Can you take the Life in the UK test in Urdu, Bengali or another language?

Can you take the Life in the UK test in Urdu, Bengali or another language?

No. The test is set in English. The only other choices are Welsh at a test centre in Wales and Scottish Gaelic at a test centre in Scotland.

Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, Polish, Turkish and all other languages are not on the list. Plan to read the 24 questions in English.

Which languages can you use?

English is the usual choice. Welsh is possible if you book a centre in Wales. Scottish Gaelic is possible if you book a centre in Scotland.

You do not pick the language on the day. You ask for it when you book, in the special arrangements step. See the Welsh and Scottish Gaelic guide for more.

Over 30 centres run the test across the UK. You choose one when you book at gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test.

Does this mean the test is an English test?

Not quite. Two things are separate in the rules. One is your English: speaking and listening at level B1. You show this with a separate English test or qualification, with a degree taught in English, or by being a national of a majority English-speaking country. The other is the Life in the UK test.

Being from an English-speaking country does not remove the Life in the UK test. Read is the Life in the UK test an English test for the full picture.

The Life in the UK test does ask you to read, so it helps if your reading is steady. Most of the words in the handbook are everyday words. A few are special words from government and history.

How can you study if English is not your first language?

Use your own language to understand the idea. Use English to learn the word. Doing both is faster than doing only one.

Here is a simple method:

1. Read a short part of the handbook in English.
2. If a paragraph is hard, look for the same topic in your own language on any news or school site. You only need the idea.
3. Write the English key words on a card, with the word in your language beside it.
4. Say the English word aloud three times.

Do not translate the whole handbook. That takes weeks and gives you words in the wrong language on test day.

Which English words do people find hard?

Some words come up again and again, and they are not everyday English. Learn these early:

• Constitution. The rules about how a country is run. The UK does not have one single written document.
• Devolution. Power passed from the UK government to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Monarch. A king or queen.
• Parliament. The group of people who make laws.
• Jury. Members of the public who decide a verdict in a court.
• Tolerance. Accepting that other people hold different beliefs.

Add your own list as you read. A card for each word, ten new cards a day, is a calm pace.

What help is possible on test day?

The test is on a computer, in person, at a test centre. It lasts 45 minutes, and you have 24 questions, so you have time to read each one twice.

If you want Welsh or Scottish Gaelic, or you need a special arrangement, ask at booking in the special arrangements step. Do not wait until the day.

Headphones are no longer a standard aid from 1 October 2026. They are possible only by an approved special arrangement.

What should you do this week?

Take a free practice test and notice which words slow you down. Make a card for each one. Then read the chapter on values and principles, which is short and shows how the handbook uses plain, calm English.

Read one chapter a day and say the key words aloud.

Check yourself

• Name the two other languages that you may choose, and say where each is offered.
• What are the two separate parts of the knowledge of language and life requirement?
• Write five English words from the handbook that you did not know last week.