I took the UK Citizenship Test as a history student from England… I failed.
I was talking to a friend, who is an international student, about the test that those seeking to apply for permanent citizenship in the UK must take and pass. They claimed it was virtually impossible, and filled with “obscure history trivia” which surely no one knows.
Challenge accepted, I thought. As someone actually from England who studies history, specifically British history, I presumed it would be a breeze. So, I rolled up my sleeves and had a go at a practice Life in the UK Citizenship Test. I was met with a mixture of amusement and shock when I pressed “finish test” and was informed that I had failed, missing the 75% pass mark by just one question, but failing, nonetheless.
It left me wondering: if a history student from the UK can’t pass its citizenship test, who can?To give you an idea of some of the questions, I was asked about all sorts of specific historical knowledge, from the 1689 Bill of Rights to the number of British casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Fair enough, if this was a pub quiz about British history, but I struggle to see how knowing the name of the battle which Charles I lost in 1645 during the English Civil War is relevant to someone’s suitability to live in Britain today. I would also pretty confidently suggest that the vast majority of people born and bred in the UK would struggle to get all of the history questions correct – I certainly didn’t, and I’m doing a degree in the subject! The idea that people applying for citizenship should be required to have a level of knowledge that is more extensive than most people originally from the country is simply absurd.
Though my attempting the test was all in good fun, it is concerning that this is how people’s right to live in the UK is assessed. The test is unfairly difficult, even more so for anyone whose first language is not English. It creates an education barrier, and an elitist culture where only those with unusually high knowledge of British history, or more commonly who can afford tutors to help them prepare for the exam, stand a chance at passing. From private tutors and online courses to the Home Office’s own guidebook that is available to buy, the Life in the UK Test has become its own industry, profiting from people desperate to Pass.
I don’t think it’s entirely unreasonable to expect someone applying to stay in the UK permanently to have a grasp of British politics and culture; this is something to be encouraged in all UK citizens, regardless of whether they were born here or not. But someone’s right to citizenship should not hinge upon answering questions about specificities within British history that would not even fall within the realm of general public knowledge.
Failing certainly led me to reflect on my own privilege, being a citizen by birth, and gave me a newfound respect for everyone who goes through the process of applying for permanent residence. To anyone from the UK reading this who feels as though I did, brazenly confident that I would pass with flying colours… have a go yourself. It is an enlightening and humbling experience.
“passed my Life in the UK test. very exciting!” by Matt McAlister is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Related
The UK Citizenship Test
I took the UK Citizenship Test as a history student from England… I failed.
I was talking to a friend, who is an international student, about the test that those seeking to apply for permanent citizenship in the UK must take and pass. They claimed it was virtually impossible, and filled with “obscure history trivia” which surely no one knows.
Challenge accepted, I thought. As someone actually from England who studies history, specifically British history, I presumed it would be a breeze. So, I rolled up my sleeves and had a go at a practice Life in the UK Citizenship Test. I was met with a mixture of amusement and shock when I pressed “finish test” and was informed that I had failed, missing the 75% pass mark by just one question, but failing, nonetheless.
It left me wondering: if a history student from the UK can’t pass its citizenship test, who can?To give you an idea of some of the questions, I was asked about all sorts of specific historical knowledge, from the 1689 Bill of Rights to the number of British casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Fair enough, if this was a pub quiz about British history, but I struggle to see how knowing the name of the battle which Charles I lost in 1645 during the English Civil War is relevant to someone’s suitability to live in Britain today. I would also pretty confidently suggest that the vast majority of people born and bred in the UK would struggle to get all of the history questions correct – I certainly didn’t, and I’m doing a degree in the subject! The idea that people applying for citizenship should be required to have a level of knowledge that is more extensive than most people originally from the country is simply absurd.
Though my attempting the test was all in good fun, it is concerning that this is how people’s right to live in the UK is assessed. The test is unfairly difficult, even more so for anyone whose first language is not English. It creates an education barrier, and an elitist culture where only those with unusually high knowledge of British history, or more commonly who can afford tutors to help them prepare for the exam, stand a chance at passing. From private tutors and online courses to the Home Office’s own guidebook that is available to buy, the Life in the UK Test has become its own industry, profiting from people desperate to Pass.
I don’t think it’s entirely unreasonable to expect someone applying to stay in the UK permanently to have a grasp of British politics and culture; this is something to be encouraged in all UK citizens, regardless of whether they were born here or not. But someone’s right to citizenship should not hinge upon answering questions about specificities within British history that would not even fall within the realm of general public knowledge.
Failing certainly led me to reflect on my own privilege, being a citizen by birth, and gave me a newfound respect for everyone who goes through the process of applying for permanent residence. To anyone from the UK reading this who feels as though I did, brazenly confident that I would pass with flying colours… have a go yourself. It is an enlightening and humbling experience.
“passed my Life in the UK test. very exciting!” by Matt McAlister is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Share this:
Like this:
Related