Practice Tests
IELTS Reading (AC) Task 1 #122

A. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain in the late 18th century, was a period of profound technological, economic, and social change that marked the transition from agrarian, handicraft-based economies to those dominated by industry and machine manufacturing. This transformation was catalysed by a series of key inventions, particularly in the textile industry, iron production, and the development of steam power. The steam engine, perfected by James Watt, was a particularly crucial innovation, providing a new source of power that liberated factories from their dependence on water wheels and enabled the development of railways and steamships.

B. This period saw a massive shift in population from rural areas to urban centres. As new factories were established, often in cities like Manchester and Liverpool, they created a huge demand for labour. Millions of people left the countryside in search of work, leading to unprecedented urban growth. However, this rapid, unplanned expansion resulted in overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions for the new working class, with inadequate housing, poor sanitation, and the rapid spread of disease being commonplace.

C. The nature of work was also fundamentally altered. The factory system replaced the cottage industry, bringing workers together under one roof to operate machinery for long hours in often dangerous conditions. Work became regimented, repetitive, and dictated by the pace of the machine rather than the rhythms of the seasons. This created a new social structure, with a growing industrial working class (the proletariat) and a new class of factory owners and capitalists (the bourgeoisie), whose interests were often in conflict.

D. The Industrial Revolution had a global impact, establishing a new international division of labour. Industrialised nations like Britain required vast quantities of raw materials from overseas colonies and sought new markets for their manufactured goods, which spurred the expansion of global trade and colonialism. While it brought immense wealth and technological progress, leading to the modern world we know today, its legacy is complex, also encompassing social dislocation, economic inequality, and environmental degradation that continue to be addressed.