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Good practice Imported

WAEC Detects and Withholds Results for AI-Generated Answers Across 235 Ghanaian Schools

Ghana · Accra · See the Ghana profile · See the Accra profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 80% 33/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

WAEC identified AI-generated exam answers - verbatim chatbot disclaimers copied into WASSCE 2023 scripts - at 235 schools, withholding results while offering candidates a defence process, in the exam body's first documented AI-cheating case.

235 schools
Schools with detected AI-generated answers (August 2023 WASSCE)

Details

Promoter
West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Ghana
Period
August-December 2023
Keywords
secondary education, national examinations, academic integrity, AI-misuse detection

Context

During marking of the August 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Ghana, examiners for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) noticed candidates at 235 schools submitting answers copied verbatim from AI chatbots, including chatbot disclaimer phrases rather than answers to the printed questions.

Objectives

Detect and respond to AI-assisted cheating in a national school-leaving exam, and reinforce existing rules against unauthorised devices in exam halls.

Activities

WAEC withheld affected candidates' results pending investigation, notified them by SMS or newspaper publication, and offered a hearing before a committee of examiners before deciding to release or cancel results; it also monitored websites publishing leaked exam questions.

Results

Results for implicated candidates were withheld or cancelled following the review process; WAEC said it would work with the Ghana Education Service to tighten enforcement of the existing mobile-phone ban rather than deploy new detection technology.

Conclusions

This is a reactive, enforcement-only response with no independent verification of the detection method's false-positive rate and no published data on how many candidates were ultimately cleared versus cancelled.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Short (< 1 year)
Staffing & skills
WAEC examiners conducting manual detection during marking, A committee of examiners handling candidate defence hearings, WAEC Public Affairs spokesperson (John Kapi) communicating findings

Conditions for success

  • Examiner ability to recognise AI-chatbot disclaimer phrasing during marking
  • A due-process mechanism (SMS/newspaper notice plus hearing) before finalising sanctions
  • Coordination with the Ghana Education Service on enforcement of mobile-phone bans

Common failure modes

  • Detection relies on candidates leaving obvious chatbot artefacts (disclaimer text), which could be evaded
  • No independent verification of the false-positive rate
  • No new preventive technology deployed; response relies on existing phone-ban enforcement

Where it fits

Governance type
national examinations body (WAEC / Ghana Education Service)
Scale
national exam system (235 schools flagged)
Income level
lower-middle-income (Ghana)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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