Introduction. The problem of adequate and comprehensive assessment of the level of formation of communicative competence in a foreign language, taking into account all its constituent components, remains relevant, despite the fact that the competence-based approach has long been established in the educational process in the higher education system as the main one. In this regard, we turned to the issue of developing a matrix that combines a complex of aspects for assessing the level of English proficiency by students of non-specialized educational organizations. Materials and methods. In the course of the research, general scientific methods were used, such as analysis, synthesis, generalization, as well as methods of empirical knowledge such as a questionnaire and statistical analysis. The study involved respondents among the teaching staff, representing three educational organizations of the city of Oryol, namely Orel Law Institute of the Ministry of the Interior of Russia named after V.V. Lukyanov, Oryol State University named after I.S. Turgenev, as well as Oryol State University of Economics and Trade. The total number of teachers who took part in the questionnaire was 80 people. The second category of respondents was represented by 320 students. The target group included cadets and trainees of Orel Law Institute of the Ministry of the Interior of Russia named after V.V. Lukyanov (180 people). The control group was represented by students from civil educational organizations (140 people). The total number of respondents who took part in the questionnaire having worked with the proposed grading scale tallied 400 people. Research results. The proposed assessment scale encompasses the criteria for different types of speech activity with the attention paid to the types of tasks and the components of communicative competence. Hence the descriptors according to which the tasks are assessed are differentiated according to the receptive or productive types of speech activity and the level of subordinate competences required for performing the task. Gleaned from the opinions of the respondents, those aspects were identified that require improvement, namely Writing (37% of the respondents’ answers) and Speaking (31% of the respondents’ answers) were pinpointed as the types of speech activity requiring circumstantiation. The assessment criteria for Reading were incontestably acknowledged as feasible, which can be explained by the relative familiarity of the reading formats. As directions for improving the quality of assessment using the rating scale, respondents noted the addition of variability to the list of assessment parameters (20% of the responses), an expansion of the range of control forms (18% of responses), as well as the need to simultaneously introduce new assessment parameters and expand the range of control forms (20% of responses). Сonclusion. The results of the study are of practical value, since they offer a template for assessing the progress of students in mastering the English language, primarily taking into account the specifics of the forms of teaching English in educational institutions of the Ministry of the Interior of Russia. In the future, this study will contribute to the creation of a multi-faceted assessment system for the level of formation of communicative competence.

A comprehensive study of ecological functioning features of the soils, formed on outputs of phosphorites’ layers of Ongolignur deposit of Khovsgol phosphorite basin of South-Western branch of Baikal rift zone was conducted. The understanding of the soil-ecological potential of the soil cover of the studied area both in the conditions of natural development of geosystems and under the influence of destabilizing anthropogenic factor was expanded. The possible consequences of the technogenic pressure to the unique natural ecosystem of lake Khovsgol have been studied in aspect of potential mining of the phosphorite deposit. Within the study, it was found that the soil formation, soil chemistry and biogeochemical migration of phosphorus and other elements, the humus state of soils and biological productivity of biocenosises (that is the natural-resource potential) of the study area is strongly determined by the influence of lithogenic basis (matrix) of soil, intrazonal factors and cryogenesis.

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Sustainable development of the Baikal-Khuvsgul basin is not only of national, but also of great international importance. This status gives priority to preserving biodiversity and the natural-historical biosphere in general, and to the development of strategies for the rational utilization of natural resources and sustainable development of territories within the basin of the unique ecosystems of Lakes Baikal (Russia) and Khuvsgul (Mongolia). We carried out a comprehensive study of the morphogenetic and ecological features, ecological stability of soils and landscapes of the Khuvsgul phosphorite basin of the mountainous Khuvsgul region of the southwestern branch of the Baikal rift zone (BRZ). This analysis upgraded the existing knowledge of possible trends in the transformational growth and ecological balance of the soil cover of this territory both under the conditions of the natural development of geosystems and under the destabilizing anthropogenic and technogenic impact. Possible negative side effects of the development of phosphorite deposits on the unique in natural and cultural terms ecosystems of Lake Khuvsgul were predicted.