Life in the UK Test — A Modern, Thriving Society: free study guide (2026)

The UK Today

The UK today is a more diverse society than it was 100 years ago, in both ethnic and religious terms. Post-war immigration means that nearly 10% of the population has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK, and the country remains a multinational and multiracial society with a rich and varied culture.

The nations of the UK

The UK sits in the north west of Europe. The longest distance on the mainland runs from John O'Groats on the north coast of Scotland to Land's End in the south-west corner of England — about 870 miles, or approximately 1,400 kilometres. Most people live in towns and cities, but much of Britain is still countryside, and many people visit it for holidays and for leisure activities such as walking, camping and fishing.

Capital cities and major cities

The capital city of the UK is London. Each nation has its own capital too: Edinburgh for Scotland, Cardiff for Wales and Belfast for Northern Ireland. Among the other major cities, England has Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Manchester, Bradford, Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Southampton and Norwich; Wales has Swansea and Newport; and Scotland has Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen.

UK currency

The currency of the UK is the pound sterling (symbol £), and there are 100 pence in a pound. The coins are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2; the notes are £5, £10, £20 and £50. Northern Ireland and Scotland issue their own banknotes, which are valid everywhere in the UK — but shops and businesses do not have to accept them.

Languages and dialects

English is spoken with many accents and dialects across the UK — in England alone the well-known dialects include Geordie, Scouse and Cockney — and the UK has other languages of its own. In Wales, many people speak Welsh — a completely different language from English — and it is taught in schools and universities. In Scotland, Gaelic (again a different language) is spoken in some parts of the Highlands and Islands, and in Northern Ireland some people speak Irish Gaelic.

A growing population

The population of the UK has grown enormously over four centuries. It was just over 4 million in 1600, 5 million in 1700, and 8 million in 1801. Then came the great 19th-century surge: 20 million by 1851 and 40 million by 1901. It reached 50 million in 1951, 57 million in 1998, just under 60 million in 2005, just over 62 million in 2010, just over 66 million in 2017, and just over 67 million in 2021 (source: National Statistics). Growth has been faster in recent years — migration into the UK and longer life expectancy have both played a part.

The population is spread very unevenly across the four nations: England makes up about 84% of the total, Scotland just over 8%, Wales around 5%, and Northern Ireland less than 3%. The population is also ageing. People in the UK are living longer than ever before, thanks to improved living standards and better health care, and there is now a record number of people aged 85 and over — which has an impact on the cost of pensions and health care.

An ethnically diverse society

The UK population is ethnically diverse and changing rapidly, especially in large cities such as London, and it is not always easy to get an exact picture of the ethnic origin of the whole population. In surveys, the most common ethnic description chosen is white — a group that includes people of European, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and American descent. Other significant groups are those of Asian, black and mixed descent.

An equal society

Within the UK it is a legal requirement that men and women should not be discriminated against because of their gender, or because they are — or are not — married. They have equal rights to work, own property, marry and divorce, and if they are married, both parents are equally responsible for their children.

Women in Britain today make up about half of the workforce. On average, girls leave school with better qualifications than boys, and more women than men study at university. Employment opportunities for women are much greater than in the past: women work in all sectors of the economy, and there are now more women in high-level positions than ever before, including senior managers in traditionally male-dominated occupations — while men now work in more varied jobs than they used to. It is no longer expected that women should stay at home and not work; women often continue working after having children, and in many families both partners work and share responsibility for childcare and household chores.

Religion in the UK

The UK is historically a Christian country. In the 2011 Census, 59% of people identified themselves as Christian. Much smaller proportions identified as Muslim (4.8%), Hindu (1.5%), Sikh (0.8%) and Jewish or Buddhist (each less than 0.5%) — and 25% of people said they had no religion. Everyone in the UK has the legal right to choose their religion, or to choose not to practise one at all, and there are religious buildings for many faiths across the country: Islamic mosques, Hindu temples, Jewish synagogues, Sikh gurdwaras and Buddhist temples.

The Church of England

In England there is a constitutional link between Church and state. The official Church of the state is the Church of England — known as the Anglican Church in other countries, and as the Episcopal Church in Scotland and the United States. It is a Protestant Church and has existed since the Reformation in the 1530s. The monarch is the head of the Church of England, while its spiritual leader is the Archbishop of Canterbury. The monarch has the right to select the Archbishop and other senior church officials, but in practice the choice is usually made by the Prime Minister and a committee appointed by the Church. Several Church of England bishops sit in the House of Lords.

The Church of Scotland — and everyone else

In Scotland the national Church is the Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian Church governed by ministers and elders. The chairperson of its General Assembly is the Moderator, who is appointed for one year only and often speaks on behalf of that Church. There is no established Church in Wales or Northern Ireland. Other Protestant Christian groups in the UK include Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and Quakers, and there are other denominations of Christianity too — the biggest of which is Roman Catholic.

The patron saints and their days

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have a national saint, called a patron saint, and each saint has a special day: 1 March is St David's Day for Wales; 17 March is St Patrick's Day for Northern Ireland; 23 April is St George's Day for England; and 30 November is St Andrew's Day for Scotland.

Only Scotland and Northern Ireland have their patron saint's day as an official holiday — and even in Scotland, not all businesses and offices close. In England and Wales the patron saints' days are no longer public holidays, but they are still celebrated, with parades and small festivals held across both countries, and events take place wherever many people share Scottish, Northern Irish or Irish heritage. One more church fact worth carrying with you: Westminster Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066, and is the final resting place of many monarchs.

Customs and Traditions

Christmas and Boxing Day

Christmas Day, 25 December, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and is a public holiday. Many Christians go to church on Christmas Eve (24 December) or on Christmas Day itself. The day is celebrated in a traditional way: people usually spend it at home over a special meal — often roast turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies — give gifts, send cards and decorate their houses, many with a tree. It is a special time for children: very young children believe that Father Christmas (also known as Santa Claus) brings them presents during the night before Christmas Day. Boxing Day, the day after Christmas Day, is also a public holiday.

Easter, Lent and Pancake Day

Easter takes place in March or April. It marks the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and his rising from the dead on Easter Sunday — and both Good Friday and the following Monday, Easter Monday, are public holidays. The 40 days before Easter are known as Lent, a time when Christians reflect and prepare for Easter; traditionally people fasted during this period, and today many still give something up, like a favourite food. The day before Lent starts is Shrove Tuesday — Pancake Day — when people eat pancakes, which were traditionally made to use up foods such as eggs, fat and milk before the fast. Lent itself begins on Ash Wednesday, when church services mark Christians with an ash cross on the forehead as a symbol of death and sorrow for sin. Easter is also celebrated by people who are not religious: 'Easter eggs' — chocolate eggs given as presents — are a symbol of new life.

Diwali, Hannukah and Vaisakhi

Diwali normally falls in October or November and lasts for five days. Often called the Festival of Lights, it is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs and marks the victory of good over evil and the gaining of knowledge; different stories are told about how the festival came about. There is a famous celebration of Diwali in Leicester. Hannukah, in November or December, is celebrated for eight days to remember the Jews' struggle for religious freedom: on each day of the festival a candle is lit on a stand of eight candles, called a menorah, recalling the story of oil that should have lasted only a day burning for eight. Vaisakhi (also spelled Baisakhi) is a Sikh festival celebrating the founding of the Sikh community known as the Khalsa — it is celebrated on 14 April each year, with parades, dancing and singing.

Eid al-Fitr and Eid ul Adha

Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan, when Muslims have fasted for a month; they thank Allah for giving them the strength to complete the fast, and attend special services and meals. The date it falls on changes every year. Eid ul Adha remembers that the prophet Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to, and reminds Muslims of their own commitment to God. Many Muslims sacrifice an animal to eat during this festival — in Britain this has to be done in a slaughterhouse.

Other festivals through the year

New Year, 1 January, is a public holiday, with celebrations usually on the night of 31 December — New Year's Eve. In Scotland, 31 December is called Hogmanay, and 2 January is also a public holiday; for some Scottish people, Hogmanay is a bigger holiday than Christmas. Valentine's Day, 14 February, is when lovers exchange cards and gifts — sometimes people send anonymous cards to someone they secretly admire. On April Fool's Day, 1 April, people play jokes on each other until midday, and television and newspapers often run stories that are April Fool jokes. Mothering Sunday — Mother's Day — is the Sunday three weeks before Easter, and Father's Day is the third Sunday in June; on each, children send cards or buy gifts for their parents.

Halloween, 31 October, is an ancient festival with roots in the pagan festival marking the beginning of winter. Young people dress up in frightening costumes to play 'trick or treat', and people give them treats to stop them playing tricks; many carve lanterns out of pumpkins and put a candle inside. Bonfire Night, 5 November, is when people in Great Britain set off fireworks at home or in special displays — its origin was an event in 1605, when a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes failed in their plan to kill the Protestant king with a bomb in the Houses of Parliament.

Remembrance Day, 11 November, commemorates those who died fighting for the UK and its allies. It originally commemorated the dead of the First World War, which ended on 11 November 1918. People wear poppies — the red flower found on the battlefields of the First World War — and at 11.00 am there is a two-minute silence, with wreaths laid at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. The Cenotaph, unveiled in 1920, is the centrepiece of the Remembrance Day service.

Bank holidays

As well as the festival holidays, there are other public holidays each year called bank holidays, when banks and many other businesses close for the day. These have no religious significance. They fall at the beginning of May, in late May or early June, and in August — and in Northern Ireland, the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in July is also a public holiday.

Sport

Sports of all kinds play an important part in many people's lives in the UK. Major sporting events take place at stadiums such as Wembley Stadium in London and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, and local governments and private companies provide facilities from swimming pools and tennis courts to football pitches, dry ski slopes and gymnasiums. Most importantly for the test: many famous sports began in Britain — including cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf and rugby.

The Olympics and Paralympics

The UK has hosted the Olympic Games on three occasions: 1908, 1948 and 2012. The main Olympic site for the 2012 Games was in Stratford, East London, and the British team was very successful, finishing third in the medal table. The Paralympic Games for 2012 were also hosted in London. The Paralympics have their origin in the work of Dr Sir Ludwig Guttman, a German refugee working at the Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire, who developed new methods of treatment for people with spinal injuries and encouraged his patients to take part in exercise and sport.

Notable British sportsmen and women

The test expects a roll-call of British sporting greats. Sir Roger Bannister was the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes, in 1954. Sir Jackie Stewart, a Scottish racing driver, won the Formula 1 world championship three times. Bobby Moore captained the English football team that won the World Cup in 1966. Baron (Ian) Botham captained the English cricket team and held a number of English Test cricket records, for both batting and bowling. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won gold for ice dancing at the 1984 Olympics and four consecutive world championships. Sir Steve Redgrave won gold medals in rowing at five consecutive Olympic Games — one of Britain's greatest Olympians.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, an athlete who uses a wheelchair, won 16 Paralympic medals — including 11 golds — across five Paralympic Games, won the London Marathon six times and broke a total of 30 world records. Dame Kelly Holmes won two gold medals for running at the 2004 Olympic Games. Dame Ellen MacArthur, a yachtswoman, became in 2004 the fastest person to sail around the world singlehanded. Sir Chris Hoy, a Scottish cyclist, won six Olympic gold medals and one silver, plus 11 world championship titles. David Weir, a Paralympian who uses a wheelchair, won six gold medals over two Paralympic Games and the London Marathon eight times. Sir Bradley Wiggins became, in 2012, the first Briton to win the Tour de France, and has won eight Olympic medals, with golds in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Sir Mo Farah, a British distance runner born in Somalia, won gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics — the first Briton to take Olympic gold in the 10,000 metres. Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill won the 2012 Olympic gold in the heptathlon, which spans seven track and field events, and silver at the 2016 Games. Sir Andy Murray, a Scottish tennis player, won the men's singles at the 2012 US Open — the first British man to win a Grand Slam singles title since 1936 — plus Olympic gold and silver that year, the Wimbledon men's singles in 2013 and 2016, and gold again at the 2016 Olympics. Ellie Simmonds, a Paralympian, won swimming golds at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games and was the youngest member of the British team at the 2008 Games.

Cricket

Cricket originated in England and is now played in many countries. Games can last up to five days — and still end in a draw. The game's idiosyncratic nature and complex laws are said to reflect the best of the British character and sense of fair play, and its language has seeped into everyday English: 'rain stopped play', 'batting on a sticky wicket', 'playing a straight bat', 'bowled a googly', 'it's just not cricket'. The most famous competition is the Ashes, a series of Test matches played between England and Australia.

Football

Football is the UK's most popular sport. It has a long history here, and the first professional football clubs were formed in the late 19th century. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have separate leagues, and the English Premier League attracts a huge international audience, with many of the world's best players. UK clubs also compete in European competitions such as the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League. Each UK country has its own national team, competing in tournaments like the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup and the UEFA European Football Championships: England's men's team won the World Cup in 1966, and England's women's team won the European Championships in 2022 and 2025. Football is a popular game to play as well as watch, with amateur matches in parks all over the UK every week.

Rugby

Rugby originated in England in the early 19th century and remains very popular. There are two different types with different rules: union and league. Both have separate leagues and national teams in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — who play together with the Irish Republic. The most famous rugby union competition is the Six Nations Championship, between England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy; the Super League is the best-known rugby league club competition.

Horse racing

Horse racing has a very long history in Britain — there is evidence of events as far back as Roman times — and the sport has a long association with royalty. There are racecourses all over the UK. The famous events to know are Royal Ascot, a five-day meeting in Berkshire attended by members of the Royal Family; the Grand National at Aintree near Liverpool; and the Scottish Grand National at Ayr. There is a National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, Suffolk.

Golf

The modern game of golf can be traced back to 15th-century Scotland, and St Andrews in Scotland is known as the home of golf. It is played socially as well as professionally, on public and private courses all over the UK. The Open Championship is the only 'Major' tournament held outside the United States, and it is hosted by a different golf course every year.

Tennis

Modern tennis evolved in England in the late 19th century, and the first tennis club was founded in Leamington Spa in 1872. The most famous tournament hosted in Britain is the Wimbledon Championships, played each year at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world — and the only 'Grand Slam' event played on grass.

Water sports

Sailing remains popular in the UK, reflecting the country's maritime heritage. A British sailor, Sir Francis Chichester, became the first person to sail single-handed around the world passing the Cape of Good Hope (Africa) and Cape Horn (South America), in 1966/67 — and two years later Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first to do it without stopping. Many sailing events are held around the UK; the most famous is at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Rowing is popular too, as both a leisure activity and a competitive sport, with a famous yearly race on the Thames between Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Motor sports and skiing

There is a long history of motor sport in the UK, for both cars and motorcycles — motor-car racing here started in 1902 — and the UK continues to be a world leader in the development and manufacture of motor-sport technology. A Formula 1 Grand Prix event is held in the UK each year, and a number of British drivers have won the Formula 1 World Championship; recent British winners include Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Skiing, meanwhile, is increasingly popular: many people ski abroad, there are dry ski slopes throughout the UK, and skiing on snow may be possible in winter. Scotland has five ski centres, and the UK's longest dry ski slope is near Edinburgh.

Arts and Culture

Music

Music is an important part of British culture, with a rich and varied heritage from classical music to modern pop. The Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music held in various venues, including the Royal Albert Hall in London; it has been organised by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since 1927, and the Last Night of the Proms is its most famous concert, broadcast on television.

The great British classical composers form a line the test likes to trace. Henry Purcell was the organist at Westminster Abbey; he wrote church music, operas and other pieces, and developed a British style distinct from the rest of Europe. George Frederick Handel was born in Germany but spent many years in the UK and became a British citizen in 1727; he wrote the Water Music for King George I and Music for the Royal Fireworks for his son George II, as well as the oratorio Messiah, which choirs still sing regularly, often at Easter. Gustav Holst wrote The Planets, a suite themed on the planets of the solar system, and adapted Jupiter from it as the tune of the popular hymn 'I vow to thee my country'. Sir Edward Elgar, born in Worcester, is best known for the Pomp and Circumstance Marches — March No 1, 'Land of Hope and Glory', is usually played at the Last Night of the Proms.

Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote for orchestras and choirs and was strongly influenced by traditional English folk music. Sir William Walton wrote everything from film scores to opera, including marches for the coronations of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II; his best-known works are Facade, which became a ballet, and Belshazzar's Feast, written for a large choir. Benjamin Britten is best known for his operas Peter Grimes and Billy Budd, and for A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, which introduces the listener to the sections of an orchestra using a piece of music by Purcell; he also founded the Aldeburgh festival in Suffolk, still a popular music event of international importance.

Other kinds of music — folk, jazz, pop and rock — have flourished in Britain since the 20th century, and since the 1960s British pop has made one of the most important cultural contributions to life in the UK. Bands including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones continue to influence music at home and abroad, and British pop kept innovating — the Punk movement of the late 1970s, then the boy and girl bands of the 1990s. Big venues hosting music events include Wembley Stadium, The O2 in Greenwich in south-east London, and the SEC Centre in Glasgow, while festival season runs across the UK every summer — famous festivals include Glastonbury, the Isle of Wight Festival and Creamfields. The National Eisteddfod of Wales is an annual cultural festival held in a different part of Wales each year, with music, dance, art and performances largely in Welsh, plus important Welsh poetry competitions. Two awards to remember: the Mercury Prize, given each September for the best album from the UK and Ireland, and the Brit Awards, an annual event with categories such as best British group and best British solo artist.

Theatre

There are theatres in most towns and cities in the UK, hosting both professional and amateur productions. London's West End is so famous it has a nickname — 'Theatreland' — and it is home to a record-holder: The Mousetrap, a murder-mystery play by Dame Agatha Christie, has been running in the West End since 1952 and has had the longest initial run of any show in history.

Britain also has a strong tradition of musical theatre. In the 19th century, Gilbert and Sullivan wrote comic operas that poked fun at popular culture and politics — HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado — and their work is still staged by professional and amateur groups alike. More recently, Baron (Andrew) Lloyd-Webber wrote the music for shows popular around the world: with Sir Tim Rice, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, and also Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. A peculiarly British tradition is the pantomime — light-hearted plays with music and comedy, based on fairy stories and produced at Christmas time for family audiences. One traditional character is the Dame, a woman played by a man, and there is often a pantomime horse or cow played by two actors in one costume.

The Edinburgh Festival takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, every summer — a series of different arts and cultural festivals, the biggest and best known being the Edinburgh Festival Fringe ('the Fringe'), a showcase of mainly theatre and comedy that often presents experimental work. The Laurence Olivier Awards, held annually at different venues in London, cover categories including best director, best actor and best actress; they are named after the British actor Sir Laurence Olivier, later Lord Olivier, best known for his roles in various Shakespeare plays.

Art

During the Middle Ages most art had a religious theme — wall paintings in churches and illustrations in religious books — and much of it was lost after the Protestant Reformation. Wealthy families then began to collect paintings and sculptures, and many of the painters working in Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries came from abroad, such as Hans Holbein and Sir Anthony Van Dyck. British artists, particularly portrait and landscape painters, became well known from the 18th century onwards. Today, works by British and international artists hang in galleries across the UK — the National Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern in London, the National Museum in Cardiff, and the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh. Tate Modern has a story of its own: it is based in the former Bankside Power Station in central London.

The named artists run from the 18th century to today. Thomas Gainsborough was a portrait painter who often set his subjects in country or garden scenery. David Allan was a Scottish portrait painter whose most famous work is The Origin of Painting. Joseph Turner was an influential landscape painter in a modern style — considered the artist who raised the profile of landscape painting. John Constable painted landscapes, most famously of Dedham Vale on the Suffolk–Essex border in the east of England. The Pre-Raphaelites, an important group in the second half of the 19th century, painted detailed pictures on religious or literary themes in bright colours; the group included Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Sir John Millais.

Sir John Lavery was a very successful Northern Irish portrait painter whose work included the Royal Family. Henry Moore was an English sculptor best known for his large bronze abstract sculptures. John Petts was a Welsh artist known for engravings and stained glass. Lucian Freud, a German-born British artist, is best known for his portraits, and David Hockney was an important contributor to the 'pop art' movement of the 1960s and remains influential today. The prize to know is the Turner Prize, established in 1984 and named after Joseph Turner: it celebrates contemporary art, shortlists four works every year — shown at Tate Britain or a regional venue — and is recognised as one of the most prestigious visual art awards. Previous winners include Damien Hirst and Richard Wright.

Architecture

The UK's architectural heritage is rich and varied. In the Middle Ages, great cathedrals and churches were built, many of which still stand — the cathedrals in Durham, Lincoln, Canterbury and Salisbury among them. The White Tower in the Tower of London is an example of a Norman castle keep, built on the orders of William the Conqueror. As the countryside became more peaceful and landowners grew richer, grand country houses such as Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire appeared, and British styles of architecture began to evolve.

In the 17th century, Inigo Jones took inspiration from classical architecture to design the Queen's House at Greenwich and the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London; later in the century Sir Christopher Wren helped develop a British version of the ornate styles popular in Europe, in buildings such as the new St Paul's Cathedral. The 18th century favoured simpler designs: the Scottish architect Robert Adam — who designed the inside decoration as well as the buildings of great houses like Dumfries House in Scotland — influenced architecture in the UK, Europe and America, and his ideas shaped architects in cities such as Bath, where the Royal Crescent was built. In the 19th century the medieval 'gothic' style became popular again, and as cities expanded, great public buildings rose in it — the Houses of Parliament and St Pancras Station, and the town halls of cities such as Manchester and Sheffield. In the 20th century, Sir Edwin Lutyens had an influence throughout the British Empire: he designed New Delhi to be the seat of government in India, and after the First World War he was responsible for many war memorials around the world — including the Cenotaph in Whitehall, the centrepiece of the annual Remembrance Day service.

The story continues today: modern British architects — Sir Norman Foster, Lord (Richard) Rogers and Dame Zaha Hadid — have worked on major projects throughout the world as well as within the UK. And alongside buildings, garden design and landscaping have long played their own part. In the 18th century, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown designed the grounds around country houses so that the landscape appeared entirely natural — grass, trees and lakes. Later, Gertrude Jekyll often worked with Edwin Lutyens, designing colourful gardens around the houses he built. The tradition is still celebrated every year at the Chelsea Flower Show, which showcases garden design from Britain and around the world.

Fashion and design

Britain has produced great designers in every century: Thomas Chippendale, who designed furniture in the 18th century; Clarice Cliff, who designed Art Deco ceramics; and Sir Terence Conran, a 20th-century interior designer. In fashion, the leading British designers of recent years include Mary Quant, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood.

Literature

The UK has a rich literary heritage, and several of its writers have won the Nobel Prize in Literature — among them Sir William Golding, Seamus Heaney and Harold Pinter. Agatha Christie's detective novels have been translated into more languages than those of any other author, and in 2003 The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien was voted the country's best-loved novel. The prize to know is the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, awarded annually for the best fiction novel since 1968; past winners include Ian McEwan, Hilary Mantel and Julian Barnes.

The roll-call of novelists spans three centuries. Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility — novels concerned with marriage, family and society. Charles Dickens gave the world Oliver Twist and Great Expectations. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Thomas Hardy set Far from the Madding Crowd and Jude the Obscure in the rural England he knew. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the detective Sherlock Holmes; Evelyn Waugh wrote satirical novels such as Decline and Fall and Scoop and is best known for Brideshead Revisited; Sir Kingsley Amis wrote more than 20 novels, most famously Lucky Jim; and Graham Greene's novels — The Heart of the Matter, Brighton Rock, Our Man in Havana — were often shaped by his religious beliefs. Most recently, JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series, which has sold around the world, and now writes fiction for adults as well.

British poets

British poetry runs deeper still. The earliest poetry recorded in Britain includes the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, the tale of a hero's battles against monsters, and the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the 17th century John Milton wrote Paradise Lost, based on the Bible. The 19th century brought poets inspired by nature and emotion — William Blake, John Keats, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning and William Wordsworth among them — and in the 20th century Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon wrote about their experiences in the First World War. A. E. Housman's collection A Shropshire Lad — the source of the much-anthologised line 'Into my heart an air that kills' — remains a favourite, and more recent popular poets include Sir Walter de la Mare, John Masefield, Sir John Betjeman and Ted Hughes. Many of the best-known poets are buried or commemorated in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Leisure and Places of Interest

Gardening

A lot of people in the UK have gardens at home and spend their free time looking after them, and some rent an allotment, where they grow fruit and vegetables. Gardening has its own calendar of events, from small local flower shows up to the national ones — most famously the Chelsea Flower Show. There are famous gardens to visit all over the four countries, including Kew Gardens, Sissinghurst and Hidcote in England, Crathes Castle and Inveraray Castle in Scotland, Bodnant Garden in Wales, and Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland. Each country also has a flower associated with it, sometimes worn on the patron saint's day: the rose for England, the thistle for Scotland, the daffodil for Wales and the shamrock for Northern Ireland.

Shopping

British towns offer both the traditional high street and undercover or out-of-town shopping centres, and many towns and cities hold markets — often a good place to find a bargain. Most shops in the UK open seven days a week, though opening hours on Sundays are usually shorter.

Cooking and food

Each of the four nations has its traditional dishes. England's is roast beef, served with Yorkshire pudding — and fish and chips is a favourite everywhere. Wales has Welsh cakes, a snack made from flour, dried fruits and spices, eaten hot or cold. Scotland's traditional dish is haggis — a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal, suet, onions and oatmeal. Northern Ireland's is the Ulster fry: a fried meal of bacon, eggs, sausage, black and white pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, soda bread and potato bread.

Films

The UK has a proud film history reaching back to 1896, when the first film shows were staged. Charlie Chaplin became world-famous in silent films. Sir Alfred Hitchcock, who directed The 39 Steps in 1935, became one of the most celebrated directors of all time before moving to Hollywood; Sir David Lean directed Brief Encounter and Lawrence of Arabia; and after the Second World War the comedies made at Ealing Studios won a devoted audience. In 1962 came the first James Bond film, Dr No — Bond being the creation of the author Ian Fleming. More recently, Nick Park has won four Oscars for his animated films, including those featuring Wallace and Gromit.

British actors keep winning the biggest awards — recent Oscar winners include Colin Firth, Sir Antony Hopkins, Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet and Tilda Swinton — and Britain has its own equivalent of the Oscars: the annual British Academy Film Awards, the BAFTAs. Among the most famous British films are The 39 Steps (1935), Brief Encounter (1945), The Third Man (1949), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Chariots of Fire (1981), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Touching the Void (2003).

Television, radio and social media

The UK has many television channels, free and subscription, and its most popular programmes include the long-running soap operas Coronation Street and EastEnders. Programmes are made in the UK's other languages too: Welsh-language television in Wales, some Gaelic programmes in Scotland, and some Irish-language programmes in Northern Ireland. Everyone who watches or records TV programmes as they are being shown must have a TV licence — one licence covers all the equipment at one address — and the licence money funds the BBC, the British public service broadcaster, which provides television and radio programmes and is independent of the government. Social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter are a popular way to stay in touch: people use them to keep up with friends, organise social events, and share photos, videos and opinions.

Pubs and night clubs

Public houses — pubs — are an important part of UK social culture. Many people enjoy meeting friends there, and most communities have a 'local' pub that is a natural focal point for social activities. Pub quizzes are popular, and pool and darts are the traditional pub games. The ages matter for the test: to buy alcohol in a pub or night club you must be 18 or over, though people under 18 may be allowed into some pubs with an adult — and at 16, people can drink wine or beer with a meal in a hotel or restaurant (including the eating areas of pubs) as long as they are with someone over 18. Pubs are usually open during the day from 11.00 am (12 noon on Sundays); night clubs open and close later. The licensee decides the hours a pub or night club is open.

Betting and gambling

People in the UK often enjoy a gamble on sports or other events, and there are casinos in many places. You have to be 18 to go into a betting shop or gambling club. There is a National Lottery, with draws every week — you can enter by buying a ticket or a scratch card, but people under 18 are not allowed to participate.

Pets

A lot of people in the UK keep pets such as cats or dogs, for company or simply because they enjoy looking after them. It is against the law to treat a pet cruelly or to neglect it. All dogs in public places must wear a collar showing the name and address of the owner, and the owner is responsible for keeping the dog under control and cleaning up after it in public. Vaccinations and medical treatment are available from veterinary surgeons — vets — and there are charities that may help people who cannot afford to pay for one.

The countryside and the National Trust

The UK has a large network of public footpaths in the countryside, and plenty of opportunities for mountain biking, mountaineering and hill walking. There are 15 national parks across England, Wales and Scotland — areas of protected countryside that everyone can visit, and where people live, work and look after the landscape. The UK is also full of museums, ranging from small community collections to large national and civic ones, and famous landmarks in towns, cities and countryside are mostly open to the public, generally for a charge. Many parts of the countryside and places of interest are kept open by the National Trust in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by the National Trust for Scotland — both charities that preserve important buildings, coastline and countryside. The National Trust was founded in 1895 by three volunteers, and today more than 50,000 volunteers help keep it running.

Landmarks to know: London

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the Houses of Parliament in London — though many people call the clock itself Big Ben as well. The clock is over 150 years old, and the clock tower was named 'Elizabeth Tower' in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Nearby on the southern bank of the River Thames stands the London Eye, a Ferris wheel 443 feet (135 metres) tall; it was originally built as part of the UK's celebration of the new millennium, and it remains an important part of New Year celebrations. The Tower of London was first built by William the Conqueror after he became king in 1066; tours are given by the Yeoman Warders, also known as Beefeaters, who tell visitors about the building's history — and the Crown Jewels can be seen there.

Landmarks to know: the four nations

In the south west of England, in Cornwall, the Eden Project houses plants from all over the world in its biomes — structures like giant greenhouses; it is also a charity running environmental and social projects internationally. Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline of Edinburgh, Scotland, with a history dating back to the early Middle Ages; it is looked after by Historic Environment Scotland. On the north-east coast of Northern Ireland lies the Giant's Causeway, a land formation of columns made from volcanic lava, formed about 50 million years ago — many legends surround how it came to be. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park covers 720 square miles (1,865 square kilometres) in the west of Scotland; Loch Lomond itself is the largest expanse of fresh water in mainland Britain and probably the park's best-known feature. And in North Wales, the national park of Snowdonia covers 823 square miles (2,132 square kilometres) — its most famous landmark is Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales.