Legally, sufficient knowledge of Welsh or Scottish Gaelic can also be used to fulfil the language requirement, but the mechanism by which this can be achieved is not clear in legislation.
[7] Conversely, Home Office guidance states that if anyone wishes to take the Life in the UK Test in these languages (for instance Gaelic‐speaking Canadians or Welsh‐speaking Argentinians), arrangements will be made for them to do so.
He appointed a "Life in the United Kingdom Advisory Group", chaired by Sir Bernard Crick, to formulate the test's content.
[16] From November 2005 to March 2007, the questions for the test were based on chapters 2 to 4 of the book Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship.
The additional chapters covered knowledge and understanding of employment matters and everyday needs such as housing, money, health and education.
The third edition of the handbook, Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents, was released in 2013 and prompted another change in the test format.
At the time of the test's introduction the materials were primarily about England, but the second edition of the handbook contained more detail about aspects of life in the United Kingdom which differ in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Applicants taking the test receive a version tailored to where they live; for example, candidates in Scotland will be asked about the Scottish Parliament, but not about the Senedd.
The pass rate for those EU citizens taking the test in this period averaged 86% (Austria 71%, Belgium 75%, Bulgaria 84%, Croatia 92%, Cyprus 83%, Czech Republic 93%, Denmark 95%, Estonia 87%, Finland 86%, France 87%, Germany 91%, Greece 91%, Hungary 90%, Ireland 95%, Italy 92%, Latvia 80%, Lithuania 81%, Luxembourg 100%, Malta 100%, Netherlands 81%, Poland 87%, Portugal 80%, Romania 79%, Slovakia 88%, Slovenia 100%, Spain 89%, Sweden 86%).
Particular criticism was reserved for the section on the UK's history, which was described by the Guardian as a "turgid, abysmal piece of writing," filled with "factual errors, sweeping generalisations [and] gross misrepresentations.
[32] In 2012, an article in the New Statesman described the test as mocking Britishness since there was no general agreement amongst the population on what was or was not relevant to culture and history.