Five problems with the Life in the UK test.

Shelley Purchon
Jan 25, 2016
3 min read

I think it's important to teach foreigners about our country before they become citizens, and I love helping people to pass the Life in The UK test. However, the test is far from perfect. Here are my top 5 things which are missing from the test.

1) How to use the NHS

I'm proud of our National Health Service (NHS). Free health care! Not every country is so lucky. But how do people access health care here? There can be many surprises for foreigners, here's one example. In other countries, you can make an appointment with a specialist by phoning them directly. In the NHS you can't, you have to persuade your GP to do it for you. Why is this not on the test? It was on the test, until the test handbook was changed in 2013. In my opinion the old version of the test was more useful than the one we have now.

This useful guide for foreigners explains how to access the NHS.

2) Burns Night: The REAL Scottish festival.

There are four countries within the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The traditions of these countries are an important part of the LIUK test, and quite rightly so. But did you know that one of them is wrong? Scottish people celebrate their Scottishness on Burns Night, NOT St Andrew's Day. On this night they traditionally drink whiskey, eat haggis and read the poetry of Robert Burns. Robert Burns is mentioned in chapter 4, but the book makes no mention of the festival which remembers him. St Andrew's Day (November 30th) exists, but its no big deal. Click here to read more about Burns Night.

3) How to queue like a Brit. We call it queueing. Americans call it 'waiting in line.' No matter what you call it, it is very important to get this right if you want to be liked by British people. If there is a queue of people (for example at a bus stop, or waiting to buy something), you absolutely MUST join the queue at the end. If you break this unspoken rule, everyone in the queue will notice, and they will all dislike you, but probably no-one will say anything. Warning: some queues are 'invisible'! To find out how to spot an invisible or 'lineless' queue, follow this link.'

4) Drinking tea. If you ever visit a British person's house, they will probably offer you a cup of tea (or maybe coffee.) You can say 'No thanks,' but I recommend that you say 'Yes, please.' We Brits like to show hospitality, and this is the easiest, most comfortable way to do it. If you say, 'Yes please,' your host will next ask, 'How do you take it?' For some ideas on how to answer this question, why not download my free worksheet, 'How to make tea for your British friend.'

5)The end of the coalition government. In 2015 there was a general election, and the government changed. David Cameron is still our Prime Minister, but as of May 2015, he no longer shares power with the Liberal Democrats. The coalition government has ended, but it is still in the Life in The UK book, because it hasn't yet been updated. I expect it to change soon. The big question is: Will the government just change the information in the handbook ? Or are they planning to change the test completely, like they did in 2013? I have signed up to receive news of any announcements on this topic by e-mail, and you can do the same here.

Maybe you have your own ideas about what should be on the test? I would love to hear them, why not leave a comment using facebook?

I love writing these blogs, and I'm open to requests. Want to read a blog about using the NHS? Just send me a request and I will write one for you. Contact me on facebook, or find my e-mail address at the top of this page.

Glossary

specialist - a medical expert, for example a cardiologist is a heart doctor.

to persuade - to convince

Burns Night - a Scottish festival (25th January)

haggis - a traditional Scottish food, made from sheeps stomach, meat and herbs.

to queue - to wait in a line for your turn.

a host - a person receiving a guest is a host.

general election - a day when people over 18 can vote to choose their MP