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WAEC Explains How Dissatisfied BECE Candidates Can Apply for Remarking

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has clarified the official process available to candidates and parents who are unhappy with their 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.

WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, confirmed that any candidate who believes their results do not accurately reflect their performance has the right to request a remarking of their examination scripts.

Who Can Request a Remarking?

Any candidate who sat the BECE and is dissatisfied with one or more subject grades can apply. This applies to both school candidates and private candidates, though the application routes differ slightly.

How the Process Works

Candidates cannot apply directly to WAEC. The process must begin through the proper channels:

Return to the school: The candidate or parent should approach the school where the candidate registered for the examination.
School channels the request: The school, working through the District Examinations Officer, formally applies to WAEC requesting that the scripts be remarked.
WAEC retrieves and reviews the scripts: Once the request is received, WAEC officials locate the candidate’s scripts and invite the relevant chief examiner to review each requested subject.

Mr Kapi described the process as straightforward once the school initiates it: “You go back to the school, and the school, through the district examinations officer, would apply to us asking for the scripts to be remarked.”

Cost of Remarking

Candidates are required to pay a fee for the service. According to Mr Kapi, the fee covers the additional work involved, including inviting and compensating the chief examiner outside the normal marking process.

He was unable to state a fixed amount during the interview, noting that the cost “varies depending on what the fellow is asking for.”

Official WAEC guidelines confirm that a fee is mandatory for any re-marking request.

How Long Does It Take?

The process typically takes a few weeks, though the exact duration depends on how early the request is submitted after the release of results. Earlier applications are processed faster.

Important Time Limit

WAEC’s official regulations require that requests for re-marking must be submitted not later than 60 days after the release of the final results. After this period, no appeals relating to scripts will be entertained. Scripts are normally disposed of 90 days after the release of results.

Do Grades Actually Change?

Mr Kapi acknowledged that WAEC has adjusted grades in some cases after remarking, but described such instances as “negligible.”

In most situations, even when a mark changes slightly, it remains within the same grade boundary and has no effect on the final grade.

He also issued a note of caution: remarking does not always improve results. “In fact, invariably, some of them have actually gone lower than expected,” he said.

Transparency and Script Inspection

To ensure confidence in the outcome, WAEC allows candidates, parents or guardians to inspect the reviewed scripts.

“The candidates are given the opportunity to, or the parent, the guardian… they will have the opportunity of taking a look at the script and convincing themselves that indeed that was the actual performance and that’s the grade that the candidate deserved,” Mr Kapi explained.

Context of the 2026 BECE Results

The clarification comes shortly after WAEC released the provisional 2026 BECE results for school candidates. The Council reported that 3,601 registered candidates were absent and announced various sanctions following investigations into examination irregularities, including cancellations and withholding of some results.

Advice for Candidates and Parents

If you believe an error may have occurred in the marking of a subject:

Act promptly through the school.
Be prepared to pay the applicable fee.
Understand that a grade improvement is possible but not guaranteed — and a lower grade is also possible.
Use the opportunity to inspect the script if offered.

WAEC maintains that the system is designed to be fair and transparent. Candidates who follow the official process can have their scripts independently reviewed by senior examiners, giving them a clear and documented path to seek clarification on their results.