The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced its decision to introduce serialisation of selected questions in the 2023 West African Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as a measure to combat exam malpractices.

In the serialisation process, candidates in the same examination hall will receive the same question, but with different question numbers. The aim is to ensure the integrity of the examination and prevent any compromise in the selected subjects.

John Kapi, the Head of Public Affairs at the Council, explained that serialisation is a strategic step taken to maintain the confidentiality of certain high-stake papers that are prone to malpractice.

He said the structure of the questions remains the same; only the numbering is altered for security purposes.

While addressing the media, Mr Kapi clarified that the serialisation initiative is not meant to be punitive towards candidates but rather a measure to uphold the credibility of the examination. 

He emphasised that high-stake papers with significant implications will be serialised to safeguard against any malfeasance during the exam.

The implementation of serialisation is resource-intensive and time-consuming, so the council will prioritise its application in subjects deemed to be of higher risk. 

Subjects that are considered low-risk will not be serialised.

This year's WASSCE will witness a total of 447,204 candidates from 975 schools sitting for the examination. 

The introduction of serialisation is seen as a significant step towards ensuring fairness and transparency in the assessment process.