All Aboard? Language, Multimodality and Epistemic Inclusion in Seychelles Primary 4 Examinations

This article investigates linguistic and multimodal aspects of epistemic inclusion in the Seychelles Primary 4 national examinations in English and Science, the first high-stakes assessments undertaken after learners transition to English as the medium of instruction and assessment. Drawing on examination papers, marking schemes, and examination reports from 2022–2024, the study explores how language complexity, question types, and cultural and visual references influence learner performance and access to knowledge demonstration. The analysis combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative findings reveal a consistent pattern across both subjects: learners perform substantially better on closed-response items such as multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions than on free-text responses requiring written explanations, reasoning, or extended writing. Questions demanding greater linguistic production consistently show lower success rates, despite often carrying a disproportionately large share of total marks. Qualitative analyses of outlier items demonstrate that many poorly performing questions contain dense academic vocabulary, abstract or ambiguous syntax, unclear instructions, and culturally unfamiliar references. By contrast, items supported by illustrations, familiar local contexts, or simplified language tend to produce higher success rates. The study also identifies tensions between inclusive multilingual policy aspirations and the predominantly English-only orientation of assessment practices. Analysis of marking schemes and examination reports suggests a strong structural approach to language, emphasizing grammatical accuracy, spelling, punctuation, and rigid formats, while offering limited recognition of multilingual meaning-making practices or the challenges faced by second-language learners. Overall, the findings suggest that examination performance is shaped as much by learners’ English proficiency and familiarity with culturally embedded references as by their subject knowledge. The article argues that current assessment practices risk functioning as forms of linguistic gatekeeping and calls for more inclusive examination design through simplified language, contextual scaffolding, communicative marking approaches, and multilingual support measures to enhance epistemic equity in multilingual education systems.