China takes the Pole position in Brit Test |
China takes the Pole position in Brit TestSunday, 31 October 10
The news comes as the Home Office celebrates the fifth anniversary of the test this month. The pass mark is 18 for the test, and the Chinese scored an impressive 19.01, on average. Poland, meanwhile, plummeted to 29th place. The Philippines and Jamaica came second and third, respectively. British born citizens achieved a dismal ranking of 40th with 15.14, although this was an improvement on Germany’s 43rd and France’s 46th. Iran and Iraq both passed on average, and even Afghanistan scored 15.54 - a clear half a mark ahead of the British. Some continuity was preserved in that the US remain at the bottom of the table, although Argentina took last place. The multiple-choice exam was based on the Home Office’s ‘Life in the UK Test’; questions included ‘When is the national day for England?’ (23rd April) and ‘What is the largest ethnic minority in Britain?’ (Indian). George Sandison, Managing Editor of Red Squirrel Publishing, which carried out the test, said: ‘This shows the test is far from straightforward and the average Brit would fail.’ ‘But these figures also reflect people who haven’t studied for the test and with effective study a pass is achievable.’ Sandison said. Further details about the research are available on the company's website www.redsquirrelbooks.com/press. NOTES TO EDITORS Users can take the test themselves by visiting www.lifeintheuk.net/facebook. Over 193,000 people applied for British Citizenship in 2009, and over 900,000 people have taken the test since it was introduced - around three in ten people fail. The Britishness league table
About the research The research data was collected using an application built within social networking website, Facebook. Participants were asked 24 sample questions taken from Red Squirrel Publishing’s Life in the UK Test: Study Guide. The application was launched on 1 November 2007. Facebook members from around the world were invited to participate. Within two weeks over 10,000 people had taken the online test. Users can take the test themselves by visiting www.lifeintheuk.net/facebook. Sample Questions The questions used in this research have been sourced from the publication Life in the UK Test: Study Guide. The Home Office keeps the official questions secret, however reader feedback indicates that the questions from this publication are very similar to those used in the real test. Some of the questions used in the research are provided below How often are general elections held? (a) At least every year (b) At least every four years (c) At least every five years (correct answer) (d) At least every ten years What does the government programme New Deal provide? (a) Funding and an advice service for small businesses (b) Healthcare and medicines for the sick and elderly (c) Accommodation and support for the homeless (d) Help and support for unemployed people to get back into work (correct answer) What is the largest ethnic minority in Britain? (a) Black Caribbean descent (b) Pakistani descent (c) Bangladeshi descent (d) Indian descent (correct answer) When is the national day for England? (a) 1 March (b) 17 March (c) 23 April (d) 30 November Which of these statements is correct? (a) Only people on benefits are entitled to apply for council accommodation (b) Everyone is entitled to apply for council accommodation (correct answer) If you would like to request a full list of questions then please contact us. Other data sources
George Sandison Red Squirrel Publishing Suite 235, 77 Beak Street, London W1F 9DB United Kingdom Email: Website: www.redsquirrelbooks.com |
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