The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has confirmed that it will implement question serialisation in selected subjects for the 2023 West African Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to counteract exam malpractice.
The serialisation process entails providing the same question to all candidates in the same exam hall, albeit with different question numbers. This step aims to prevent question leakage and cheating.
According to John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, the decision to serialise certain subjects is to protect the integrity of high-stakes papers that cannot be compromised. He emphasized that the core structure of the questions remains unchanged.
Kapi explained, “Serialisation is not anything that is landing from space. It is our trade secret, and we want to maintain that. We are not unduly punishing anybody, it is the same question just that there is some serialisation.”
He further clarified that the decision to serialise is due to the significance and security demands of specific papers, along with the logistical complexities and costs involved.
Approximately 447,204 candidates from 975 schools are expected to participate in this year's WASSCE.