Nicky Campbell has been left “triggered” over claims of a blunder in the British citizenship test which placed the Cairngorms in England.
The popular BBC presenter was left incredulous when a caller to his regular 5 Live show suggested the official test said the mountain range was located south of the border.
The Life in the UK Test is set by the Home Office and is a crucial part of a person’s application to become a British citizen. Applicants must answer 24 questions within 45 minutes at one of 30 test centres across the country.
Campbell today invited listeners to call in to share their experiences of taking the citizenship test. One, Derek from Maryport, near Carlisle, described how his Hungarian wife Eta had stumbled over one question – despite knowing the right answer.
Derek said: “The one thing I would say is the questions are not always accurate. You’ll find this funny, Nicky, being a Scot. I’m from Edinburgh originally, and found this quite funny.
“One of the questions was – what is the largest national park in England? The four options were Snowdonia, the Cairngorms, the Lake District, and Dartmoor.
“Eta, quite rightly, said the largest national park in England is the Lake District – and she got it wrong. The correct answer showed up as the Cairngorms.”
Campbell responded: “That’s ridiculous. And they call that a British citizenship test? You’ve triggered me.
“She remembered it as I was Scottish. She said, ‘you’ll never believe it’. Because we had gone through a little bit of Scottish and English history.”
The Record previously reported how the Home Office received complaints that its £4.99 guide to the test contained incorrect answers for immigrants in Scotland.
Examples included the incorrect claim that a £50 note is the highest denomination in circulation in the UK. However, the Bank of Scotland, RBS and Clydesdale Bank all issue £100 notes.
Researchers at Essex University found in 2020 about two-thirds of people born in the UK would fail to achieve the required 18 correct answers from 24 multiple-choice questions.
Academics queried why foreign nationals needed to know how tall the London Eye was (443ft) and in which county Stonehenge lies (Wiltshire).
About 440 people sit the exam every day at test centres across the UK, including in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. Officials say the number of EU citizens taking part has increased since the Brexit vote in 2016.
Immigrants need to pass the £50 test, first introduced in 2007, to become British citizens but can sit it as many times as they want. The Home Office has defended its questions, claiming it covers “regional differentiations”.
The Record has asked the UK Home Office for comment.
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