Cambridge IELTS 19 · Academic · Test 2 · Passage 1
The Industrial Revolution in Britain — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for The Industrial Revolution in Britain, Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic Reading Test 2 Passage 1, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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The Industrial Revolution in Britain answer key at a glance
Questions 1–13. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Note Completion (Q1–7), True / False / Not Given (Q8–13). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 1–7: Note Completion
Strategy: Predict the word class from the note, find the paraphrase of the note's keyword in the passage, then copy the answer exactly within the word limit.
“Watt later worked with the English manufacturer Matthew Boulton to invent a new steam engine driven by both the forward and backward strokes of the piston, while the gear mechanism it was connected to produced rotary motion.”
Watt's engine was driven by 'both the forward and backward strokes of the piston', so the gap needs 'piston'.
“The demand for coal, which was a relatively cheap energy source, grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, as it was needed to run not only the factories used to produce manufactured goods, but also steam-powered transportation”
The gap needs the cheap energy source in growing demand, and the text names 'coal, which was a relatively cheap energy source'.
“but prior to the Industrial Revolution, the British textile business was a true ‘cottage industry’, with the work performed in small workshops or even homes by individual spinners, weavers and dyers”
Before industrialisation textile work was done 'in small workshops or even homes', so 'workshops' fits the gap.
“With these machines, relatively little labour was required to produce cloth”
With machines 'relatively little labour was required to produce cloth', so the gap needs the noun 'labour'.
“This method was cheaper and produced metals that were of a higher quality”
Coke smelting 'produced metals that were of a higher quality', which is the improvement the note records.
“This method was cheaper and produced metals that were of a higher quality, enabling Britain’s iron and steel production to expand in response to demand created by the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15) and the expansion of the railways from the 1830s.”
Iron and steel demand came from the Napoleonic Wars and 'the expansion of the railways from the 1830s', so the gap is 'railways'.
“This rapid urbanisation brought significant challenges, as overcrowded cities suffered from pollution and inadequate sanitation.”
Overcrowded cities suffered 'pollution and inadequate sanitation', so the noun 'sanitation' names the missing provision.
Questions 8–13: True / False / Not Given
Strategy: Judge the whole statement against the text. FALSE contradicts the passage; NOT GIVEN means the passage never addresses that specific claim.
Britain’s canal network grew rapidly so that more goods could be transported around the country.
“In addition, steam-powered boats and ships were widely used to carry goods along Britain’s canals as well as across the Atlantic.”
The text mentions steam boats carrying goods along canals but never says the canal network itself grew rapidly.
Costs in the iron industry rose when the technique of smelting iron ore with coke was introduced.
“This method was cheaper and produced metals that were of a higher quality”
Coke smelting 'was cheaper', directly contradicting the claim that costs rose when the technique was introduced.
Samuel Morse's communication system was more reliable than that developed by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone.
“In 1837, British inventors William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the first commercial telegraphy system”
Cooke and Wheatstone's telegraph is mentioned, but Morse's system is never compared with it for reliability.
The economic benefits of industrialisation were limited to certain sectors of society.
“Although industrialisation increased the country’s economic output overall and improved the standard of living for the middle and upper classes, many poor people continued to struggle.”
Industrialisation improved living standards for 'the middle and upper classes' while 'many poor people continued to struggle', so benefits were limited.
Some skilled weavers believed that the introduction of the new textile machines would lead to job losses.
“A group of British workers who became known as ‘Luddites’ were British weavers and textile workers who objected to the increased use of mechanised looms and knitting frames. Many had spent years learning their craft, and they feared that unskilled machine operators were robbing them of their livelihood.”
Luddites 'feared that unskilled machine operators were robbing them of their livelihood', a clear belief in job losses.
There was some sympathy among local people for the Luddites who were arrested near Huddersfield.
“In the days that followed, other Luddites were arrested, and dozens were hanged or transported to Australia. By 1813, the Luddite resistance had all but vanished.”
The passage records arrests and hangings but says nothing about whether local people sympathised with those arrested near Huddersfield.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the The Industrial Revolution in Britain passage come from?
It is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic Reading Test 2, and it covers Questions 1–13.
What question types appear in The Industrial Revolution in Britain?
The passage is tested with Note Completion, True / False / Not Given. Each type is explained on this page, alongside the answers.
Are these reading answers reliable?
Every answer is paired with the sentence that proves it, so you can check each one against the passage yourself. Use the page after a timed attempt, not instead of one.
Cambridge IELTS is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band9Prep is not affiliated with Cambridge. This page is an independent study aid: it gives the answer key, the passage evidence and an explanation so you can review an attempt you have already made.