Since the launch of Life in the UK test, and especially since the moment when it also became mandatory for those seeking permanent residency in the UK, - and not only for aspiring citizens - it suscitated many critical reviews. Everything was wrong - the text of the official manual had lots of factual mistakes, let alone imprecisions or tournures that were hard to understand for a non-native speaker. For example, nobody could figure out who was the head of the Church of England, according to the manual. Or, better said, nobody knew what to answer if such question showed up. This nonsensical uncertainty remains: when you see a question on the screen, and failure costs 34 pounds, plus delays, of course - you really want to be sure that you give the right answer, but WHAT is the right answer - what’s really true or what’s in the book?
What about the laws, or regulations, that changed since the introduction of the test, or better said, since the new edition of the manual? (More about these cases in our future posts). What happens if one of the 54 countries forming the British Commonwealth leaves it tomorrow - should the answer reflect the actual truth and the updated number, or should we stick to the “Life in the UK” manual?
In legal terms, the test is NOT based on anything BUT the official manual, Life in the United Kingdom - A journey to citizenship, and not the entire manual, but merely a few chapters. If it’s not in these chapters (2 to 6), then it’s not in the test. And noone can be obliged to follow the news, have an interest in Commonwealth policies or, say, tobacco laws. Therefore, the logical answer is, - always give the answer that can be located in the manual, even if you know it to be false. It is unlikely that you will be able to correct your results by showing an article cut out of a newspaper. But you will definitely have a point if you show the text of the manual.
{ 0 comments… add one now }