Abstract:

This article deals with the study of the past and present situations of English language teaching in Russia. The problem of improving the quality of English language teaching has been widely discussed by modern researchers in Russia. Nevertheless, the statistical data show that the number of people who speak English is relatively low in comparison with other countries. This article aims to study the reasons for the dominance of English in the world, to define the history and modern state of the spread of English in Russia, and to find ways to improve the quality of English teaching at schools. The work was conducted on the basis of the study and generalization of modern research works on related topics, including the most recent statistical data. The results of the study clearly show that in Russia today, the motivation to learn English is higher than it was in the past. We think that in order to achieve higher standards of English teaching, the experience of schools with a more intensive programme of study of English should be employed in other educational institutions in Russia.

Keywords:

Teaching English, lingua franca, English in Russia, educational standards.