Solomon
In a major move to restore credibility and transparency in public examinations, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has launched a groundbreaking initiative—customised question papers for each candidate.
This new system is designed to tackle the growing challenge of examination malpractice across the West African region.
WAEC, which oversees exams in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia, made the announcement during a recent briefing with secondary school principals.
According to the council, selected subjects such as English Language (Papers 1 & 3), Mathematics 1, Biology 1, and Economics 1 will now feature personalised question papers.
Each paper is uniquely generated and directly linked to the candidate’s Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet.
This means no two candidates will receive the same set of questions in these subjects.
The customised format aims to eliminate widespread cheating tactics such as collusion, answer copying, and leaked questions.
With every student answering different sets of questions, the opportunities for malpractice are significantly reduced.
In the event that a customised paper is missing or misplaced, WAEC has instructed exam supervisors to provide an emergency backup question paper alongside a plain OMR sheet.
This ensures that no candidate is unfairly affected or left behind due to logistical issues.
Education stakeholders have welcomed the move as a bold and much-needed reform.
They believe it will help rebuild public trust in the examination system and encourage students to rely on genuine preparation rather than shortcuts.
Parents and guardians are also being urged to support their children in adjusting to the new format by promoting consistent study habits and discipline.
The introduction of customised question papers marks a turning point for WAEC and its fight against exam malpractice.
It reflects the council’s commitment to academic integrity and its willingness to embrace innovation to improve the quality of education in West Africa.
As implementation rolls out fully, schools, students, and education ministries across the sub-region are watching closely, hopeful that this reform will set a new standard for fair assessment.
Charles Esther