'Like a bad pub quiz' - Is it time we reformed the UK citizenship test?

Watch Nick Smith's report

Can you accurately guess the age of Stonehenge, or tell if a passage of prose is from William Shakespeare or William Blake?

If so, you might have a chance of passing the "Life in the UK" test which is part of the pathway for migrants who seek to gain citizenship.

The test has 24 questions (a pass mark of 18 or more is needed) which are claimed to assess whether someone has a satisfactory knowledge of British history, law, politics and culture. Candidates are expected to memorise hundreds of answers.

170,000 sit it each year, at a charge of £70 for each attempt.

However, since its inception in 2005 and subsequent reforms in the 2010s, critics say many of the questions focus on obscure historical knowledge rather than practical information.

A study by Remitly suggests half of people born and educated in the UK would fail it.

Elisabeth Clech moved to the UK from France in the 1980s and recently passed the test as part of her citizenship application. Despite living in Britain for the best part of forty years, she says she was baffled by the study material and the questions she was asked:

"I can see the point of learning the broader side of (UK) history, but some details were ridiculous.

I was asked who made the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, do I need to know that?

I had to learn the days of all the Patron Saints, do I need it in my everyday life? Not particularly.

I think having more questions about the diversity of life in the UK, really practical questions would be more useful."

'Subjective and offensive'

In 2022 a House of Lords Committee recommended urgent reform of the test after hearing evidence from those who had recently taken it. Claiming the official handbook was full of obscure facts and 'subjective' assertions such as the British Empire being described as "a force for good in the world", which many migrants from the Commonwealth may find offensive.

Baroness Hamwee, Chair of the Committee, said:

" 'Trivial’, ‘outdated’, and ‘undermining British values’ were some of the terms used by witnesses to our inquiry into the Life in the UK Test.

The exam is not respected in the UK or abroad.

Should candidates be required to memorise content referring to the Enlightenment and where the founder of the UK’s first curry house eloped with his wife? The UK today is about more than stereotypes such as roast beef and pantomimes."

'Like a bad pub quiz'

Thom Brooks, a Professor of Law and Government at Durham University wrote the report: The Life in the United Kingdom Citizenship Test: Is It Unfit for Purpose? after taking it himself more than a decade ago, as a US-born national.

Hr argued that there were serious problems with the test, finding it to be impractical, inconsistent, containing too much trivia and having a gender imbalance.

"Citizenship tests are not uncommon across the world, and can play an important role in a more symbolic means of showing that someone is aware of that country's values, is aware of some basics of its history, and so on and so forth.

I think the problem here is that the UK test has been set up pretty much as a barrier rather than a bridge.

The test is unfit for purpose and a bad pub quiz

It's been kind of designed to trip people up with trivial information that no British citizen needs to in order to be an active citizen."

Prof Thom Brooks outlines how to reform the Life in the UK test

The Home Office says it is reviewing all existing policies left over from the previous government, but made no specific commitment on reforming the Life in the UK test.

Can you pass a sample "Life in the UK Test"?

24 real sample questions which appear in the test, sometimes people have claimed they are poorly phrased or are presented in a confusing format.

1. Who built the Tower of London?

• Henry VII 

• Henry VIII 

• William the Conqueror 

• Oliver Cromwell 

2. When is St David’s Day? 

• 17 of March

• 30th of November

• 1st of March

• 23rd of April 

3. The UK hasn’t used executive powers to suspend the Northern Ireland Assembly:

• True 

• False 

4. What did the Chartists campaign for? 

• The right to vote for the working classes

• The right to vote for over 18s 

• The right to vote for over 21s 

• The right for women to vote 

5. When did Christian communities first appear in Britain? 

• 1st and 2nd centuries

• 4th and 5th centuries

• 2nd and 3rd centuries

• 3rd and 4th centuries 

6. Who appoints Life Peers? 

• The Monarch

• The Prime Minister

• The Speaker 

• The Privy Council 

7. What is the Monarch’s ceremonial role? 

• Travelling abroad for banquets and to negotiate with foreign dignitaries

• Creating parliamentary policies 

• Opening a parliamentary session

• Travelling across the UK 

8. Who invented the World Wide Web?

• Tim Berners Lee 

• James Godfellow 

• Alexander Fleming 

• Florence Nightingale 

9. What is known as ‘Lent’? 

• The 40 days before Easter

• The 40 days before Christmas

• The 40 days after Christmas 

• The 40 days after Easter 

10. Who was Henry Purcell? 

• A gardener

• A poet

• A musician 

• An actor 

11. How old is Elizabeth Tower (sometimes known as Big Ben)?

• Over 150 years old

• Over 600 years old 

• Over 300 years old 

• Over 450 years old 

12. Where did Bronze Age people bury their dead? 

• Round barrows 

• Stone circles 

• Grave pits  

• Stone tombs 

13. When did the Battle of Agincourt take place? 

• 1613

• 1716

• 1415

• 1200

14. When was the signing of the Magna Carta? 

• 1066

• 1312

• 1215

• 1150 

15. How many American colonies declared independence from Britain in 1776? 

• 5

• 13

• 20

• 7

16. Which languages form the basis of modern English? 

• French and Anglo Saxon

• Celtic and Anglo Saxon 

• Gaelic and Celtic 

• Norman French and Celtic 

17. What is an example of a criminal offence? 

• Selling alcohol to under 18s

• Workplace discrimination

• Housing disputes 

• Owing money 

18. What does the ‘PDSA’ stand for? 

• The People’s Defence of Sick Animals 

• The Program Directive for Sustainable Agriculture  

• The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals 

• The People’s Defence Standards Act 

19. How many member states does the Commonwealth have? 

• 48

• 28

• 77

• 56

20. When is Vaisakhi celebrated? 

• April

• May

• March

• June 

21. What county is Maiden Castle in? 

• Berkshire

• Lothian

• Wiltshire

• Dorset 

22. When did the first professional football clubs form? 

• The 17th century

• The 18th century 

• The 19th century 

• The 20th century 

23. The British constitution is often described as:

• Preserved 

• Historical 

• Unwritten 

• Documented 

24. Why was Mary I known as “Bloody Mary?”

• She put her sister in the Tower of London 

• She had her husband executed 

• She persecuted protestants 

• She fought in numerous battles