By Mangek Promise
The General Certificate of Education (GCE) Board has officially released the results of the 2026 GCE examinations
bringing an end to weeks of anxious waiting for thousands of candidates across Cameroon. The results were released on Friday August 21, 2026 by the Transition Management Team of the GCE Board. The release covers the GCE Ordinary Level, GCE Advanced Level, Technical and Vocational Education Examination Intermediate Level and Technical and Vocational Education Examination Advanced Level. Overall performance records a decline of 7%.
The 2026 results present a mixed picture with overall performance falling compared with the previous examination session. Across all examinations organised by the GCE Board 208,741 candidates registered while 196,579 sat for the examinations. Of these 133,429 candidates passed giving an overall pass rate of 67.88% compared with 75.46% obtained in 2025. This represents a decline of 7.58 percentage points.
The decline is particularly pronounced at the Advanced Level. Of the 70,739 candidates registered 69,947 sat for the examination and 43,211 were successful. The resulting pass rate of 61.78% represents a sharp fall from 79.39% in 2025. A difference of 17.60 percent.
At the Ordinary Level 65,539 candidates passed out of 88,053 who sat for the examination producing a pass rate of 74.43%. This compares with 78.57% in 2025, representing a decline of 4.13 percent.
The technical and vocational examination however recorded a more encouraging trend. The TVEE Intermediate Level rose from 52.10% in 2025 to 60.50% in 2026.
While the TVEE Advanced Level improved from 71.19% to 72.89%.
Advanced Level: Regional performance
At the Advanced Level, the South West Region emerged as the best-performing region with a pass rate of 64.98%. It was followed closely by the West Region at 64.27% and the North West Region at 64.11%. The Adamawa Region recorded 63.00% while the Centre Region which registered the largest number of Advanced Level candidates recorded 61.80%.
The Centre registered 18,705 candidates of whom 18,513 sat and 11,441 passed. The Littoral Region recorded 58.98% followed by the South at 55.47% and East at 53.81%. The North recorded 49.19% while the Far North Region posted the lowest regional pass rate at 45.88%.
The figures therefore show a relatively narrow gap between the leading regions but a more substantial difference between the top-performing regions and those at the bottom of the table. Schools outperform external candidates as the results also reveal a significant difference between school candidates and external candidates.
Among school candidates at the Advanced Level 34,335 out of 49,085 candidates who sat passed giving a pass rate of 69.95%. This is nevertheless a considerable decline from the 84.97% recorded in 2025. External candidates performed considerably less with 8,876 of the 20,862 candidates who sat passing representing 42.55% compared with 64.99% in 2025.
Among school categories, denominational schools recorded the highest Advanced Level pass rate at 86.06% followed by special schools at 73.33%, government schools at 68.97% and non-denominational schools at 67.42%.
Outstanding candidates shine
Despite the decline in the national success rate, the 2026 session produced a remarkable group of high-performing candidates. The Board’s Honour Roll lists 114 candidates who obtained five passes in five subjects accumulating 25 points at the Advanced Level.
These outstanding performances came from schools across Yaoundé, Douala, Buea, Bamenda, Limbe, Bafoussam, Maroua, Ngaoundéré and other parts of the country. The Board also identified 32 examination centres that registered at least ten Advanced Level candidates and recorded a 100% pass rate. The list includes Saker Baptist College Limbe, Jesus and Marie College, Sacred Heart College Mankon, Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary College Mankon, Saint Anne’s High School Limbe and several government and private institutions.
These performances provide a strong counterpoint to the general decline and demonstrate that high standards of preparation and examination discipline continue to produce exceptional results.
Examination Malpractices
Examination malpractice remains a major concern. The 2026 results have also brought renewed attention to examination malpractice. According to the GCE Board 2,792 cases of examination malpractice were recorded in 2026 compared with 2,751 cases in 2025. This represents an increase of 41 cases.
One of the most striking developments was the sharp rise in collusion or copy work which increased from 542 cases in 2025 to 1,580 in 2026. Candidates caught with pre-prepared material however fell substantially from 2,028 cases to 1,010. Cases involving candidates caught with mobile phones in examination halls also increased from 118 to 166 while impersonation rose from 15 to 23 cases.
Script substitution declined from 13 cases to four while cases involving violence fell from seven to one. Examiner-marking malpractice dropped from six cases in 2025 to none in 2026.
The sanctions imposed include cancellation of results bans from examinations for periods ranging from one to three years and further investigations in cases where results were withheld. The figures suggest that while some forms of malpractice have declined collusion remains a particularly serious challenge requiring sustained attention from candidates, schools, parents, teachers, invigilators and examination authorities.
A difficult year for Advanced Level candidates
The 2026 GCE results ultimately present a story of contrasts. On one hand Cameroon has witnessed impressive individual performances and a significant number of schools achieving 100% success at the Advanced Level. On the other the national pass rate has fallen considerably particularly at the Advanced Level where the decline from 79.39% in 2025 to 61.78% in 2026 is the most notable feature of this year’s results.
The results are therefore likely to generate discussion among education stakeholders about the factors behind the decline, the effectiveness of preparation and teaching techniques. examination standards
For the thousands of successful candidates, August 21 marks the beginning of a new chapter—whether in higher education, professional training or the world of work. For those who did not obtain the results they hoped for, the figures also serve as a reminder that one examination session does not define a person’s future.
As Cameroon reflects on the 2026 GCE performance, attention will now turn to what can be done to strengthen learning outcomes, preserve the credibility of the examination system and ensure even better results in future sessions.
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