WAEC Confiscates Invigilator’s Phone with Solved WASSCE Questions, Launches Full-Scale Probe into Exam Malpractice

By Joylinda Laryea / 25 August, 2025

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has launched a full-scale investigation into a suspected case of examination malpractice after officials seized a mobile phone from an invigilator at the Armed Forces Senior High Technical School (SHTS), located at the Burma Camp examination center in Accra.

The phone, which belongs to an invigilator identified as Bright Amoah, was confiscated on Monday, August 25, during a routine monitoring exercise conducted by WAEC officials. The incident occurred while candidates were sitting for their first major WASSCE paper in Social Studies.

According to WAEC, the phone was found to contain solved questions from the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Although the material was reportedly related to previously written papers — Oral English and Picture Making — officials suspect a breach of examination regulations and possible foul play.

WAEC regulations strictly prohibit invigilators and supervisors from possessing mobile phones or any unauthorized materials in the examination hall. Such violations are considered criminal offenses under the WAEC Act.

In response to the breach, WAEC officials immediately confiscated the phone for forensic analysis, and the invigilator in question has been directed to submit a detailed written report explaining the presence of the device and the exam content.

The Examination Centre Supervisor has also been ordered to account for how the invigilator was able to enter the examination hall with a phone, raising concerns about oversight and compliance at the center.

WAEC has emphasized that the investigation aims to uncover the source of the leaked exam materials and determine whether a wider network or syndicate may be involved. Exam fraud in the sub-region has often been linked to organized operations, and WAEC is determined to curb this menace.

A 2024 report by Africa Education Watch underscores the ongoing threat that exam malpractice poses to the credibility of the WASSCE certificate and the quality of students progressing to higher education.

WAEC has reiterated its commitment to upholding the integrity of its examinations and ensuring that those found complicit in malpractice face the full consequences of the law.