The Citizenship Examination

What is citizenship? We want people acquiring British citizenship to embrace positively the diversity of background, culture, and faiths that living in modern Britain involves. British citizens should play an active role, both economic and political, in society, and have a sense of belonging to a wider community. The government believes that learning English is, for immigrants to the UK, the main priority for integration. Learning about life in the UK will enable the applicant to understand their rights and duties as a British citizen.

The UK toughens path to citizenship A

How is citizenship portrayed in the news? In the news media the subject of citizenship is often portrayed in a negative view. Most stories suggest that citizenship has no benefits for the country only costs. Also that the exam is easy and not taken seriously enough as high numbers are granted citizenship.

THE MAIL Call to toughen citizenship tests Immigrants should be subjected to tougher tests before being granted citizenship, a Home Office minister suggested. Speaking to business leaders at KPMG, Mr Byrne said there was now a need to "refocus" on citizenship policy and debate the way to go next. "I believe we should clarify the contract between our country and newcomers," he said. "On the one hand we need to do more to help newcomers understand our values and the British way of life when they decide to stay. "But for those who decide to make the UK their future, we need to make it clearer that citizenship isn't simply handed out, but something which is earned."

The Telegraph UK citizenship for record 164,000 foreigners Home Office data showed that 164,635 people became British last year – a seven per cent rise in 12 months. The total was the highest since the Home Office began keeping comparable records in It led to accusations that Labour has created a lax immigration regime. More than nine in 10 people who applied for citizenship were accepted. A quarter of citizenships, about 41,000 were given to children, while about 29,000 became nationals through marriage. Last year, 160,980 people applied for citizenship while 14,725 applications were refused. Of those, 2,365 were rejected because the applicants failed "citizenship tests" by not demonstrating a sufficient command of English and knowledge of life in Britain. Given the Government's proven record at granting passports to people like Muktar Said Ibrahim - the July 21 ringleader - the public will be alarmed that passports are being handed out at such a rate. Given the Government's ineptitude, how can they guarantee they are being granted to suitable people? This shows why it is essential controls are tightened. 102,029 are receiving child benefit and an estimated 58,000 are receiving tax credits, Home Office data disclosed.

Route to British Citizenship

About the examination Why has the test been introduced? Becoming a British citizen or deciding to settle permanently in this country is an important event. If you are applying as a British citizen or for indefinite leave to remain, you will need to show that you know about life in the UK. You can do this in two ways: by taking the Life in the UK Test or by taking combined English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and citizenship classes. Who has to take the test? You should take the test if you are applying as a British citizen or indefinite leave to remain (settlement) and your level of English is ESOL Entry 3 or above. If your level of English is lower than ESOL Entry 3 and you wish to apply you will need to attend combined English language (ESOL) and citizenship classes instead. Most local further education or community colleges run these courses.

There is no limit to the number of times an applicant can take the test. It must be taken on-line (some on-line training is offered) and comprises 24 multiple-choice questions, which applicants are allowed 45 minutes to complete. These are based on chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Life in the United Kingdom handbook. The chapters cover the multi-cultural nature of British society and its form of government, knowledge and understanding of employment matters and everyday needs such as housing, money, health and education. Since July 2007, all applicants must answer 24 questions based on five chapters (2 - 6) rather than three. The pass mark for the test is around 75%. The cost for taking the British Citizenship Test (Life in the UK Test) is £34.

About the handbook and the questions asked. The required level of English for the citizenship exam is ESOL Entry 3 or above. Life In the United Kingdom is a handbook for anyone that wants to take the UK citizenship exam. After 18 months the 2004 edition was replaced by an improved version

The first edition was thought to be difficult for speakers of English at ESOL entry level 3. Example: “providing a safe haven” was changed to “offering safety” Some questions are slightly strange and require that one has studied the book precisely. For example: How many young people (up to the age of 19) are there in the UK? Some questions are very vague. For example: What is the purpose of the Council of Europe? Everything depends on the precise structure of the multiple- choice alternatives during the test Lexicon: whips, expenditure, Bi-weekly. The new edition of Life in the United Kingdom has a new feature, a glossary of terms used in the publication

Examples of questions asked What percentage of children live within a step-family? A 10 per cent B 25 per cent C 40 per cent D 55 per cent What percentage of Christians in the UK are Roman Catholic? A 10 per cent B 20 per cent C 30 per cent D 40 per cent When was the first census carried out in the United Kingdom? A 1785 B 1801 C 1851 D 1912

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Interview

Critiques of the citizenship exam Should it be possible in certain circumstances to substitute a deficient knowledge of the language of the country of residence with knowledge of the language of another member state? Is there need for assessed integration in multilingual Europe?