The results of the 2020 Second Series of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates were released on Monday.
Patrick Areghan, Head of National Office (HNO), West African Examinations Council (WAEC), told the media that 61,509 candidates participated at 540 centres nationwide.
The official announced that a total of 5,548 results were withheld for various cases of malpractice.
All others have been released except for 398, whose subjects are still being processed due to errors by candidates.
WAEC said the 61,509 candidates in 2020 was a decline, when compared with the 66,375 entry figure in 2019.
The HNO linked the drop to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a breakdown of performance, 31,751 candidates obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, with or without English Language and or Mathematics.
Also, 24,491 candidates obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects including English Language and Mathematics.
Areghan said of this number, 12,040, representing 49.16 percent, are male, while 12,451, representing 50.84 percent, are female.
In 2018 and 2019, 35.99 and 35.10 percent of the WASSCE examinees, respectively, obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects including English Language and Mathematics.
The HNO explained that the number of candidates with five credits including English Language and Mathematics may not necessarily be a basis for judging performance level.
”This is because the examination is more or less a remedial one. Some candidates may need only one or two papers, other than English Language and or Mathematics, to remedy their admission deficiencies,” he said.
Areghan added that a total of 101 candidates with varying degrees of Special Needs were registered for the 2020 examination.