The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has provided an update on the compulsory subjects that candidates sitting for the May/June 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and subsequent editions must register for.
The council also confirmed that science students are eligible to register for and sit Economics as one of the elective subjects in the examination.
The Head of the National Office of WAEC Nigeria, Dr. Amos Dangut, explained this at a news conference shortly after the conclusion of this year’s Annual Meeting (63rd edition) of the Nigeria National Committee (NNC) of WAEC, held over the weekend in Umuahia, Abia State.
The NNC is the highest decision-making body of WAEC in Nigeria and comprises virtually all stakeholders in the education sector. Members meet once a year on a rotational basis across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Dangut, “We want to assure all students that no candidate will be restricted from registering for subjects from other subject groups or distinct elective fields. Specifically, science students are not barred from taking Economics as an elective subject. They can choose the subject to complete their selection.”
Dangut urged schools and their counsellors to properly guide students during exam registration to ensure they choose the right combination of subjects.
He said this guidance is necessary due to the “streamlined and reviewed subjects in line with the federal government’s directive,” which will be implemented for the 2026 examination.
He stated, “The subjects to be offered by candidates have now been categorized into five distinct fields, namely: core subjects, science subjects, humanities subjects, business subjects, and trade subjects.”
He noted that the core subjects, which can also be termed compulsory subjects, are now five: English Language, General Mathematics, Citizenship and Heritage Studies Education, Digital Technologies, and Vocational Trade Subjects.
However, out of these five, he explained that candidates will not be tested in Citizenship and Heritage Studies Education or Digital Technologies in 2026; these subjects will only be examined starting in 2028.
“This is because they are new subjects that require the development of new curricula and examination syllabi. They will therefore not be examined until 2028, following full syllabus implementation.
“As a result, candidates registering for WASSCE in 2026 and 2027 will only be required to sit three compulsory subjects: English Language, General Mathematics, and one trade subject.
“So, in addition to these three core compulsory subjects, candidates are to select five or six other subjects to make a minimum of eight and a maximum of nine subjects in total to satisfy the registration requirements for the examination.”
Dangut also explained that trade subjects, which were previously 26 in number, have now been streamlined to six. Some subjects have been renamed, but their curriculum content and examination syllabi remain unchanged.
He emphasized that students would be tested on the renamed subjects since their content and syllabi are intact.
The HNO clarified that WAEC has no role in curriculum development or review, as that responsibility lies solely with the government. WAEC’s role is to assess students on the curricula provided by the government for implementation in schools. He added that it is therefore incorrect to attribute curriculum review to WAEC.
Dangut also explained that schools have been categorized into three groups to enable a smooth and effective migration of WAEC exams to full computer-based testing (CBT) mode.
According to him, some schools, especially in rural areas, may not immediately adopt CBT exams, while some in cities may use a combination of computer-based and pen-and-paper modes. Others may conduct exams solely via CBT even by 2026 as a test run.
“But what we know for sure is that no candidate will be denied the opportunity to sit for the exam in 2026,” he assured.
Dangut further assured candidates that none would be posted to exam centres more than two kilometers from their homes.
He advised schools to conduct a minimum of three distinct Continuous Assessment Tests for all candidates to ensure they meet the Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS) requirement.
He noted that this is why the council has extended the deadline for CASS uploading on the dedicated website to a future date. He added that WAEC has set the extension to ensure a smooth and credible examination.
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