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Devolution and geographyLife in the UK Test practice exam 3
Paper 3 pushes on the devolved institutions and the physical map of the UK — the two areas people revise last and lose marks on first.
What this paper is like
Practice exam 3 follows the shape of the official test exactly: 24 multiple-choice questions, 45 minutes on the clock, and 18 correct answers needed to pass — 75%. You can flag questions and come back to them, and if you close the tab mid-paper we save your place so you can pick it up where you left off.
The paper is fixed, so exam 3 is always exam 3 — useful if you want to re-sit it after revising and compare scores honestly. Devolved government and UK geography.
Topic mix in this paper
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| History and key dates | 5 |
| Government, elections and Parliament | 4 |
| Culture, sport and traditions | 4 |
| Geography of the UK | 3 |
| The UK today | 2 |
| Values and principles | 2 |
| The law and your role | 2 |
| People who shaped Britain | 2 |
Three questions from this paper
These are real questions from exam 3, shown with the answer and the reason behind it. The other 21 are in the timed paper.
Sample question 1
How many members does the Scottish Parliament have?
- 129 — correct
- 650
- 90
- 60
Why: The Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh has 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs).
Sample question 2
What is the longest river in the UK?
- The River Severn — correct
- The River Thames
- The River Trent
- The River Clyde
Why: The Severn rises in Wales and flows through England to the Bristol Channel; the Thames is the longest river wholly in England.
Sample question 3
In which year did the Great Fire of London take place?
- 1666 — correct
- 1605
- 1688
Why: The fire began in a bakery in Pudding Lane in 1666 and destroyed much of the medieval city, including the old St Paul’s Cathedral.
How to use this paper
- Sit it cold, once. No notes, no pausing. A first score tells you what you actually know.
- Read every explanation in the results, including the ones you got right by guessing.
- Revise the weak topic in the handbook chapters, then re-sit this same paper.
- Move on to a paper you have not seen once you are scoring 21 or more here.