Life in the UK Test Handbook

by Henry Dillion (-Editor), George Sandison (-Editor)

The essential study guide for the British citizenship test.

Genres: Nonfiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[huzeyfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summary about British life, history and culture. It also helped to pass Life in the UK Test.

[Olesya Gilmutdinova · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a reference book, it's actually not that bad! The history section is quite interesting.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most useful reference books I've ever read. The history section is brilliant. I have always been bemused by the British assortment of Kings/Queens and all the drama that encircled each (other than Henry VIII, that is, numerous books have been read in the quest for knowledge about him).

This book cut through the clutter and delivered simple facts which were easy to digest and remember. It placed each monarch in context with the events of the day and brought clarity where previously I found confusion.

There is a lot more to this 2014 edition but the history portion was my favorite. The rest of the book was a solid effort as well. It provided a wealth of information about Wales, Scotland, Ireland, criminal/civil law, elections, sport, inventions, writers, etc which enabled me to pass the test today.

This book is much more rounded in information delivery than the 2012, 6th edition (based on the 2006 handbook). I read that one as well and found it to be more rooted in Labour party propaganda than useful fact. Stick with this one. It's a winner!

[Kingdom Smallfig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let’s face it. You will only read this if you have to. If you don’t have to, there are probably some Wikipedia entries that are more informative/well written.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather comprehensive history of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but of course focussed on the content which appears on the Life in the U.K. test-only.

The level of written English is not sophisticated and rather basic, and yet is able to provide a really fascinating and easy to read history of how politics, culture, geopolitics and foreign influences and connections have shaped the modern United Kingdom and NI; after having read this book I have come to appreciate even more the multicultural and open minded British society I live in and enjoy.

If you, like me, want to find out more about the events narrated there as you read them, then you might want to buy a PDF version of this and red it on your iPad or device, so as to being able to Google and explore a more in-depth history. Especially when it comes to colonialism and post-colonial countries now part of the Commonwealth.

Great book all in all, totally recommend not only for the test but for own general knowledge.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

History section is not well written. It starts 10 000 yes ago until present day, but much information either gets introduced abruptly or ends that way. I know, it needs to be concise, but could still be written as a meaningful story. The biggest surprise to me was the absence of Charles Darwin! What is British or even world history without knowing about Darwin? Another section is just flooded with information, sportspeople, musicians, filmmakers etc. It feels more like a memory test than to know something useful or practical about life in UK. This book needs to be entirely rewritten.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very brief, summarised history of the UK, for the purposes of taking the Life in the UK test for settlement or citizenship. It was every easy to read and absorb the information. I read through it twice and took ever practice text in the books and online. The test was an absolute breeze as a result of reading this!

[Mady · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess you’ll only read this book in order to pass the test ‘Life in the UK’, one of the requirements to apply for British Citizenship. Otherwise, I don’t really advise this book. There are surely hundreds of better written books about History or Life in the UK.

[Lisa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This handbook made taking the test much easier. It gave me lots of information and confidence. I was able to finish the test within 5 minutes the very first time!

[Aktka Rkajči · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great comprehensive book reviewing the major events in British history.

[Kitn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helped me pass my test so I can go back to real books

[Marina]

read the 23 edition. riveting. it still counts as a book read for my yearly challenge.

[Teri B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. Biased. Dense.

[Szymon Woźniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and informative read

[Ester Moya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summary of English culture, history, and political system.

[Vivi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing, wish they made me read this during uni or high-school, such a good overview of uk history and politcs