How to Appeal for Your Withheld WAEC Results and Get Them Released – A Complete Guide
Were your results for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination withheld? If yes, you are not alone. Every year, thousands of WASSCE candidates check their results only to see a frustrating message, “Held” or “Withheld”.
WAEC Withheld Results
For many candidates awaiting results, this evokes fear, confusion, and unending questions, like: Are my results gone forever? Is there still hope of getting my grades released? Can I appeal?
The good news is that withheld results are not always the end; your WASSCE results aren’t cancelled.
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) provides a platform for an appeal and review process for withheld WAEC results that allows candidates to defend themselves if wrongly accused of malpractice. This article will provide a step-by-step guide on:
- Why does WAEC withhold the results of candidates?
- The difference between “Held”, “Withheld”, and Councelled”.
- How to Appeal and get your results released.
Why does WAEC withhold the results of candidates?
WAEC may withhold a candidate’s results when there is a suspicion of examination malpractice or irregularities. These may include:
- Word-to-word answers matching of another candidate.
- Possession of disallowed materials (Smartphones, expo, notes, textbooks, etc.).
- Answering questions unassigned to candidates in a specific region or writing outside designated areas.
- Irregularities in the candidate’s information.
WAEC may withhold a particular subject, entire subjects, and in many cases investigate entire centres if widespread malpractice is suspected.
WAEC Message on Results Explained
- Held: This WAEC message on results is usually related to errors in registration or candidate details.
- Withheld: Withheld means WAEC may have suspected examination malpractice and is still investigating your script. The outcome can be cancellation or release of the withheld results, depending on relevant evidence.
- Cancelled: This is final. Once your results are cancelled, this means that with all evidence gathered by WAEC on the cause of their investigation, you were found guilty of examination malpractice or related offense, and there’s no appeal.
How to Appeal if Your Results Are Withheld
If you checked your results and saw Held or Withheld, you have a chance to appeal and prove your innocence. Here’s how to do it.
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) provides a dedicated portal for candidates whose results were held/withheld. Known as the complaint portal, this portal allows affected candidates to lodge their complaints/defence.
- Visit the WAEC notice of examination malpractice portal.
- Enter your examination number (this is your 7-digit centre and 3-digit sit number).
- Click on verify to view the reasons your results were held or withheld.
- After you see reason(s) your results were held, make a representation for council consideration. Here, write an appeal based on the provided reasons by the council. Provide enough evidence of your innocence and convince the council that your results were wrongly held or withheld.
School principals and representatives can also view and lodge complaints for their candidates whose results were withheld. Click here if you are a principal or school representative.
What Happens After Candidates Submit an Appeal
- The WAEC examination malpractice committee reviews the appeal.
- If cleared, the candidate’s result will be released.
- If, after your appeal has been reviewed and investigated, you are found guilty, your results remain cancelled.
Tips to increase your chances
- Act quickly: candidates are always advised to check the complaint portal not later than four weeks after the release of results on notices.
- Be respectful and formal in your appeal.
- Seek strong backing from your school principal or representative.
- Regularly follow up on your appeal status.
Conclusion
Having a result withheld notice can be stressful, but it is not the end of the road. A lot of candidates every year appeal successfully and get their results released.
If you appeal and, unfortunately, your results still get cancelled, don’t worry, we have prepared a complete guide for WAEC 2026 to better prepare you to avoid issues like this. Stay calm, act fast, and follow the right appeal process if you wrote without malpractice. The WAEC system is designed to punish only cheats.
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