Professional competence of the English language teacher when studying for the Unified State Exam

The paper deals with a methodical, dialectic, scientific and professional basis for the activities of an English teacher in the pre-university training system. The author considers the main requirements for the profession in terms of both professional criteria (competence) and the real situation on the Russian education market. A brief historical and analytical review was carried out to identify the main changes in the approach to the professional training of teaching staff from the mid-twentieth century. The practical implementation of teaching activities has been significantly modified over the past decades as well. In particular, the quality of language training for high school students who are to enter a university has changed. The major changes in the foreign language teaching techniques in higher education institutions should be proactively considered at the pre-university stage to avoid the future complications of learning a foreign language. This research is to facilitate the identification of the proper language-training algorithm for high school students on the eve of the Unified State Exam, before entering a university.