The article deals with the problem of the initial stage of the future English teacher training and forming basic professional teaching skills by means of the implementation of formative assessment methods into the process of studying. It reveals the urgent necessity of using a modern and reliable system of assessment as a sound foundation of a high quality education and the key role of formative assessment in the process of foreign language teaching and learning. The aim of the article is to reveal the idea of formative assessment methods introduced into the course of English Speech Practice not only as a means of the first-year students' language competence formation but also as a tool of their pre-service training. It is illustrated how a purely language task can be supplied with a pedagogic component to organize activities as much as possible imitating the atmosphere and surroundings of a classroom with students performing the roles of teachers and pupils. The results of the research presented in the article make it evident that introducing formative assessment into a university English class is multi-purpose: teachers can assess their students' level of language knowledge and adjust the teaching process, and students can use it in solving professionally oriented practical tasks and assessing their peers and themselves.