The aim of the paper is to discuss the role of course book evaluation in foreign language education. Coursebooks are presented as the most common learning material s used in institutionalized education. First, the way coursebooks can enhance or inhibit the process of foreign language teaching and learning is addressed. Then, several types of coursebook evaluation are analyzed, along with various roles that coursebook evaluation can play in foreign language education. To emphasise the importance of evaluating coursebooks, a selection of checklists applied in the process of coursebook evaluation is discussed. The author of the paper draws on her experience as a co-author of foreign language coursebooks used in Polish secondary schools, a reviewer of coursebooks employed by the Polish Ministry of Education and a foreign language teacher trainer
