Life in the United Kingdom: a guide for new residents

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Mnemonics like these can be very useful, and we encourage you to make up your own as you progress through the content. You will also find some suggested ones throughout the guide, so look out for them. Where to find more information ​ Your study time should be divided into short, frequent sessions with breaks in between each session. You will find you will learn material faster and ultimately do better on your test if your learning is done in small chunks spread out of a longer period of time, rather than in a few lengthy sessions just before your test. If it’s been a while since you last studied for something, aim for 10-15 minutes for each session and gradually increase the time as you establish a routine. If you find your concentration waning, stop studying and take a break. This will allow you to recharge after processing a lot of information. It may be a good idea to plan out your breaks with alarms. Once you feel more refreshed, return to your studying.

This includes passing the Life in the UK test as part of your settlement (ILR) application for British citizenship. If you are attending a ceremony in Wales you may, if you wish, make the oath or affirmation, and the pledge, in Welsh. The Welsh version of the oath, affirmation and pledge are below. Llw teyrngarwch The Habeas Corpus Act became law in 1679. This was a very important piece of legislation which remains relevant today. Habeas Corpus is Latin for ‘you must present the person in court’. The Act guaranteed that no one could be held prisoner unlawfully. Every prisoner has a right to a court hearing. Find out…The first type of question involves selecting one correct answer from four options. Here is an example of this type of question (the correct answer will appear in GREEN when selected). Where is the UK Parliament based? This resulted in the Easter Rising against the British. The leaders of the uprising were executed and a guerrilla war broke out against the British army and the police. In 1921 a peace treaty was signed and in 1922 Ireland became two countries. Northern Ireland, which was mainly Protestant, remained part of the UK. The rest of Ireland became the Irish Free State. It had its own government and became a republic in 1949. The Industrial Revolution took place as the development of water power and then steam power led to the growth of factories. People left the countryside to work in the factories, so towns and cities grew.

A mnemonic (pronounced nem-onic) is a memory aid; a technique for helping your brain to remember something. Mnemonics are commonly used for remembering lists, spellings, numbers or learning a new language. The word comes from Ancient Greek and means ‘of memory’. Mnemonics do not need to make sense. A common mnemonic is to use the first letter of each word you need to remember and use them to make up a sentence or story. Humour helps to make a mnemonic more memorable. For example, the sentence below: I [name] do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her Heirs and Successors, according to law. 16 Pledge More voters meant that politicians needed to persuade people to vote for them. The political parties began to create organisations to reach out to ordinary voters. The First World War broke out after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, but many other factors were involved. Charles II was interested in science. During his reign, the Royal Society was formed to promote ‘natural knowledge’. This is the oldest surviving scientific society in the world. Among its early members were Sir Edmund Halley, who successfully predicted the return of the comet now called Halley’s Comet, and Sir Isaac Newton.

Step 1. Get the UK Citizenship Book

When you arrive at the testing centre, you need to present a piece of acceptable identification. Ensure that the name and details on your ID correspond with those you provided during the online booking. When you have completed your application for citizenship or permanent residence, you need to attach your Pass Notification Letter and send both documents to the Home Office. The Home Office will keep the information it gets from test centres for a reasonable period of time. However, you should send in your application as soon as possible after taking the test. What happens if I fail the test? In 1918, women over the age of 30 were given the right to vote. (In 1928, women were given the right to vote at the age of 21, the same as men.) It must be taken in the English language. However, if you are in Scotland or Wales you can request to sit the test in Scottish Gaelic or Welsh when booking. Napoleon, Emperor of France, was at war with Britain. Britain’s navy fought the French and Spanish fleets, winning the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Admiral Nelson was in charge of the British fleet at Trafalgar and was killed in the battle. The British army also fought the French. In 1815, Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. Find out…

You will usually be able to take two guests with you to the ceremony. Attendance at the ceremony is by invitation only. During the reign of Queen Victoria, the British Empire grew to cover India, Australia and large parts of Africa. It became the largest empire the world has ever seen, with an estimated population of 400 million people. Anne of Cleves – Anne was a German princess. Henry married her for political reasons but divorced her soon after. Alexander Fleming was born in Scotland, then moved to London, where he qualified as a doctor. He won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945 for his discovery of penicillin, which is still used to treat bacterial infections today.The Enlightenment, which occurred in the 18th century, brought new ideas in politics, philosophy and science. A key principle was that people should be free to choose their own religious and political beliefs, and the state should not be able to challenge them. This principle is still an important element of British society. Find out… The queen of Scotland, Mary Stuart (often now called ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’), was a Catholic. She was only a week old when her father died and she became queen. Find out… The Elizabethan period in England was a time of growing patriotism: a feeling of pride in being English. English explorers sought new trade routes and tried to expand British trade into the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Sir Francis Drake, one of the commanders in the defeat of the Spanish Armada, was one of the founders of England’s naval tradition. His ship, the Golden Hind, was one of the first to sail right around (‘circumnavigate’) the world. In Elizabeth I’s time, English settlers first began to colonise the eastern coast of America. This colonisation, particularly by people who disagreed with the religious views of the next two kings, greatly increased in the next century. James I authorised a new translation of the Bible into English. The translation is known as the ‘King James Version or the Authorised Version’. If you find yourself getting nervous, stop for a few moments, refocus and carry on. Know that if you prepared sufficiently, you’ll pass the test. If you don’t pass, it’s not the end of the world.