Multilingual assessment strategies are reshaping high-stakes examinations, challenging the dominance of monolingual and Anglonormative policies in education. Hybrid registers, Xhosalisation, and code-mixing have been positioned as tools for equitable access in multilingual classrooms, yet their effectiveness in assessments remains underexplored. While these strategies are praised for enhancing cognitive processing in multilingual classrooms, their impact on learners’ comprehension and performance in subjects such as mathematics and science is unclear. Teachers, teaching and marking learners who directly engage with these strategies in examination settings, express concerns about their practicality, yet their perspectives remain largely absent from scholarly discourse. This study employs a qualitative approach, drawing insights from teachers and learners in three schools that engaged with multilingual examination papers in 2024. Preliminary findings suggest that while these strategies aim to support learners, their complex interplay may create confusion rather than clarity. Teachers question their effectiveness in technical subjects, arguing that they may not necessarily translate into improved academic performance. These findings highlight the need for rigorous evaluation of multilingual assessment strategies to ensure they enhance rather than hinder learning. This study reiterates the importance of refining these approaches to maintain both linguistic inclusivity and academic integrity.

Keywords: Multilingual Assessments, Examination Question Papers, African Languages, Mother-Tongue Based Bilingual Education.