Deciding to begin a life in the UK, either through British citizenship or indefinite leave to remain, is a major decision in your life. The life in the UK Test was introduced to show that you are serious about beginning your life in the UK and will allow you to show that you know about the many aspects of life in the UK. There are two ways that you can demonstrate this: by either taking the Life in the UK Test or by taking the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and citizenship classes.
If you are applying for British citizenship or indefinite leave to remain you will have to take the Life in the UK Test if your English language skills are at ESOL level 3. If your English language skills are below ESOL level 3, you will be unable to take the Life in the UK Test but will instead have to attend the ESOL and citizenship classes. If you are unsure about whether you should take the Life in the UK test please us the contact us form to ask us a question. Those people who are unable to take the Life in the UK test will have to attend ESOL classes and these involve increasing English language skills and learning more about life in the UK. As the subject matter of the test is life in the UK, the Life in the UK Test is only administered in English. The only exception to this is that if you are taking the Life in the UK test in Wales or Scotland, you may request that your Lie in the UK Test be in either Welsh or Scottish Gaelic.
The accompanying book to the Life in the UK test is called the “Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship”. The life in the UK book will help immigrants who have workable English and who are required to take the Life in the UK Test if they apply for British citizenship or indefinite leave to remain. The book covers all aspects of life in the UK from: the making of the United Kingdom (history); a changing society; a profile of Britain today; how Britain is governed; everyday needs (housing, health, education, money, leisure etc); employment; sources of help; and knowing the law. It is important that you read this book as it is the only official handbook for the Life in the UK test. You should study chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the second edition of Life in the United Kingdom handbook very carefully.
The Life in the UK Test is administered on a computer, is made up of 24 questions and lasts 45 minutes. Most of the questions will be about life in the UK, which is fantastically described in the Life in the United Kingdom study guide. A small part of the test will also test your local knowledge of life in the UK where you live: England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Your results will be processed after the full 45 minutes has elapsed. There is a pass mark of 75% for the Life in the UK Test and if you pass, the test supervisor will give you your life in the UK notification letter, which you will sign. This letter confirms all the details of your life in the UK test: test date, supervisor, centre location and ID number. You must make sure you keep this life in the UK notification letter in a safe place as you will need it when you are ready to apply for British citizenship or indefinite leave to remain. If you fail the Life in the UK test, the test supervisor will tell you you have failed. You will have to wait a minimum of 7 days before you are allowed to re-sit the test again. Your results letter will provide you with feedback on areas of life in the UK that you need to work on and you can use this to go back to your Life in the United Kingdom study guide and brush up your knowledge.
Living in the UK
CK and Jones offers advice and services for people who want to live in the UK
Working in the UK
CK and Jones offers advice and services for people who want to work in the UK
Studying in the UK
CK and Jones offers advice and services for people who want to study in the UK
Life in the UK
CK and Jones has fantastic resources for the life in the UK test
Please note CK and Jones is not currently providing any immigration advice until we become regulated by the OISC. Please browse our visa information sections in the meantime and use the contact us page to leave us a message.
