A functional-notational syllabus was developed for use in Papua New Guinea because the English language needs and terminal competence of students in that country are more easily identifiable in terms of functional-notional categories than of language structures. The syllabus for grades 7-10 is divided into units or topics of language uses, and each language use is described in terms of its communicative purpose and concepts involved. Whenever possible, language uses are linked to the subject areas where they are used or needed frequently. The most typical forms in which the uses are realized are listed or shown in a model. The topic is broken into specific classroom objectives that are graded from passive identification through discrimination to active production, incorporating the necessary reading and writing skills. There is no teaching of language structure as such, and structures are taught only as the means of realization of language uses. The syllabus is based on a tentative analysis of the communicative and intellectual needs of an idealized Papua New Guinean school leaver. Problems occurring with the new system include political, bureaucratic, and academic barriers, difficulty in finding appropriate teachers and in training teachers in the functional approach, lack of instructional materials, and mistrust among proponents of conventional teaching methods. (MSE)