Migrants applying for a British passport will soon have to be able to recite the first verse of God Save the Queen, under an overhaul of the UK citizenship test this autumn.

They could also be tested on their knowledge of Winston Churchill, Lord Byron, Florence Nightingale and William Shakespeare, as well as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, before they can qualify to become a British citizen.

The stronger emphasis on traditional British history is part of a move by the home secretary, Theresa May, to a more "patriotic guide" for migrants who want to settle in the UK before they can qualify for a passport.

May also wants to drop sections of the official Life in the UK: A Journey to Citizenship handbook, which explains things such as the Human Rights Act and how to claim welfare benefits and give details of managing everyday life such as reading the gas meter, getting home contents insurance or dealing with the local council.

Instead, Conservative ministers want to tell new migrants that Britain is "historically" a Christian country with a "long and illustrious history". The Sunday Times reports that a draft of the handbook includes profiles of historical characters including the Queen, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Alexander Fleming, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Emmeline Pankhurst, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and poets such as Robert Browning and Lord Byron.

A Home Office official said: "It's a move away from the old one – stuff on rights, practical info that has little to do with British culture – to one that is clear about responsibilities and requires people to have a grounding in our history."

This stronger emphasis on Britishness in the citizenship test will also be reflected by the requirement to learn the first verse of God Save the Queen. Modern Britain is to be reflected by questions about British inventions such as the structure of DNA and the internet and about the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. There is not, however, expected to be any mention of the Sex Pistols.

Habib Rahman, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, is not convinced that the test needs overhauling: "We would like to see the evidence of the current test failing in its stated aim to teach migrants the basics needed for life in this country. Theresa May is once again raising the bar for settlement for New Britons.

"To make the test less practical and more historical will give migrants an abundance of knowledge they will not use. This is another measure to limit access to the UK. The home secretary needs to think again."

About 80,000 people a year take the UK citizenship test, introduced by Labour in 2005 as an essential part of applying to settle in the UK and acquiring a British passport.

The £50 test consists of 24 multiple-choice questions based on the 146-page Life in the UK handbook and can be taken at 65 centres around the country. New citizens are required to attend a ceremony where they are asked to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen, a pledge of loyalty to the UK and to uphold democratic values.

Life in the UK includes a 25-page, 11,000-word introduction to British history written by the late professor Sir Bernard Crick. He defended it from criticism from the Historical Association that it was "a bizarre tour of British history" by saying it was written for immigrants and their language teachers and was not an official history.

Crick also revealed in 2006 that he resisted pressure from the then home secretary, David Blunkett, to include history questions in the test: "I refused, both in principle and on grounds of practicality: could any test for immigrants be devised that 80% of our fellow citizens would not fail?" he said.

But a Home Office spokesman said: "Putting our culture and history at the heart of the citizenship test will help ensure those permanently settling can understand British life, allowing them to properly integrate into our society."