Pass the British Citizenship Test: Teach Yourself Ebook Epub

Bernice Walmsley

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781444129601
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: Study Guides

Pass the British Citizenship Test will enable you to pass the test which will allow you to apply for for indefinite leave to remain or naturalisation as a British citizen. Covering everything from the application and what you need to know to practice questions and what comes after the test, this book will prepare you for the whole process.
NOT GOT MUCH TIME?One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started.
AUTHOR INSIGHTSLots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience.
TEST YOURSELFTests in the book and online to keep track of your progress.
EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGEExtra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of the British Citizenship test.
FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBERQuick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.
TRY THISInnovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

1

How this book will help you to pass the test

In this chapter you will:

• find out who needs to sit the British Citizenship Test
• examine how you can use this book
• learn a little about the British Citizenship Test.

Introduction

Why do we have a British Citizenship Test? Britain has a history of encouraging people from other countries to come here to settle and work. In order for immigrants to be able to do this successfully, the British government believes that people applying for citizenship or for indefinite leave to remain need to be able to speak English and to possess some knowledge of the structures of British society, its culture and history. For this reason, the government introduced the British Citizenship Test in 2005. Since then, over a quarter of a million people have taken the test.

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The name of the test

The British Citizenship Test is also known as the Life in the UK Test and is sometimes referred to simply as the Citizenship Test.

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The British Citizenship Test is a straightforward test that you will need to pass in order to apply for naturalization as a British citizen or for indefinite leave to remain. Indefinite leave to remain is also known as settlement or permanent residence.

There are no tricks or secrets in the test – it is an uncomplicated set of questions on material that has been produced by the Home Office and which is reproduced (with kind permission) in this book. So, if you have studied this book well there is no need to worry about taking the test. Understanding and learning the necessary information to answer the questions that you will be asked in the test is the most important thing to achieve, but you can also improve your chances of passing by becoming familiar with a few details about the test itself. This book will give you all the information you require: material you need to learn for the test, practice questions that will help you to prepare for the test and essential advice and tips on taking the test.

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Insight

The British Citizenship Test is usually taken in English, although special arrangements can be made for anyone who wants to take it in Welsh or Scots Gaelic.

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Who should read this book?

This book is intended to assist all those people who are considering applying for naturalization (this is just another way of saying gaining citizenship of a country) as a British citizen or for indefinite leave to remain (this is making your permission to stay in the UK permanent rather than applying to simply extend your existing visa). If English is your mother tongue and you have been living in the UK for several years, you might wonder whether you really have to read this book. The answer is yes – you will find the practice questions and advice about your application for citizenship or settlement very helpful.

Since 2005, you have had to take – and pass – the British Citizenship Test or attend classes before you can apply for naturalization. From 2 April 2007, new rules have been introduced so that from this date people who are applying for indefinite leave to remain will also have to sit – and pass – this test. Although the test that people who are applying for citizenship and those who are applying for indefinite leave to remain is now the same, there is a difference between the two groups. If you are applying for citizenship, you will become a citizen of the UK. If you are applying for indefinite leave to remain (also known as settlement or permanent residence), you will not become a British citizen but will simply be allowed to stay in the country. If, at a later date, you decide to apply for citizenship you will not need to take the test again.

The British Citizenship Test is designed to test your knowledge of the structures and culture of British society and is considered essential by the government to an immigrant’s successful integration into society. There is also a requirement – both for those seeking naturalization and those seeking indefinite leave to remain – to demonstrate a satisfactory level of English. Again, this is believed to be necessary to live successfully in the UK.

If your standard of English is sufficient – that is, ESOL Level 3 or above – you can take the British Citizenship Test. In dealing successfully with the required material and then passing this test, you will have demonstrated an acceptable level of English, so you will not need to take any other test of your language abilities. If your standard of English is not up to this level, then instead of taking the British Citizenship Test you will need to attend combined English language and citizenship classes, where you will not only study the materials about life in the UK but will also be developing your English language skills.

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Insight

Your local college of further education or a learndirect centre can give you an initial assessment of the standard of your English.

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As a quick guide to the level of English required, generally you should be capable of holding a conversation in English on an unexpected topic. It should be workable English but it is not necessary to speak it perfectly. There will be more details about the language requirement in the next chapter (see page 15).

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Insight

If you are applying for citizenship, make sure that you qualify to take the test before you go any further. It is necessary to have lived in the UK for five years for work-permit holders and three years for their dependants. Failure to fulfil this qualification is the main cause of failing to gain British Citizenship.

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Apart from helping you to pass the British Citizenship Test, this book has a further aim in relation to people who wish to become British citizens or to gain settlement. There are many procedures and forms to navigate when you are applying and this book will help you. This book will also be useful for teachers, mentors, friends and family of people who are intending to apply for naturalization or indefinite leave to remain and who are helping them in their efforts to achieve their aim.

Outline of the book’s contents

This introductory chapter includes a few details about who this book is aimed at and how it can help them, as we have seen. In Chapter 2, we will look at what you need to do to prepare for your test and will answer questions you may have, such as ‘Where do I find my nearest test centre?’ and ‘How can I be sure I have fulfilled all the legal requirements before taking the test?’

In Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, five sections from the Home Office’s book Life in the United Kingdom – A Journey to Citizenship will be reproduced (with kind permission). This material covers five main areas:

• A changing society – a summary of the history of immigration in the UK, the role of women and factors affecting young people.
• UK today: a profile – giving details of its population, religions, customs, traditions and regional differences.
• How Britain is governed – looking at how our constitution and institutions work and our place in Europe and the world.
• Everyday needs – dealing with everyday issues such as housing, education, health and leisure.
• Employment – all you need to know about finding work and applying for jobs, your rights at work, as well as childcare and the rights of children who work.

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Insight

It is vital that you study the correct edition of the official material. This book, Pass The British Citizenship Test, contains the very latest material – that is, from the second edition of the official material (Life in the United Kingdom – A Journey to Citizenship). The first edition contained information that was different from the second edition, so it will not be helpful for you to study the first edition.

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As well as this official material that you must learn, these chapters also contain plenty of additional advice and help on using the material to best effect, as well as extra explanation where it is thought necessary. These additions to the Home Office material will always be outlined in a box to show that they are not part of the Home Office material. These are there to increase your understanding of the chapters and to improve your chances of passing the British Citizenship Test. They will also help to break up the material and give you some interesting pieces of information that will enhance your appreciation of the culture, history and background of the country in which you have chosen to live.

After you have studied this material, you will come to a very important part of the book – the practice questions (Chapter 8). These will ensure that you know whether or not you have really understood and retained the material that you must learn and you can work through them at your own pace. They are followed by three timed tests to enable you to check that not only have you learned the material, but also that you are able to answer the questions correctly in the allotted amount of time.

Having got through the practice questions and tests, we will go on to discuss what happens after you have passed your Life in the UK Test. This will vary, of course, depending on whether you are aiming for naturalization or settlement. If you are applying for citizenship, you will need to take note of the information about the citizenship ceremony and about how to use your test pass to apply for citizenship. Once you’ve obtained British citizenship, you can then apply for a British passport. However, perhaps more importantly, depending on your current situation, Chapter 9 will explore what being a British citizen means – What are your rights and your responsibilities? How can you use your citizenship? Perhaps by voting in elections or becoming involved in your community if that is appropriate to your situation here. Whether you are aiming for indefinite leave to remain or for British citizenship, there are plenty of details and practical advice in Chapter 9 to help you with the process...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• Meet the author
• Only got a minute?
• Only got five minutes?
• Only got ten minutes?
• 1 How this book will help you to pass the test
• 2 Before your test
• 3 A changing society (from Life in the UK)
• 4 UK today: a profile (from Life in the UK)
• 5 How the United Kingdom is governed (from Life in the UK)
• 6 Everyday needs (from Life in the UK)
• 7 Employment (from Life in the UK)
• 8 Practice questions and answers
• 9 After your test
• Where to go for help
• Glossary
• Timeline of important dates in recent British history
• Index