本研究使用McDonald在二○○○年所提出的多向度題目反應模式來顎驗將英語溝通能分類成語意能力與務實能力可行性。本研究設計出一份評估英語溝通能力的傳統二元計分測，內含三個互為獨立的工作情境，取三四一名國中及大學學生進行施測，MIRT的分析採用Fraser和McDonald在二○○三年所發展出的NO-HARM電腦程式。在題目向度層面的分析上，傳統測驗理論與MIRT有相當程度的類似。本研究結果顯示，語意能力與務實能力的確在計量特性上具有可分辨性，而臺灣學生的英語實能力達低於使英語作為溝通工具所需能力的水準。

McDonald’s 2000 Multidimensional IRT was applied to assess the appropriateness of breaking English communicative ability into two dimensions: semantic competence and pragmatic competence. A test containing three work samples designed to measure communicative ability was given to 341 middle school and college students. The MIRT analysis was performed using NOHARM program developed by Fraser and McDonald in 2003. both CTT and MIRT analyses showed similar dimensionality of the test. The results indicated that semantic competence and pragmatic competence are psychometrically differentiable, and the Taiwanese students’ English communicative ability is well below the functional level of using English as a second language.