The education system in Botswana at junior level is at present undergoing a massive expansion and, within this programme of change, curriculum materials for 'Nine Years Basic Education' for all are being developed and modified. Integrated science as one of the core curriculum subjects is intimately involved in this process. The curriculum, developed from an early 1970s science curriculum imported from the UK, is seen as unproblematic and, apart from some minor changes in content, the most recent revisions are already in position in the schools. However, the study of the curriculum-in-action in the classrooms is revealing large discrepancies from the curriculum-as-planned by developers within the Ministry. It is suggested that the reasons for this are complex and are related to a combination of second-languagelearning problems and a failure to appreciate the cultural context of learning.

Teaching and testing in science in junior secondary schools in Botswana, takes place in English which is a second language for the majority of Batswana (Citizens of Botswana are called Batswana [sing. Motswana] and the national language is Setswana.) students and a third language for many. The understanding of textual material in science has been shown to be problematic for first language speakers, which means that difficulties in comprehension are likely to be even greater for second language readers. This study set out to test the hypothesis that improving the readability of junior certificate science examination questions would improve student achievement. Results show that changing certain readability factors, such as sentence length, simplified vocabulary and the removal of obscure information, brought about an improvement in achievement. The conclusion considers the implications of the study for the writers of examinations and other texts in science.Botswana is a multilingual country that uses the English language as a medium of instruction throughout the education system at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The English language is officially recognised for both economic and political reasons. However, it is still a foreign language even though it is recognised and encouraged by law as a vehicle for communication and as the language of administration. English is widely used in courts and newspapers and its importance is further emphasised in that students are taught and examined in English, while passing the English examination is a qualifying factor in the selection of students for further studies. In order for a student to be selected for further education, a credit in the English language is a requirement.The Setswana language, on the other hand, is the national language used by about 80% of the population (Nyati-Ramahobo, 1999). It is mainly used

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