Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) keeps learners’ home languages as a language of learning, teaching and assessment beyond Grade 3, while English is used additively. For Intermediate Phase teachers, the first phase is Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Technology (NS&T) only.
This page is a practical update for Grade 4 to 7 CAPS teachers. Official overview: DBE MTbBE programme.
What MTbBE is (and is not)
DBE describes MTbBE as bilingual education: home language remains the anchor; English is added, not a sudden replacement. The aim is bilingualism, with translanguaging as a normal classroom practice. It is not mother tongue only, and it is not a full rewrite of CAPS topics.
Late-exit model: African official languages continue as LoLTA beyond Grade 3, grade by grade. First phase subjects: Maths and NS&T. Other subjects (including Social Sciences) are not in that first phase; DBE has said the system will evaluate before adding subjects.
CAPS stays in place. You still teach CAPS content and skills. What changes is the language mix for Maths and NS&T, supported by bilingual Annual Teaching Plans (ATPs), worksheets or workbooks, and terminology lists on the DBE toolkit pages.
How this differs from the old Grade 4 switch
For years, many African-language learners used home language as LoLT in Grades R to 3, then switched to English as LoLT for content subjects from Grade 4, while English continued as First Additional Language (FAL).
MTbBE is designed to stop that hard switch for Maths and NS&T. Learners keep using the home language for those subjects, with English terminology and a growing English share in assessment. English FAL as a subject continues under CAPS; MTbBE does not replace English FAL.
Rollout timeline
| Year | Grade focus | What DBE has announced |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Grade 4 | Maths and NS&T bilingual teaching and assessment start |
| 2026 | Grade 5 | Extension for the cohort; assessment weighting shifts (see below) |
| 2027 | Grade 6 | Planned extension, subject to resourcing |
| 2028 | Grade 7 | Planned extension, subject to resourcing |
Circular 18 of 2024 set the Grade 4 Maths and NS&T start for January 2025, asked schools for language-profile data, and encouraged translanguaging across grades: Circular 18 of 2024 (PDF).
Assessment weightings (bilingual papers)
DBE has described bilingual assessment weightings that shift as the cohort moves up:
| Grade | Mother tongue share | English (or Afrikaans) share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 4 | about 80% | about 20% |
| Grade 5 | about 70% | about 30% |
| Grade 6 | about 60% | about 40% |
| Grade 7 | about 50% | about 50% |
In 2025, Grade 4 learners in implementing schools wrote national MTbBE assessments in NS&T and Mathematics (late November). Those common assessments replaced the usual end-of-year Grade 4 exam slice for those subjects and counted as 20% of the promotion mark, with 80% still School Based Assessment (SBA). Teachers mark and capture on SA-SAMS (CEMIS in the Western Cape). Confirm the exact timetable and weighting for your grade with your district each year. For how bilingual tests are laid out, marked and recorded, see our guide to MTbBE bilingual assessment.
How many schools (November 2025)
DBE reported 11 948 schools implementing MTbBE when the first Grade 4 national bilingual assessments were written. Provincial counts from the DBE briefing include:
| Province | Schools |
|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 3 860 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 3 558 |
| Limpopo | 2 229 |
| North West | 950 |
| Mpumalanga | 768 |
| Free State | 204 |
| Western Cape | 187 |
| Northern Cape | 172 |
| Gauteng | 20 |
Source: DBE MTbBE implementation update (PDF) (DDG briefing table). Ask your district whether your school is on the current implementing list and in which language(s).
Translanguaging (Circular 18)
Circular 18 encourages teachers to alternate between languages in bilingual or multilingual classrooms so learners can access content. Assessment should reflect the languages used for teaching. In practice: explain a concept in the home language, teach the English term deliberately, and allow learners to reason in the language that unlocks the idea, while still building English for the weighted English portion of tasks.
What this means for your planning
- Download the bilingual ATP and terminology list for your language and subject from the DBE toolkit (see the MTbBE toolkit download map).
- Keep CAPS topics and skills as your curriculum spine; use the bilingual ATP for sequencing and language of presentation.
- Plan which ideas you will mediate in home language first, and which English terms you will teach and display (word wall or glossary).
- Align terms with the Grade above and below so the cohort does not meet conflicting vocabulary each year.
- Design SBA tasks that match the bilingual weighting for your grade.
- Keep English FAL planning separate: strong FAL still matters; MTbBE is not a reason to drop English skill teaching.
Rainbow Workbooks (the standard DBE packs) are not the same as bilingual MTbBE Maths and NS&T files. Use DBE Workbooks (Rainbow) for the usual workbook downloads, and the MTbBE toolkit for bilingual Intermediate Phase Maths and NS&T materials.
What the research does (and does not) show
South African evidence supports mother-tongue teaching in the early grades for later learning, including English. PIRLS 2021 also showed that most Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning in the language of the test. That reading crisis will not disappear because LoLT policy changes; Foundation Phase reading quality still matters (How to improve reading at Foundation Phase).
Eastern Cape piloting informed the national model. Treat department-reported pilot gains as promising, not as a guarantee for every school. Classroom success still depends on teacher language confidence, materials, assessment practice, and support.
Questions to ask your school or district
- Is our school on the MTbBE implementing list this year, and for which language(s)?
- Which bilingual ATP, workbook or worksheet, and terminology list versions are signed off for our grade?
- What is the exact Maths and NS&T assessment weighting and format for our grade this year?
- What orientation, PLC, or moderation support is available?
- How do we handle a class with more than one home language, or learners whose home language is not the school LoLT?
- What message should we give parents who worry that MTbBE will weaken English?
Useful links
- DBE MTbBE programme
- MTbBE toolkit download map (bilingual ATPs, terminology, worksheets, workbooks)
- MTbBE bilingual assessment: Grade 4 and 5 guide
- Circular 18 of 2024 (PDF)
- DBE Workbooks (Rainbow)
- CAPS Terms Glossary
- How to improve reading at Foundation Phase
- Overview of Intermediate Phase subjects
- English FAL in the Foundation Phase
CAPS123 is an independent teacher support site. Always follow the latest DBE and provincial circulars for your school.