Description

The requirement for applicants to demonstrate some knowledge of English has been part of the application process for British citizenship for many years, but until recently had not been formally applied. Providing evidence of language competence and knowledge of life in the UK became a legal requirement under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act (2002) which requires that applicants for British citizenship must show ‘a sufficient knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic’ and to have ‘sufficient knowledge about life in the United Kingdom’. New citizens must also take part in a public citizenship ceremony in which they take the existing citizenship oath and a new pledge to ‘respect and fulfil the rights, freedoms and democratic values of the United Kingdom’. This paper explores the origins of this test, and how it became closely linked to the teaching of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to adults.