Two requirements, not one
Settlement and British citizenship both carry a "knowledge of language and life in the UK" requirement, KoLL for short. It has two halves, and they are tested by two different organisations, booked on two different websites, and paid for separately.
| Life in the UK test | B1 English test | |
|---|---|---|
| Tests | knowledge of British history, society, law and customs | your spoken English |
| Run by | PSI on behalf of the Home Office | Trinity, IELTS, LanguageCert or Pearson |
| Booked at | gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test, at least 3 days ahead | the provider's own site |
| Format | 24 multiple-choice questions on a computer, 45 minutes | a speaking-and-listening exam, 10 to 22 minutes depending on provider |
| Pass mark | 75% (18 of 24) | pass or fail at the level |
| Price | £50 | £160 to about £182 |
| Result | on the day, as a unique reference number | 2 days to a week, as a reference number |
| How long it lasts | does not expire; one pass serves settlement and then citizenship | two years for a new application; reused at citizenship if accepted at settlement |
| Where | more than 30 centres in the UK; cannot be taken abroad | approved centres in the UK; some providers abroad |
The Life in the UK test is not an English test. It is taken in English (or Welsh or Scottish Gaelic in Wales and Scotland) and the questions assume you can read at roughly B1, but passing it proves nothing about your English to the Home Office. Likewise a B1 SELT says nothing about life in the UK. You need both numbers in the application.
Who needs which
| You are | Life in the UK | English |
|---|---|---|
| applying for settlement on the family route or most work routes, before 26 March 2027 | yes | B1 speaking and listening |
| the same, from 26 March 2027 | yes | B2 speaking and listening |
| applying for settlement on the BN(O), Armed Forces or Domestic Worker routes | yes | B1 |
| applying for citizenship after settling with a B1 pass and a Life in the UK pass | no (already passed) | no (reused) |
| applying for citizenship after settling as a refugee or under the EU Settlement Scheme | yes, unless you took it before | B1 |
| a national of Australia, Canada, Jamaica, the USA and the other listed countries | yes | no |
| holder of a UK degree or an Ecctis-confirmed degree taught in English | yes | no |
| aged 65 or over, or under 18 | no | no |
| with a long-term condition confirmed by a doctor | no, with the exemption form | no, with the form |
Two traps in that table. Nationality and a degree exempt you from the English test, not from the Life in the UK test; an American with a Harvard degree still sits the 24 questions. And the Life in the UK pass never expires, so if you took it for settlement you do not take it again for citizenship, while a B1 certificate older than two years is only reused if it was accepted at settlement.
Which to do first
There is no required order, and the two do not need to be taken in the same year. The sensible order for most people:
- Life in the UK first, if your English is already comfortable. It is cheap, bookable three days ahead, and the result is instant. Study the official handbook ("Life in the United Kingdom: A Guide for New Residents", 3rd edition); the test only draws on that book. Most people need two to four weeks of practice tests.
- The B1 English test second, booked for the month before you plan to apply so it is well inside the two-year window. The result takes a few days; Trinity emails a provisional result by 9am the next day.
If your English is the weaker half, reverse it: pass B1 first, since studying the Life in the UK handbook is itself B1-level reading and gets easier once your English is stronger.
Settling from 26 March 2027 on the family route? The English half becomes B2, which for most people is six to twelve months of extra speaking work. Do the Life in the UK test early, so that the whole of the last year is free for English. See B2 from 26 March 2027.
Costs and timing for the pair
Life in the UK £50 plus the official handbook (about £13 as a paperback; there is also an app and an e-learning subscription), B1 SELT £160 to about £182. Allow for one failed attempt of each in a worst case: another £50 and another £160, or £35 for Trinity's Exam Protect which buys one free retake in advance. Both tests can be rebooked after a fail with no limit on attempts; the Life in the UK test requires a wait of seven days before the next sitting.
Diary: book the Life in the UK test about a month before you want the result; book the SELT four to six weeks before your application date, because it needs the two-year clock to still be running when you apply and because centres fill in the weeks before 26 March 2027.
Identity for both
Both services want the same ID: a current passport or travel document, or for people with an eVisa a share code from your UKVI account. An expired BRP or BRC still works for both until 24 months after the expiry date on the card or 31 December 2026, whichever is sooner. Book in the name on the document; a mismatch means no test and no refund at either.
Where the two meet in the application
The settlement and citizenship forms ask for the Life in the UK unique reference number and the SELT reference number (UER, UKVI number, Candidate URN or SELT URN depending on provider). You do not post certificates. The Home Office checks both numbers online. If you have a B1 pass from an earlier application that you are reusing, enter the same number again.
Practising for the English half
The Life in the UK test has thousands of practice questions online. The B1 speaking test has far less, because you need someone to talk to. The free AI examiner on this site runs the six Trinity Grade 5 conversation subjects and grades you on Trinity's scale, four minutes at a time, so you can do a session between chapters of the handbook.
