In Papua New Guinea the three external examinations that primary school students take in their final year are important for their possible entry into the secondary level of the school system. Sixty per cent of students leave the system at this point. This study investigated whether the level of competencies in both a student's first language and in English, the language of schooling, influenced final scores on the external examinations. The results show that indeed there is such an influence. Implications are suggested for both the Papua New Guinea school system and general language theory.
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