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C H A P T E R 1 4
Approaches to assessing
pragmatic ability
Andrew D. Cohen
Why assess pragmatics in the classroom?
T
ests of pragmatic ability have not tended to find their way into
the classroom. Even recently, the view has been expressed that
before classroom assessment of pragmatics can be implemented, there is first
a need to further develop theories of communicative competence and com-
municative language teaching and a commensurate need to conduct more
empirical investigations.
1
In our view, the need for more theoretical devel-
opment and empirical investigation is not a reason for avoiding classroom
assessment of pragmatics, especially given its demonstrable value. So let us
consider why:
1
Classroom assessment of pragmatics sends a message to the students
that their ability to be pragmatically appropriate in the comprehension
and production of language in different sociocultural situations is
valued or even advantageous.
2
The very act of putting such items on a test gives the students an
incentive to study L2 pragmatics.
3
Assessment gives teachers an opportunity to see the relative control
their students have in what may at times be a high-stakes area for L2
performance (e.g., getting or holding a job).
4
It gives teachers an opportunity to check on whether learners have
learned what they explicitly taught them.
While there should be a good fit between what is taught and what is
assessed, in practice it does not always work that way since some of the most
1
Yamashita (2008: 209).

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A P P R O A C H E S T O A S S E S S I N G P R A G M A T I C A B I L I T Y
2 6 5
F I G U R E 1 4 . 1 Apology that fails
interesting things that are taught do not lend themselves to easy assessment.
To make this more concrete, take the speech act of apologizing. How do we
determine a standard for appropriateness? Is it what natives do or are sup-
posed to do? Is it not possible that natives will not necessarily get it right, as 
in the case, say, of a husband’s half-hearted apology to his wife that fails to
appease her? For example, supposing the husband performs the act in a
slightly facetious tone of voice (Figure 14.1), his wife may not feel appeased,
as in the following:
Husband (facetiously): Sorry about that, dear.
Wife: Well, I’m still upset!
But if the husband were to apologize with a sincere tone, and with the 
strategy of accepting responsibility as well, it might well be better received:
Husband: I’m really sorry about that, darling. That was really
insensitive of me.
Wife: Thanks. I accept your apology, dear.
What could be difficult to assess is the sincerity of the apology, especially if
the speaker uses a facetious tone in its delivery. If the apology is delivered in
a straightforward way, as in the last example, then the assessment would
presumably be easier to perform.
So, pragmatic ability is challenging to measure. For one thing, there is a
need to provide students with adequate context since an appropriate answer

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