Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Position of Workers in Nineteenth-Century Britain:

Abundance of Labour: Poor peasants and vagrants moved to cities in large numbers seeking work. This surplus kept wages low, and workers depended on kin/friendship networks to find jobs. Many slept under bridges or in night shelters while waiting for employment.

Conditions of Employment: Work was largely seasonal. Gas works, breweries, and print industries hired extra hands only during peak months. Once the busy season ended, workers returned to the streets, struggling to find odd jobs.

Impact of Wages and Seasonality: Although wages rose slightly, real income fell during the Napoleonic Wars as prices rose. Actual welfare depended on the number of days employed. During slumps like the 1830s, unemployment reached 35–75% in some regions.

Response to Technological Change: Fear of unemployment made workers hostile to new machines. When the Spinning Jenny was introduced, women spinners attacked the machines, fearing loss of livelihood. This conflict continued for a long time.

Source: Chapter 4, Section 2 – Hand Labour and Steam Power; Section 2.1 – Life of the Workers

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• The examiner expects four clearly addressed points matching the four parts of the question: labour abundance, employment conditions, wages/seasonality, and workers' responses to machines.
• Always link evidence to argument — e.g., "wages rose but real value fell during Napoleonic Wars" shows analytical thinking.
• Naming the Spinning Jenny and women workers attacking it is a key fact examiners specifically look for.
• Avoid writing a continuous essay; use brief paragraphs or bold sub-headings so the examiner can award marks point-by-point.
• Do not exceed ~120 words in the model answer — padding loses marks indirectly by burying key points.