life in uk english test

[oldgent]

Hi would like to hear from anyone who has gone through the proceedure

need advice on how to go about it.

[MaprangHolmes]

The best way that my wife found for doing the test was to get the book and read it all, then translate the words she did not understand. Then ask me what they meant and also do some of the practice tests that are on the web. After doing that she passed her test with only getting 1 question wrong.

[oldgent]

is the book in Thai or English ? also can you tell me the web site for the practice tests. thanks

[steve187]

there is a practise book by red squirrel, which allows online practise tests, my wife repeated the test many times a day, and past first time. link here - http://www.lifeintheuk.net/index.php/cdrom/

[Stanaris]

Might be useful to look at this link

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/764526-life-in-the-uk-english-to-thai-short-note-translation/

[oldgent]

thanks steve bloody hell i tried the free test the questions are unbelievabel it would take you to be a univerisity proffesor to answer them

how is a thai lady going to answer them !!

[wooloomooloo]

how is a thai lady going to answer them !!

By studious revision?

The test wasn't designed to be easy. Countless Thais have sat LitUK and passed.

I was never one for convention and never will be. But I've only got to today by toeing the line where it's in my interest. My wife's a cameo and knows where her bread is buttered.

Don't be a victim.

[mikebell]

Just completed one of the tests. I scored 55% thus failing. I am a 72 yr old UK native with a good educational background. History was not my strong suit tho' I guessed Queen Victoria's age correctly.

[steve187]

thanks steve bloody hell i tried the free test the questions are unbelievabel it would take you to be a univerisity proffesor to answer them

how is a thai lady going to answer them !!

my wife did the online test numerous times each day, she was always on the laptop, she just got to know all the answers, did she understand the questions , probably not but she past first time, one question ''what is the proportion of single parent families in Scotland'' does it really matter, a better question would be '' what is council tax and who pays it''

[bigyin]

I suspect more than 50% of the population of the UK would fail this without prior revision and it does therefore seem unfair that overseas wives of UK citizens should be expected to know more about UK history etc than a large part of the native population. Having said that and as has been said on this forum the rules are the rules so revision and lots of it is I suppose the only way to go.

[oldgent]

well done to all who passed the test Just had a horrible though.....

what if Thailand adopted the same kind of test

[marksm]

Read the book 1st

Answer the Question after

My wife past on her 3rd time she failed the first because she never read the book 2nd time because she struggled with are new born . Third time lucky lots of revision.

Now we're just waiting on her naturalization

Happy Days

[Paul888]

I suspect more than 50% of the population of the UK would fail this without prior revision and it does therefore seem unfair that overseas wives of UK citizens should be expected to know more about UK history etc than a large part of the native population. Having said that and as has been said on this forum the rules are the rules so revision and lots of it is I suppose the only way to go.

I agree that the test would challenge many Brits, but on the other hand, I am kind of glad that people need to put in at least a little effort to get a British passport

[malct]

My friends wife has sat about 7 tests and the best score so far was 15, They have booked another test for this friday, so fingers crossed, But i have to admit, i have tried and never passed, so for a Thai to learn to translate the book and to understand it, i understand why she is not passing the test.

Last Friday, she had 2 tests booked, one at 10am and the next at 11am, the web site allowed this to happen, but when they attended the test center, they were told that booking 2 tests in a row was irregular.

After the tests, my friend attempted to book 2 tests again and the site would not allow him.

They need to apply for the IIR next month, so they are quite desperate to pass the test.

His wife has had private tuition for the past year from a retired teacher and she is on the PC doing the online tests. On average, she is getting 12 questions right every time.

[bigyin]

I suspect more than 50% of the population of the UK would fail this without prior revision and it does therefore seem unfair that overseas wives of UK citizens should be expected to know more about UK history etc than a large part of the native population. Having said that and as has been said on this forum the rules are the rules so revision and lots of it is I suppose the only way to go.

I agree that the test would challenge many Brits, but on the other hand, I am kind of glad that people need to put in at least a little effort to get a British passport

This is not to get a British passport but just to be allowed to stay in the UK as the husband or wife of a UK citizen. In addition I don't think the requirement here could ever be described as 'a little effort'. There is no way that it can be justified that the spouse of a UK citizen should have to go through this to live with their spouse. Citizenship and the granting of a British passport might be a different question and at that point there might possibly be grounds for something like the LITUK test.

[bobrussell]

This subject has been pretty much done to death in previous threads but there are a number of points that emerge each time.

It is not a test on knowledge but is a test on the ability to read and learn in English. Some of the questions are daft and pointless but they are in the book! It is tough and for some a more formal study course is necessary to pass it.

The rules are the same for all non-EU residents so from that point of view all are treated equally. This test is part of the requirement to get permission to live indefinitely in the UK. This is not a minor privilege but a major benefit so worth the very considerable effort to pass the test. Now applicants have five years to study so time is not the issue.

Finally there is an alternative which is Further Leave to Remain where this (at the moment!) is not a requirement.

Overall I believe a test is a very good thing. However I would be happier with a section on history and culture of the UK but much more on things that matter on a daily basis. Rights, responsibilities, political awareness and day to day skills. This aimed at providing the individual with skills to live a good, integrated life, respecting others.

Most Thai's I know are perfectly able to pass the test with help and application. Integration and respect for others, they are already streets ahead of many!

Edited March 16, 2015 by bobrussell

[keithsimmonds]

My friends wife has sat about 7 tests and the best score so far was 15, They have booked another test for this friday, so fingers crossed, But i have to admit, i have tried and never passed, so for a Thai to learn to translate the book and to understand it, i understand why she is not passing the test.

Last Friday, she had 2 tests booked, one at 10am and the next at 11am, the web site allowed this to happen, but when they attended the test center, they were told that booking 2 tests in a row was irregular.

After the tests, my friend attempted to book 2 tests again and the site would not allow him.

They need to apply for the IIR next month, so they are quite desperate to pass the test.

His wife has had private tuition for the past year from a retired teacher and she is on the PC doing the online tests. On average, she is getting 12 questions right every time.

Your friends wife has my sympathys.............my wife has failed the test 3 times and if i had anything to do with it there wouldn,t be a 4th..........but that will be her decision and not mine should she wan,t to try again.

[oldgent]

I agree with most of what you said. but think there is a need for keeping subjects like this alive, as things change everyday.

what i would like to see one of the moderators put this into some form where people like me can understand how it works

[oldgent]

sorry that reply was in response to Bobrussel i lost internet connection during the reply

[bobrussell]

There always seem to be a number of people knocking it because it is hard. It is and I fully accept that it is. The benefits of ILR are very significant compared to FLR.My sister-in-law is taking the test next week but is fairly sure she will fail!

I have asked her a number of the silly questions and she has managed to get them right! Also corrected me on more than one answer!

She has been working hard, around the house are notes, suggestions and reminders. If she fails it will not be for lack of trying. I suggested the book in Thai (now out of date unless a new edition has been published) but her attitude was that it will be taken in English so she should learn it in English. She has the official books and has put in the time so really does deserve to be a bit lucky!

The process to book the test is on-line. Go to https://www.gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test/book-life-in-uk-test to register. I was surprised how few test slots were available in the Southampton area and how inconvenient they were for someone with small children. The next slots were a month ahead! Payment made at booking but be very careful that the details you enter are an exact match for the document that is to be used as identification. Any differences in spelling etc and the test cannot be taken. That would be a waste of £50.

It is taken in the same building as the written driving tests are done (here at least), possibly using the same computers which might explain the lack of available dates. If you know the answers and have a degree of computer confidence (not skills) it can take only a few minutes. You get the results within minutes of the test ending and the certificate is issued on the spot. There is plenty of time to answer the multiple choice questions (24 of them). 75% pass mark.

I suspect fear and panic are the biggest dangers as most of the questions are not that tricky. I am also worried that my sister-in-law will over analyse the questions and doubt her answers.

Thankfully a dim and distant memory for my wife - the rules were somewhat different then. My advice is prepare, ask questions, prepare again, do loads of practice questions and prepare again. The official book has a summary of each chapter that is worth its weight in gold. These pearls of wisdom are plastered over the walls!

We shall see!

Edited March 16, 2015 by bobrussell

[wooloomooloo]

It's a tough test, no doubt. But it's worth the effort.

Spouses are free to provide encouragement, assistance, patience and understanding which counts for a lot. Whatever you do, don't be negative.

The rules aren't going to change any time soon, except for the worse.

[MAJIC]

is the book in Thai or English ? also can you tell me the web site for the practice tests. thanks

http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp?FO=1240167&ProductID=9780113413409&Action=Book&TRACKID=002353

[bobrussell]

Google Life in the UK practice and plenty of sites will come up. Make sure they are the most recent version.

Not tried it but one that appeared was https://lifeintheuktests.co.uk/

To the best of my knowledge there is not a translation for the newer edition.

Just checked the above site. Looks good and I can answer most of the questions correctly!!

Edited March 17, 2015 by bobrussell

[malct]

My Friends wife passed the LITUK on Friday on her 8th attempt, They dont tell you how well you done, they just give you a certificate. Really pleased for her. I got them to use the Thai English translation Doc that's on this site and it helped her a lot.

[Rob180]

My Friends wife passed the LITUK on Friday on her 8th attempt, They dont tell you how well you done, they just give you a certificate. Really pleased for her. I got them to use the Thai English translation Doc that's on this site and it helped her a lot.

I'm glad she passed eventually. Sorry to disagree with people who refer to this as a 'good test'. It's not good at all. Forcing someone from outside the EU to sit this on the apparent basis that the knowledge learned from this book is essential to integrate into British life is just a load of old tosh. There are thousands of people from all over Europe, particularly Eastern Europe who seem to have integrated themselves into British life very nicely without learning this wonderful book inside out. In addition those from outside Europe have the 'no recourse to public funds' stamped on their Visa for 5 years, as well as not being able to even access FE college courses without paying for them. Then they are forced to sit a test which many UK citizens cannot even pass?

[durhamboy]

Totally agree Rob180 and malct has had to spend an additional £400 (plus travel costs etc) for his wife to take the 8 tests! Congrats to her for her perseverance.

[ssing]

You will have to give a test consisting of 24 questions and need to score minimum 18 to pass. The test will be in English and you will get 45 minutes to answer all questions. Check out http://www.test4citizenship.com for more than 1200 questions to practice and the content of the book from which questions are taken.

[fbf]

I just did that test in under 4 minutes and failed (17/24). Half the questions seem like they were stolen from the first ever edition of Trivial Pursuit and I'd be loathe to waste valuable storage space in my brain. The other half seem vaguely relevant and useful.

[ssing]

Whether the test is logical or not is a different question ... it is a requirement though to get ILR and Citizenship

[theoldgit]

Whether the test is logical or not is a different question ... it is a requirement though to get ILR and Citizenship

It is indeed a different question but highly relevant to this discussion.

I would concede that anybody who doesn't know "what major welfare changes were introduced from 1945 to 1950", "how many countries make up the United Nations" and " what is the distance (in miles) between the North coast of Scotland and the South coast of England" has no place living in a modern day UK, as is "when is Mothers day".