WAEC, the West African Examinations Council, is the body that conducts the West African Senior School Certificate Examination for English-speaking West African countries. They have a grading system that they use to score each student after examinations.
The WAEC grading system ranges from the scale of 1 to 9 (i.e., A1 to F9). Each of the grades has a range of scores that fall under it. The highest grade that students can score in the WAEC grading system is A1. To get this highest grade, students are expected to score between 75 and 100 in their subjects. On the other hand, the least score that candidates can get in the WAEC grading system is F9 (0-39). If a student gets an F9 in a particular subject, it means such a student failed the course and must rewrite and pass it, especially if it is essential subjects like English and Mathematics, before they can use the result.
Is there a difference between the WAEC SSCE and GCE grading systems?
No, there is no difference between WAEC grading for SSCE and GCE. This means that whether you sat for the WAEC SSCE or GCE, you will be graded using the same grading system.
WAEC Grades and Their Points
The WAEC grading system has different grades and points for each range of scores. The highest grade is A1 and it comes with 8 points, while the lowest grade is F9 and it has zero (0) points. The table below summarizes different WAEC grades, points, etc.
| S/N | Grade | Percentage Range | Points | Interpretation |
| 1. | A1 | 75-100 | 8 | Excellent |
| 2. | B2 | 70-74 | 7 | Very Good |
| 3. | B3 | 65-69 | 6 | Good |
| 4. | C4 | 60-64 | 5 | Credit |
| 5. | C5 | 55-59 | 4 | Credit |
| 6. | C6 | 50-54 | 3 | Credit |
| 7. | D7 | 45-49 | 0 | Pass |
| 8. | E8 | 40-44 | 0 | Pass |
| 9. | F9 | 0-39 | 0 | Fail |
Explanation
1. Grade A1
This is the highest grade on the WAEC grading system. To get an A1 in WAEC, students are expected to score between 75 and 100 in their subjects. A1 in comes with 8 points and it is interpreted as excellent in the WAEC grading system.
2. Grade B2
The next grade that follows A1 in the WAEC grading system is B2. Students get this grade if they score between 70 and 74 in their subjects. In the WAEC grading system, B2 is interpreted as very good. The grade B2 point is 7
3. Grade B3
The next grade in the WAEC grading system on our list is B3. To get a B3 in WAEC, students are expected to score between 65 and 69 in their exams. It usually comes with ‘Good’ as its remarks. It has 6 points
4. Grade C4
This is another grade in the WAEC grading system. Students are awarded C4 when they score between 60 and 64 in their exam. It remarks, “Credit.’ The grade C4 comes with 5 points
5. Grade C5
Grade C5 is another grade in the WAEC grading system. To get this score, students must score between 55 and 59. It comes with 4 and ’Credit’ as its remark
6. Grade C6
Grade C6 is awarded to students who score between 50-54 in their exam. It comes with 3 points and ‘Credit’ as its remark. However, it is important to note that this last grade that you can get and your WAEC result will be valid. If your score is below 50, it literally means you failed the subject because most institutions won’t accept it, even if the body inscribed pass on it as they usually do. So, if you want to use your WAEC result for anything, ensure that you get at least Grade C6 on it.
7. Grade D7
This is another grade on the WAEC grading system. Student gets D7 if their score is between the range of 45-49. D7 comes with zero (0) points and passes as a remark. However, if you get D7 in your WAEC result, it means that you will need to rewrite because it has no point.
8. Grade E8
The WAEC grading system also has E8 as a grade. Students who score between 40 and 44 are given E8 as a grade. E8 in WAEC results is equivalent to failing because it doesn’t come with any points.
9. Grade F9
This is the last grade in the WAEC grading system. F9 means that the student failed the examination. If a student scores between 0 and 39, such a person has failed the exam. This grade is not valid because if a student gets an F9, such a student will need to rewrite the exam.
WAEC Grades in Numbers
WAEC grades in number are summarised below:
- A1 – 8 points
- B2 – 7 points
- B3 – 6 points
- C4 – 5 points
- C5 – 4 points
- C6 – 3 points
- D7 – 0 points
- E8 – 0 points
- F9 – 0 points
Conclusion
The WAEC grading system starts from A1 to F9. The pass range for a WAEC result is from A1 to C6. Any students that get below C6 (50) in their result mean that such a student failed. So, if you want to get good grades in your WAEC result, you will need to study very hard to get such a result. Now that you know the WAEC grading system, kindly use it as a guide when preparing for WASSCE.
