In the conditions of globalisation and the growth of the role of English as a universal means of international communication, effective pedagogical assessment in the process of its study is of particular importance. The combination of conventional and innovative forms of assessment contributed to the development of communicative competence, increasing students’ motivation and readiness for successful activity in an international environment. The purpose of the study was to define and substantiate the types of pedagogical assessment in the process of teaching English, and to reveal their functions, forms, and motivational potential. The research methodology was based on a theoretical analysis of scientific and pedagogical sources, a comparative analysis of approaches to the classification of assessment, and a generalisation of the results of previous studies to develop a systematic vision of its role in the language training of students. As a result of the analysis, it was found that pedagogical assessment performs a controlling, diagnostic, corrective, motivational, developmental, and prognostic function. The forms of assessment were generalised – formative, summative, self-assessment, and mutual assessment – considering their impact on the learning activity of students. It was showed that the use of various tools (testing, project work, electronic portfolios, game and simulation tasks) contributed to increasing the interest and autonomy of students. It was emphasised that motivational potential increases under the condition of transparent criteria, timely feedback, and differentiated tasks. It was determined that an effective assessment system in teaching English should integrate linguistic and professionally oriented parameters, especially in the preparation of students of non-linguistic specialities. The practical significance of the study lied in the possibility of using its provisions by English teachers and methodologists to improve the assessment system, focused on increasing learning motivation and developing foreign language communicative competence of students