a decline, candidates performed better in Core Mathematics compared to 2025.

Kapi said candidates demonstrated strengths in areas including arithmetic progression, coordinate geometry and business mathematics.

However, weaknesses remained in translating word problems into mathematical statements, among other areas.

In 2026, 60.75 per cent of candidates obtained grades A1 to C6 in Core Mathematics, compared with 62.40 per cent for English Language.

The contrasting results highlight the need for greater attention to literacy and language skills, particularly as candidates prepare for future examinations.

NA/BAI