British
Citizenship: Life in the UK Test
A new test has was introduced in November 2005 for people
who wish to become British citizens. Its purpose is to show
that the individual knows about the history, politics and
modern day life in the UK.
If one's level of English is English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) Entry 3 or above, the test should be
taken. If not, combined ESOL and Citizenship classes need
to be taken at a suitable College. Although many may offer
the ESOL course, not many include the necessary citizenship
module.
The test costs £34 and a book called Life in the
UK is compulsory at a
cost of £9.99. Prior to taking the test, it is absolutely
essential to be familiar with the contents of chapters 2, 3
& 4 of the book. There is also a website where you can
register, at a cost of £10, to do mock tests working
through 400 questions based on the contents of the book.
The chapters cover the following topics:
1. A Changing Society - Migration to Britain/The Changing
role of women/Children, family and young people.
2. Britain Today: A profile/population/Religion &
Tolerance/The Regions of Britain/Customs & Tradition.
3. How Britain is governed/The working system/The British
Constitution/The Formal Institution/Devolved
administration/Britain in Europe & the World/The
ordinary Citizen.
The test is computerized and done at test centres around
the country. The closed available centre may be some
distance away, making access difficult without personal
transport. The test lasts for 45 minutes, and comprises 24
multiple choice questions randomly selected from a pool of
400 questions.
Examples
of questions
• What is the Shadow Cabinet?
• How many member states are there in the EU?
• What is the population of Wales?
• When did women get the same voting rights as men?
• What % of England's population is made up of ethnic
minorities?
• What is the name and date of the national day of
Scotland?
• What are 2 key features of the Civil Service?
The Life in the UK Test makes no allowances for people with
learning disabilities. In my attempts to establish further
information on what was available to people with learning
disabilities, who are not able to write the test or
undertake the ESOL course, (as ESOL test ability of the
English Language and not a knowledge of Britishness). I
contacted the Life in the UK Helpline and found them to be
highly lacking in knowledge and extremely unhelpful. After
putting me on hold for a long time, they referred me to a
Test Centre who did not know either, who referred me to
Learn Direct, who then referred me to local Colleges in my
area, who had never heard of this test before. I then rang
back the Life in the UK Helpline where I was then referred
to the Immigration & Naturalization Directory Helpline
who told me that they did not deal with the tests, but I
could put my request in writing and someone may get back to
me. ❏
Sharon
Borrett
BME Network Officer, ARC
