What is West African Senior School Certificate Examination?

conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is administered to school candidates in the third year of public and private Senior High Schools in Ghana.

Prospective students who become successful at the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) can continue their education at the tertiary level with their WASSCE for School certificate issued to them by WAEC.

Date of WASSCE

The examination is conducted once a year in May/June for school candidates only but amid the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic, the month for the international examination administration has changed.

Entry Procedure

The entry period is September to November and it lasts for six weeks. School authorities are expected to register their candidates and upload their entry data online.

Continuous Assessment Scores are however received from the schools on CDs. Other details of the entry procedure are provided in Notes for the Guidance of Schools which are supplied together with the entry documents.

The completed entry documents, together with evidence of payment of registration fees at a designated bank are expected to be submitted to the Council’s Office located in the region of the school.

Subjects for WASSCE

The Core Subjects for the examination are:

English Language
Integrated Science
Mathematics (Core)
Social Studies

In addition to the Core Subjects, each candidate must choose ONE of the Options under ONE of the Programmes and must enter and sit for THREE or FOUR Elective Subjects from the Option of his/her choice.

The Programmes, the Options available under them and the Elective Subjects in each option are as follows:

Agricultural Programme

General Agriculture

One of the following:

Animal Husbandry
Crop Husbandry and Horticulture

Fisheries
Forestry

One or Two of the following:

Biology
Physics
Mathematics (Elective)
Geography
French OR Music
ICT (Elective)

Business Programme

This Programme has two options – Accounting and Secretarial

(a) Accounting Option

Business Management
Financial Accounting
Any one or two of the following
Principles of Cost Accounting
French OR Music
Economics
Mathematics (Elective)
ICT (Elective)

(b) Secretarial Option

Typewriting (40wpm)
Business Management
Any one or two of the following
Financial Accounting
Principles of Cost Accounting
Clerical Office Duties
French OR Music
Economics
Literature in English
ICT (Elective)

(3) Technical Programme

Technical Drawing

Two or three of the following:

Applied Electricity
Auto Mechanics
Building Construction
Electronics
Metalwork
Woodwork
ICT (Elective)
Chemistry
Physics
French

Vocational Programme

This Programme has two options – Home Economics and Visual Arts

(a) Home Economics Option

Management-In-Living

One of the following:

Clothing and Textiles
Foods and Nutrition

One of the following:

General Knowledge-In-Art
Textiles
French or Music
Economics

One of the following:

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics (Elective)
ICT (Elective)

(b) Visual Arts Option

General Knowledge-In-Art

One of the following:

Graphic Design
Picture Making

One of the following:

Basketry
Ceramics
Jewellery
Leatherwork
Sculpture
Textiles

In addition, any one of the following subjects may be selected:

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics (Elective)
French
Music
Economics
Literature-in English
ICT (Elective)

General Programme

This Programme has two options – General Arts and General Science

(a) General Arts Option

Candidates must enter Three or Four of the following:

Christian Religious Studies
Literature – In – English
French
Arabic
Geography
Government
History
Literature-in English
Islamic Religious Studies
West Africa Traditional Religion
Economics
Mathematics (Elective)
ICT (Elective)
Languages

One of the following:

French
Dagaare
Dagbani
Dangme
Ewe
Ga
Gonja
Kasem
Nzema
Twi (Akuapem)
Twi (Asante)

(b) General Science

Mathematics (Elective)

Two or three of the following

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
French OR Music

Geography
General Agriculture
ICT (Elective)

Release of WASSCE results

The results of the examination are released in July to enable successful and qualified candidates to enter tertiary institutions at the beginning of the academic year.

The results lists are sent to the participating schools. Candidates can also check their results online with an access card at www.waecgh.org.

Review of WASSCE scripts

Scripts are kept for three months after the release of results before they are finally destroyed. During this time, review of scripts for a fee is allowed and this is done at the instance of the Head of school or an accredited representative of the school since the West African Senior School Certificate Examination for school candidates is a school-based examination.

The Council by policy does not undertake a review of scripts at the instance of candidates, parents, guardians, or persons claiming to act “in loco parentis”

Certificates

Certificates are sent to the schools for collection by individual candidates. Certificates are produced once, and so certificates which get lost or damaged after collection are not replaced.