Stage 5 | Extended Writing and Literacy Task
Did the Industrial Revolution help to make a better world?
Introduction
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Answers to historical questions are never simple, and often complicated. They often require
you to cover a number of separate points.

For this question, you need to consider several different factors. Four areas to look at
include the following:
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Advances in transport. Did this make lives better?
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The factory/mine system. Did it improve lives?
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Growth of cities. Did life get better for people moving from the countryside to the cities?
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Global impacts. Did this help the world in general?
Most of these topics you will have covered in class. You will need to revisit your lessons and
the internet sites you used.
Put the title Did the Industrial Revolution help to make a better world? at the top of your essay page.
Task 1: Next, put the subheading Introduction underneath it.
First, write a sentence as to what you think the answer to the above question is. (Yes, as a 1 sentence summary of your whole
answer)
Next, write a sentence for each of the four areas where there Industrial Revolution had an impact, including your argument as to
positive or negative (This is four sentences altogether for this bit)
Finally, write a sentence that explains how all of these four points are connected and your overall argument of positive/negative.
When you are done, your introduction should have 6 sentences!
This unit of work was written by Richard Munro, Loreto Normanhurst. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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Key Question 1: What were the key advances in transport and did they help to make lives better?
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Revisit the site http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/learning_modules/history/04.TU.03/?section=1
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Conduct your own research.

Review your class work on the Industrial Revolution and transport.

Read your textbook work on this topic.

Whilst doing all this, write a few notes and facts that help to explain WHY transport would help or hinder the lives of people
living in the industrial revolution. Use the ‘Notes and Facts’ Sheet to help you to do this.

Most of your notes and facts should be about the types of transport introduced, and the benefits of this transport in terms of
power, speed, reach and efficiency. If you want to take the negative viewpoint, then you could look at pollution and the changing
landscape.
Task 2: Put the subheading What were the key advances in transport and did they help to make lives better? underneath
your first introduction paragraph.
Use the dot points above to direct you on how to get a few notes and facts about the topic (list notes and facts on your ‘Notes and
Facts’ Sheet). Then, and only then, do you write about 6-7 sentences that explain how transport effected the lives of people in the
Industrial revolution. These sentences should contain facts as evidence. Also, try to give more than one reason why transport had
an impact on the lives of people.
Example Sentences (which you can’t use!):
“One of the real benefits of trains for the British working class was that they suddenly had greater access to coastal resorts, such as
Blackpool and Brighton, for holidays or weekend visits. This is shown in statistics that saw 320895 visitors to 30 British coastal
resorts in 1851 rise to 646281 by 1881”.
The “in 1851 rise to 646281 by 1881…” bit is the fact or evidence. The “they suddenly had greater access to coastal resorts…” bit
is the reason why transport made peoples’ lives better.
This unit of work was written by Richard Munro, Loreto Normanhurst. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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Key Question 2: Did the factory/mine system actually improve people’s lives?

Revisit the site http://spartacus-educational.com/Twork.htm

Conduct your own research.

Review your class work on the Industrial Revolution and the factory
system.

Read your textbook work on this topic.

Whilst doing all this, write a few notes and facts that help to explain WHY
the creation of factories would help or hinder the lives of people living in
the industrial revolution. Use the ‘Notes and Facts’ Sheet to help you to do
this.

Most of your notes and facts should be about the benefits and negatives surrounding work in the factory. Benefits might include
employment, mass-production, cheaper products, etc. Negatives might surround the exploitation of workers, particularly women
and children.
Task 3: Put the subheading Did the factory/mine system actually improve people’s lives? underneath your paragraph about
transport.
Use the dot points above to direct you on how to get a few notes and facts about the topic (list notes and facts on your ‘Notes and
Facts’ Sheet). Then, and only then, do you write about 6-7 sentences that explain how the factory/mine system impacted upon
people’s lives during the industrial revolution. These sentences should contain facts as evidence. Also, try to give more than one
reason why the factory system benefitted or harmed people at the time.
Example Sentences (which you can’t use!):
“The testimony of an 8 year old boy in the Royal Commission into children’s employment in mines and factories, 1842, noted that
he worked in a mine in complete darkness, for up to 14 hours at a time, in relative isolation. This had a detrimental effect upon
children’s development, as their isolation would have social consequences and their eyes would develop poorly in the limited light.”
The “noted that he worked in a mine in complete darkness, for up to 14 hours at a time…” bit is the fact or evidence. The “had a
detrimental effect upon children’s development…” bit is the reason why the factory or mine system did not help to improve people’s
lives.
This unit of work was written by Richard Munro, Loreto Normanhurst. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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Key Question 3: Did life get better for people who moved from the countryside to the cities?

Revisit the site http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/industrial_revolution_towns.htm
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Conduct your own research.

Review your class work on the Industrial Revolution and the growth of cities.

Read your textbook work on this topic.

Whilst doing all this, write a few notes and facts that help to explain WHY the
migration of people from the countryside to the cities would help or hinder the lives
of people living in the industrial revolution. Use the ‘Notes and Facts’ Sheet to help
you to do this.

Most of your notes and facts should be about the benefits and negatives
surrounding life in an industrial revolution city. Benefits might include employment,
transport, cheaper products, access to services, etc. Negatives might surround the
spread of disease, overcrowding and pollution.
Task 4: Put the subheading Did life get better for people who moved from the countryside to the cities? underneath your
paragraph about the factory/mine system.
Use the dot points above to direct you on how to get a few notes and facts about the topic (list notes and facts on your ‘Notes and
Facts’ Sheet). Then, and only then, do you write about 6-7 sentences that explain how life in an industrial revolution city either
helped or disadvantaged people. These sentences should contain facts as evidence. Also, try to give more than one reason why
industrial Revolution cities might/might not be a good place to live.
Example Sentence (which you can’t use!):
“In Nottingham, out of a total of 11,000 homes in the 1840’s, 7,000 were back-to-back. This had a negative impact on people’s
lives, as an absence of a garden and space led to issues of overcrowding, a disconnection with nature and an inability for a lot of
workers to supplement their diets with fresh, home-grown fruit and vegetables.”
The “In Nottingham, out of a total of 11,000 homes in the 1840’s…” bit is the fact or evidence. The “led to issues of
overcrowding…” bit is the reason why living in an Industrial Revolution city might not be so beneficial and not help in making “a
better world”.
This unit of work was written by Richard Munro, Loreto Normanhurst. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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Key Question 4: Did the long term Global Impacts of the Industrial revolution make the world a better place in
general?
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Look at the site http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=edethicsinscience
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Conduct your own research.

Review your class work on the short and long term impacts of the Industrial
Revolution.
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Read your textbook work on this topic.

Whilst doing all this, write a few notes and facts that help to explain WHY the
industrial revolution had a big impact on different global areas of life. Use the
‘Notes and Facts’ Sheet to help you to do this.

Most of your notes and facts should be about the benefits and negatives of the
long term impacts of the Industrial revolution. You can concentrate upon masstransport, mass-communication, the continual use of child labour in underdeveloped countries, etc.
Task 5: Put the subheading Did the long term Global Impacts of the Industrial revolution make the world a better place in
general? underneath your paragraph about life in Industrial revolution cities.
Use the dot points above to direct you on how to get a few notes and facts about the topic (list notes and facts on your ‘Notes and
Facts’ Sheet). Then, and only then, do you write about 6-7 sentences that explain how the industrial revolution had a number of
long term impacts that effected the world on a global scale. These sentences should contain facts as evidence. Also, try to give
more than one reason or area that the Industrial Revolution had positive global impacts.
Example Sentence (which you can’t use!):
“More than 60 % of people now have mobile-phones and almost one-third of the world’s population are connected to the internet.
The innovations of the Industrial Revolution have directly led to globalization, which has contributed to the spreading of literacy,
ideas and cultural acceptance”.
The “more than 60 % of people…” bit is the fact or evidence. The “has contributed to the spread of literacy…” bit is the reason
why the long term impacts of the Industrial Revolution has helped to make “a better world”.
This unit of work was written by Richard Munro, Loreto Normanhurst. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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Conclusion
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You are ready to tie all your points together and directly answer the Question.
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Think about all of the four main points you have covered. Try to identify the main theme of your argument and what connects
your points.
Task 6: Put the subheading Conclusion underneath your paragraph about the global impacts of the Industrial Revolution.
You need to write a paragraph explaining your argument and how all of your points combine to make this a strong argument.
Example Stage 5 level Conclusion (which you can’t use!):
“The industrial revolution helped to make a better world. Admittedly, some of the short term impacts were less than desirable.
People working in mines and factories, particularly young children and women, experienced long hours and dangerous working
conditions which could lead to horrific injuries and cruel punishments by some factory owners. Living conditions in the cities, at first,
were poor, with people experiencing overcrowding and having a greater susceptibility to diseases such as Cholera. However, over
time, even during the 19th century, the Industrial revolution began to impact people’s lives in a positive way. Improved transport
enabled working class people to travel more freely and helped to drop the price of manufactured goods so that they were more
readily available for everyone. Furthermore, by the end of the 19th century, the life expectancy of people living in industrial cities
had increased by more than 10 years. In terms of the long term global impact that the industrial revolution, people all over the world
benefit from faster, cheaper transport and technologies that enhance the ability to communicate with one another. The spreading of
ideas and the improvement in world literacy levels are just some of the positive benefits that can be traced back to the industrial
revolution. Thus, in conclusion, the industrial revolution, after an initially shaky start, has helped to make a better world”.
Final note: After finishing your draft and editing it, you can remove all of the sub-headings. They were there to help you structure
your essay in the correct manner.
YOU ARE FINISHED!
This unit of work was written by Richard Munro, Loreto Normanhurst. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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