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Emigration and immigration

British Citizenship Tests to be Administered by Firm Embroiled in Cheating Scandal

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The British government has awarded a £19.8 million contract to PSI Services, a subsidiary of Educational Testing Services (ETS), to administer the Life in the UK test for individuals seeking citizenship. Notably, ETS previously held a contract for providing English language tests for immigration purposes but was terminated due to allegations of cheating over a decade ago. The new contract has sparked concerns about the potential risks associated with entrusting a company with a history of malpractice to oversee a crucial aspect of the UK's immigration process.

Key Takeaways:

  • PSI Services, a subsidiary of ETS, has been awarded a £19.8 million contract to administer the Life in the UK test for the next three years.
  • ETS previously held a contract for providing English language tests for immigration purposes but was terminated in 2015 due to allegations of cheating.
  • The Life in the UK test is designed to assess prospective citizens' knowledge of British history, culture, laws, and values.
  • The test is currently composed of 24 multiple-choice questions and has a 75% pass mark.
  • ETS claims that PSI Services is operating as a separate entity, despite being a wholly owned subsidiary.
  • The company has a history of allegations surrounding test security, including an undercover BBC investigation in 2014 that claimed tests were being sat by proxy test takers.
  • In 2018, a Labour MP claimed that ETS was a "discredited witness" and that the Home Office had relied on them "totally" in the wake of the cheating scandal.
  • The Home Office has stated that PSI Services will be responsible for creating and rolling out the Life in the UK test, but declined to comment on how the company will share responsibilities with Reed in Partnership, the other company involved in administering the test.
  • Incidents of individual fraud, such as wearer of disguises to impersonate others and cheat the immigration system, are being investigated by the Home Office.

Statistics:

  • The Life in the UK test is a £50, 45-minute test that consists of 24 multiple-choice questions.
  • The test has a 75% pass mark.
  • In the wake of the cheating scandal, the Home Office cancelled 36,000 student visas and deported more than 2,500 people.
  • ETS estimated that 58% of test takers and 39% of test takers exhibited behaviors that were deemed questionable.
  • Between 2011 and 2015, approximately 58,000 people sat the English language test.
  • PSI Services was acquired by ETS in January 2024.
  • The Home Office has 30 test centres around the UK, and hundreds of thousands of people sit the Life in the UK test each year.

Sources:

  • The Telegraph
  • BBC
  • The Home Office
  • Educational Testing Services (ETS)
  • Wes Streeting, Health Secretary
  • Stephen Timms, Labour MP
  • Josephine Maurice, individual arrested for using wigs to impersonate others
  • Chris Foster, Home Office's criminal and financial investigation lead for London

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