About the Hospitality & Catering tests
~8 min read · Updated April 2026
Hospitality in the UK runs on certificates: a Personal Licence (APLH) to authorise alcohol sales, a Level 2 Award in Allergen Awareness to comply with Natasha's Law and the Food Information Regulations, HACCP Level 2 for any kitchen producing food at scale, and customer service training that increasingly forms part of pre-employment screening for hotels and chains. None of these exams are difficult, but each one stops you starting work until you've passed it.
Our free hospitality mocks mirror the exact format used by the major awarding bodies — Highfield, BIIAB, RSPH and CIEH — so you can train against real exam wording, not generic study notes. UK English, current legislation, current pass marks and the same multiple-choice patterns you'll see on the day.
What the tests actually involve
The Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) is a 40-question multiple-choice exam with a 70% pass mark, sat at the end of an accredited one-day course. You must pass APLH before you can apply to your local council for the Personal Licence itself.
Allergen Awareness Level 2 and HACCP Level 2 are typically 20–30 question multiple-choice exams sat online or on paper at the end of training. Pass marks sit at 75% for most awarding bodies. Customer Service practice tests are used in chain pre-employment screening (hotels, contract caterers) and follow situational-judgement formats with no formal pass mark — recruiters rank candidates by overall score.
What's covered in the syllabus
APLH covers the Licensing Act 2003 in detail: the four licensing objectives, the role of the Designated Premises Supervisor, conditions on the premises licence, age verification (Challenge 25), drunkenness offences, and the legal duties of a Personal Licence Holder. Expect questions on the difference between an on-licence and an off-licence and on Temporary Event Notices.
Allergen Awareness covers the 14 named allergens under FSA / EU 1169 rules, Natasha's Law (PPDS labelling), cross-contamination, customer information at point of sale and the legal consequences of getting it wrong.
HACCP Level 2 covers the seven principles of HACCP, the temperature danger zone (8°C to 63°C), the four Cs (Cleaning, Cooking, Chilling, Cross-contamination), critical control points, monitoring and corrective actions.
How to study and pass first time
Memorise the four licensing objectives (prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, protection of children from harm). They appear in almost every APLH paper.
Learn the 14 named allergens by heart for Allergen Awareness — celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts.
For HACCP, learn the seven principles in order: hazard analysis, identify CCPs, set critical limits, monitor CCPs, corrective action, verification, documentation. The order matters — questions test it.
Common mistakes to avoid
On APLH, candidates confuse Challenge 21 (industry initiative) with Challenge 25 (the standard most councils now require). Always go with the higher number unless the question says otherwise.
On Allergens, the most-missed point is that Natasha's Law applies specifically to PPDS food (prepacked for direct sale) — not to food made to order at the counter, which has separate rules.
On HACCP, candidates confuse the temperature danger zone (8°C to 63°C) with the cooking core temperature (75°C for 30 seconds or equivalent). Both come up and they test different things.
Why practice tests work
Hospitality exams are pass/fail and a re-sit fee of £30–£80 plus another half-day of training quickly adds up. Mocks remove the surprise element so you focus on content, not format.
These exams are also dense with named legislation and numbers — Licensing Act 2003, Food Safety Act 1990, Natasha's Law, the 14 allergens, the four Cs, the seven HACCP principles. Active recall in mock format is far more efficient than re-reading the handbook for the third time.