Guide contents
Booking and test day
  1. Test format
  2. Test fee
  3. Test ID
  4. Test validity
  5. Lost reference
Start learning
  1. First steps
  2. Settlement and citizenship
  3. Values and principles
  4. What is the UK?
History
  1. History overview
  2. Early Britain
  3. The Middle Ages
  4. Tudors and Stuarts
  5. A global power
  6. The 20th century
  7. Britain since 1945
Society
  1. Modern society
  2. The UK today
  3. Cities and currency
  4. Religion
  5. Customs
  6. Sport and culture
  7. Leisure
  8. Culture facts
Government and law
  1. Government overview
  2. Democracy
  3. Constitution
  4. Government
  5. International institutions
  6. Law and courts
  7. Rights and tax
  8. Community role

Modern UK

Part 4: A modern, thriving society

In short

Society questions are mostly matching questions: country to saint, festival to date, sport to name, place to fact.

Test atoms

This part is broad, so learn it as small matching systems.

System What to remember
Country symbols rose, thistle, daffodil, shamrock
Patron saints St George, St Andrew, St David, St Patrick
Religion Church of England, Church of Scotland, major religious communities
Sport sport → event or person
Culture name → field, work or award
Places place → country or fact

What not to over-learn first

  • Do not read society as one long chapter. Break it into matching cards.
  • Learn the pair before the story: saint → country, flower → country, person → achievement.

Spot the correct statement

The real test often asks you to recognise a correct sentence, not write an answer from memory. You should be able to spot statements like these:

  • St David is the patron saint of Wales.
  • The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian.
  • The Ashes is linked to cricket.

The UK is in north-west Europe.

Read in this order

  1. The UK today
  2. Cities, currency and population
  3. Religion and patron saints
  4. Customs and traditions
  5. Sport, arts and culture
  6. Leisure and places of interest
  7. Culture facts

How this section teaches you

This section teaches society facts as small pairs. Each page helps you connect a name to the fact the test may ask for.

When the question names... We connect it to...
a UK country saint, flower, food, capital or language
a festival date, religion or event
a sport person, competition or stadium
a place country, city or landmark

Facts to remember

  • Each UK country has its own patron saint and national flower.
  • Some public holidays and festivals are linked to religion.
  • Some customs are linked to history, such as Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day.
  • Sport, arts, television and landmarks often appear as name-matching questions.
  • Small trivia facts are easier when you learn the exact link: name, place or event.

Common traps

  • Do not mix up UK countries, capitals and patron saints.
  • Do not try to learn every detail about a famous person. Learn what they are linked to.
  • Keep festival dates separate from history dates.

Words to recognise

UK today, religion, customs, sport, arts and culture, leisure, places of interest.

Use culture and traditions practice after these pages. For a quick mixed review, read Culture facts.

Quick check

Try from memory before opening the answer.

Which country has St David as its patron saint?

Wales.

Which festival is linked to Guy Fawkes?

Bonfire Night.

Which sport is linked to the Ashes?

Cricket.