Life in the UK 2023: Illustrated Official Course and 21 Tests: Up-to-Date, Official Bumper Edition with 534 Practice Questions

OK, so first of all, I’ll be honest, I have read the bad reviews and was sceptical. I mean, there’s many books out there to choose from. But I was tempted by the promises of this one (and also, it is cheap) but was worried by the 1 star comments. Thing is, right, the life in the uk test is NOT a test of current affairs. If you get hold of the official book from the Home office (I flicked through it in a shop near me), it is nowhere near up to date… The test is about general knowledge of the UK culture, people and country based on text written back in 2013 and barely updated since. So don’t get precious about something that happened last week, the test won’t ask you about it.I decided to get hold of 2 books. I won’t state which over one to remain fair, but that was a disaster. THIS BOOK, however, is great. It delivers all it promises. It is nice big book, professionally formatted and full of illustrations. It has all the same text as the Home Office book, plus some little extra to bring it up to date (gosh, it even mentions the Lionesses beating Germany last year at Wembley :-) I was so chuffed about that, I love them!!!). It very clearly mentions King Charles III, more than once. But it never says the Queen is alive, just not in this book, I guess that reviewer got the wrong book (I wonder if they bought several and posted the wrong review).I show photos of the actual book, because a review should prove what it says.The book helped me learn at my own pace, easily. Each chapter has an end section with bullet points of the key themes. The text is well formatted, illustrated, dotted with little help bubbles to help remember key bits. We all learn our own way, but for me, it is a a nice book. The text is not too dense as you can see, the book is large which may better some of you, but for me it is perfect because I can make notes. The tests are good. Sure, people prefer an electronic version of test, but for me, having tests on books like this also helps like, when I travel. The questions are random, I mean it is not like you have 10 questions on history or something, they touch on every aspect of the curriculum, keeping you sharp and on point. The answers are explained. I thought they would just be like 'Answer B is correct'. But no, they actually give that little bit of info that makes you understand and remember the answer and the context.I didn’t use the table of key dates as I find them daunting, but I appreciate that it’s there and some will find it useful.OK, so it’s 250 pages, half of that is 21 complete tests (they are exactly like the real one, same sort of questions. Tip: use a stopwatch or something and practice in real time). The first half of the book is the learning material. It is easy to follow, and illustrated enough to help remember things, but not too much to make it like a comic. When I got the book, I got a bit scared that it’s a lot to learn. But because half the book is questions, it’s actually not so much. Thankfully, as I am German, There’s a fair part of history that I already know. The book has got some summary tables for some info like religious festivals for instance that are not in the official book. That’s a nice touch from the author who clearly have tried to make it as practical as possible for someone actually learning.And I will finish with this: I am very glad I bought this book. It is the one I used for my own learning and I passed the test first time. Although the text was mostly written by the Home Office (so if you have an issue about it, talk to them!), this particular book has clearly been put together to help study for an exam. I’d bet the author went for the test themselves, because the little helping touches alongside the official course are the kind of things that help learn the stuff.Great book, cheap, practical and the best help you can get before going to the exam centre.

I don't tend to leave reviews but having received this book and noting what some other reviewers have said, I feel the need to correct some of the inaccuracies.I'm a native English speaker and bought this book to support the voluntary work I do around ESOL and specifically to help those looking to take the 'Life In The UK' test. I found this book to be well laid out, easy to consume and particularly likes the boxes which give key/important information. It's exactly what I expected and will help anyone preparing the for the test.Onto the corrections...Firstly, one reviewer mentioned that the app is better. I'm not sure what they're referring to as there is no app that accompanies this book and I can't find any mention of one. I also think learning styles are important here - the information for the test is the same wherever you get it and if you're someone who prefers learning digitally, then traditional book learning may not be for you.Secondly, another reviewer mentioned that this version of the book (I think there have been several previous versions) was not updated but this is incorrect. I've added photos highlighting areas referring to King Charles III, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II so the text is completely up to date at the time of writing (April 2023).Overall I found this book to be exactly what it says it is - clear, current and a really helpful resource for anyone looking to take the 'Life In The UK' text. And if that's you, then get this book and good luck!

Very good book. Great to have illustrations and bullet point summaries. Passed first time. All the real test questions were in the practice tests apart from one, just different wording and answer variations. Very useful. Would recommend.

The text is what it is. However, when it came time to revise I noticed there were several errors in the practice tests. At first, I thought I needed to read certain sections again, but then it was clear some answers were plain wrong. A few examples: I answered (correctly) that Wool was a major export in the Middle Ages. The answer section said it was potatoes. I answered (correctly) that the English Language developed from Norman French and Anglo-Saxon. The answer section said it was Proto Celtic and Anglo-Saxon. In a professional text such as this, I definitely would not expect to see mistakes such as this. It is far from reassuring for those preparing to sit the actual test.

I will recommend this book 100%. My wife passed the UK Life test.

I used this book and passed the test the first time round. It's the same resources as the online free version.

Is latest version. Although the old one is also fine. But this one has been amended in few places in order to update. It helped me pass my exam quickly in 3 weeks because the way is bold better print. Not conjusted like the previous one.

Good