Unhappy with your BECE results? WAEC says you can seek a review
Ghana's examination body says students who believe their BECE results do not reflect their performance can apply for their scripts to be reviewed, but warns that changes to grades are rare and can sometimes go in the opposite direction.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has urged candidates dissatisfied with their 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results to use its formal remarking process, saying students have the right to request a review of their examination scripts.
Speaking on Accra-based Joy FM on Monday, and monitored by The Executive Spotlight, WAEC's Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, said candidates who believe their results do not reflect their performance must apply for a review through their schools rather than directly to the examination body.
"Anybody who is not satisfied with their results has the opportunity to seek remarking," he said.
According to Mr Kapi, schools initiate the process by submitting requests through district examination officers, after which WAEC retrieves the candidate's scripts for a fresh assessment by the relevant chief examiner.
He said the service attracts a fee because chief examiners must be recalled to carry out additional marking beyond the normal examination process. However, he did not disclose the cost, saying the amount depends on the nature of each request.
Mr Kapi said the review process typically takes several weeks, depending on how quickly applications are submitted.
While acknowledging that some candidates have had their grades changed after remarking, he stressed that such cases are uncommon.
"Most of the time, even if there's a change in the mark, it remains within the same grade range," he said, adding that WAEC does not keep statistics on grade changes because they occur infrequently.
He also cautioned that remarking does not automatically result in higher scores.
"In fact, some of them have actually gone lower than expected," he said.
To ensure transparency, Mr Kapi said candidates and their parents or guardians are allowed to inspect the reviewed scripts where necessary so they can understand how the final grade was determined.
The clarification comes after WAEC released the provisional results of the 2026 BECE for school candidates.
The council said 3,601 registered candidates were absent from the examination and also announced sanctions against candidates found to have violated examination regulations following investigations into reported malpractice.
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