John Kapi, the Head of Public Relations at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has expressed concern regarding the rising prevalence of pidgin and social media language in students’ WASSCE scripts. He cautioned that this trend is negatively impacting candidates’ performance in English.
In an interview conducted on Friday, December 5, he mentioned that the Chief Examiner’s report highlighted a significant use of informal language, slang, and expressions typical of WhatsApp in the 2025 English paper.
He observed that numerous candidates faced difficulties in articulating their thoughts in standard English, which had a considerable effect on their essay writing scores.
He reported that examiners noted a substantial presence of “pidgin” in the scripts, along with shorthand, jargon, and casual phrases frequently found on social media.
He emphasized that such language is inappropriate in a formal examination context and signifies a troubling decline in students’ commitment to academic writing standards.
“If you examine the English report that was released, for instance, the Chief Examiner pointed out that there was a significant amount of pidgin in the candidates’ submissions. They also mentioned what they termed ‘social media language’ or jargon, which are expressions we typically use on WhatsApp that lack formality.
“Particularly in the English paper, some candidates were unable to utilize standard language, struggled with spelling, and failed to employ the correct language for their essays.”
John Kapi further explained that, in addition to the language issues, many candidates were incapable of spelling accurately or forming coherent sentences. He believes this reflects challenges not only within educational institutions but also in homes and the broader community.
He advocated for a comprehensive approach, urging parents, educators, and educational authorities to collaborate in promoting proper language usage from an early age.
“We must consider the situation from the perspective of the home, where children are raised, and also assess whether the educational system possesses adequate support mechanisms to facilitate student learning. As a community, there are numerous issues we need to tackle in order to enable our children to achieve optimal learning outcomes,” he stated.
His remarks are made in light of one of the most significant declines in WASSCE performance observed in recent years. The number of A1–C6 passes in Core Mathematics decreased by over 96,000, dropping from 305,132 in 2024 to 209,068 in 2025.
The subject achieved an overall pass rate of 48.73%, resulting in more than half of the candidates lacking the necessary grades for admission to tertiary institutions.
Further examination reveals that nearly 25% of candidates did not pass either Core Mathematics or Social Studies, indicating pervasive academic difficulties that extend beyond just the English language.
