FAQs

Please visit Life in the UK Test Centres Online page for more information.

There are three ways to demonstrate your knowledge of language and life in the UK:

• If you speak English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic to a reasonable standard, you will need to pass the 'Life in the UK test'.
• If you do not have sufficient knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic, you will need to take and pass an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course in English and citizenship.
• If you passed the Life in the UK test or completed an ESOL course to meet the 'knowledge of language and life' requirement when you applied for settlement, you will not need to show that you meet this requirement again.

If you do not know the level of your English skills, you should work through the free Life in the UK Test Free Practice Tests. If you cannot fully understand the information in the download, you may need to take an ESOL course containing citizenship materials.

If your English skills are at or above ESOL Entry 3 level or Scottish Intermediate 1 level, you will need to pass the Life in the UK test before you apply for settlement. This test consists of 24 multiple-choice questions, based on the study material available in the handbook 'Life in the UK Test: Study Material Handbook' (ISBN: 9780955485374).

Unfortunately, you cannot be exempted from the requirement of the Life in the UK Test because you have lived in the UK for a long time, have certain qualifications, are illiterate or are from an English-speaking country. The requirement to demonstrate knowledge of life in the UK is specified in law, and these are not grounds for exemption.

If you do not know the level of your English skills, you can work through the free Life in the UK Test Free Practice Tests. If you cannot fully understand the information in the download, you may need to take an ESOL course containing citizenship materials.

Register on this site and receive your download link instantly.

Read more about Study Suggestions.

Please contact us if you need some help deciding what is best for you.

All credit and debit card payments are processed through Sage Pay, a third party payment specialist. They are the largest independent payment processor in the UK and are compliant to the highest level in payment card industry data security standards (PCI DSS). We have also passed the test for PCI DSS compliancy.

We do not store card details on our server. All card information and sensitive data is entered on Sage Pay's secure system, encrypted and sent to the banks for processing.

Once your transaction has been submitted, you will be automatically redirected back to our site where you will receive a confirmation regarding your order.

All our publications contain the Second Edition study syllabus and are currently valid for 2011/2012 tests.

In March 2007 the Home Office revised the study material and changed it from chapters 2 to 4 to include chapters 5 and 6. The label on the outside of our CD-ROM 9780955485329 may say 2007 - this was when the CD was released (April 2007). The study material included on the CD is chapters 2 to 6 (Life in the United Kingdom - A Journey to Citizenship : second edition) and is valid for 2011/2012 tests.

From time to time the Home Office change their publication to meet changes in Laws etc. These changes are noted in our updates section and in reprints of our publications. However, any changes in law are not included in the test questions as the Home Office don't expect candidates to know when a Law has changed.

If you have any questions about this, please contact us.

The hint and study material reference buttons on our Life in the UK Test Questions and Study Material PC-DVD are there to help candidates check the actual study text while answering the questions when revising. Obviously during the real test the candidate will have learnt the study material and used the practice tests to determine their readiness to take the real test. These buttons will not be available during the test as it gives the answer!

Just a reminder: Our practice test software is only to be used for revision purposes. The study material must be learnt and not the questions, as they only represent the sort of questions that may be asked during the real test.

Our audio versions are available under the category Audio MP3.

Lancaster and Coull Publishers have various study guides which contain all of the study material syllabus for 2011/2012* tests. The Government have announced that changes are to be made to the study syllabus to include historical facts and cultural subjects. To keep up to date, please press the Like us button on our Facebook page.

The Home Office study book does not contain any practice questions. The Lancaster and Coull Publishers' Life in the UK Test Questions and Study Material PC-DVD contains over 1,000 revision questions and answers, both in the paperback and on the CD-ROM.

• Please visit our Support Centre page

Yes. All applicants for naturalisation must demonstrate that they satisfy the requirement to have knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic and knowledge of life in the UK.

You can take the test if you are able to read and understand the questions. Why not try a Life in the UK Test Free Practice Tests and test whether you understand the sample questions.

Our study guide contains the official study material (reproduced under licence) needed for 2011/2012 tests plus helpful advice and information about the test. The test consists of material taken from Chapters 2 to 6. Our book and CD package includes a helpful CD which contains practice test software.

Read more about our comprehensive Life in the UK Test: Immigration Study Pack + PC CD here.

You will need to give detailed reasons in your application to IND for claiming exemption. You should contact the Immigration and Nationality Enquiry Bureau on 0870 606 7766 for further advice if you are unsure.

No, the citizenship test will be aimed at ESOL Entry Level 3 and if you pass the test you will automatically show that you have the required level of ability in English.

We have developed study guides to help you study and prepare for the Life in the UK Test. Read about our special Life in the UK Test: Immigration Study Pack + PC CD.

As at current date, the official study material syllabus consists of only chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The other chapters in the Home Office publication include topics such as historical facts, knowing the law and information about the police service, libraries etc. which do not form part of the current questions in the Life in the UK Test. The Government have announced that changes are to be made in 2012 to the study syllabus to include historical facts and cultural subjects. To keep up to date, please press the Like us button on our Facebook page.