Final-year Senior High School (SHS) students across Ghana have commenced the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with Oral English serving as the first paper to be written today.

Data released by the West African Examinations Council shows that 509,862 candidates are expected to sit for this year’s examination nationwide. The figure is made up of 225,274 males and 284,588 females.

The examination process had already started earlier with practical and project work for subjects including Visual Arts and Home Economics.

Although Oral English has been written separately by Ghanaian candidates in recent years, this year’s examination is being conducted simultaneously across all member countries of the Council. The exercise also marks the full return of member states to the traditional May–June academic calendar after disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WASSCE timetable was shifted to July–September in 2020 due to the pandemic, while the 2021 examination took place between August and October. Since then, member countries such as Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia have worked to align their academic calendars and restore the original examination schedule.

Regionally, the Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of candidates, with 127,702 students made up of 57,885 males and 69,817 females.

The Eastern Region followed with 70,099 candidates, while the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions together recorded 67,739 candidates.

The Central Region registered 61,303 candidates, while the Greater Accra Region recorded 48,099 candidates. In the Volta Region, 41,622 candidates are expected to sit for the examination.

The Oti and Western North regions jointly accounted for 35,620 candidates, while the Northern ecological zone — comprising the Northern, North East and Savannah regions — recorded 33,155 candidates.

The Upper East Region registered 15,192 candidates, with the Upper West Region recording 9,249 candidates.