GCSE Geography | Effects of changes to modern industry in the UK

Geography Quiz - Effects of Changes to Modern Industry in the UK (Questions)

UK industry has shifted from coal and steel to high tech services. This GCSE Geography quiz tests how these changes affect jobs, regions and the wider economy.

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Fascinating Fact:

Deindustrialisation in the late 20th century led to the closure of many coal mines, steelworks, and factories, causing job losses in traditional industrial regions.

In GCSE Geography, you investigate how modern industry in the UK has moved away from heavy manufacturing toward services and high tech. You also explore how these shifts affect employment, regional inequality, and local communities.

Key Terms

Deindustrialisation: The decline of traditional manufacturing industries, often linked to global competition, new technology, and changing patterns of trade.
Tertiary sector: The part of the economy that provides services, such as retail, health care, education, banking, and tourism.
Regeneration: Planned efforts to improve an area that has suffered industrial decline, for example by attracting new businesses or creating new housing and public spaces.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What caused deindustrialisation in the UK?

Deindustrialisation in the UK was caused by factors such as cheaper overseas production, automation, changing demand for coal and steel, and government decisions that reduced support for traditional heavy industry.

How has UK industry changed since the 1970s?

Since the 1970s, the UK economy has shifted from coal mining and large factories toward services, finance, technology, logistics, and creative industries, especially in cities and growth corridors.

What are the impacts of modern industrial change on people?

Modern industrial change can bring job losses in some regions but new opportunities in others. It can affect wages, commuting patterns, house prices, and the need for retraining and education.

Try These Related Quizzes

Which of the following terms best describes a change from a secondary sector based economy to a tertiary sector based economy?

[ ]	Industrialisation
[ ]	Reindustrialisation
[ ]	Deindustrialisation
[ ]	Megaindustrialisation

Which of the following terms indicates an industry that is not tied to a particular location?

[ ]	Footloose
[ ]	Fancy free
[ ]	Non-geographic
[ ]	Nomadic

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

[ ]	Science and business parks are often located on the edges of cities or near to motorway junctions
[ ]	Industries built on the edges of a city put pressure on green belt land as the demand for housing in the area is increased
[ ]	Quaternary industries require few raw materials therefore they can be sited anywhere
[ ]	High-tech industries have the effect of reducing the price of nearby housing

Which of the following is a negative impact of changes in modern industry in the UK?

[ ]	An increase in brownfield sites
[ ]	An increase in commuting to work
[ ]	An increase in air and water quality
[ ]	All of the above

The way people work has also changed along with the types of job people do. Which of the following statements is false?

[ ]	People are able to work from home using ICT to stay in contact with their workplace
[ ]	Some people do their work whilst travelling by train
[ ]	A smaller percentage of the workforce work from home than they did in the 1950s
[ ]	Compressed hours and flexitime enables workers to have time off on normal working days

One effect of the changes to modern industry is the introduction of teleworking. Which of the following is not a benefit of teleworking?

[ ]	Teleworkers earn more than others doing the same job
[ ]	Employees can have a job and look after their family aswell
[ ]	Teleworkers save time and money as they don't have to commute every day
[ ]	Employers can have a smaller office, saving money on heating, electricity, rent etc

The digital economy is best described as being an economy based on...

[ ]	virtual money
[ ]	buying computers
[ ]	online banking
[ ]	computing technologies

Traditionally, which of the following areas of the UK were centres of heavy industry?

[ ]	Northern England
[ ]	North Wales
[ ]	Northern Scotland
[ ]	All of the above

Which locations are becoming more popular with developers who build shopping centres in the UK?

[ ]	The central business district
[ ]	Out of town locations
[ ]	Inner city greenfield sites
[ ]	Country villages

10.

As factories are demolished, the cleared land left behind is known as a brownfield site. These are...

[ ]	always much cheaper to develop than a greenfield site
[ ]	only ever used to build new factories
[ ]	sometimes difficult to develop because they are polluted by industrial waste
[ ]	only ever used as wildlife sanctuaries

Geography Quiz - Effects of Changes to Modern Industry in the UK (Answers)

Which of the following terms best describes a change from a secondary sector based economy to a tertiary sector based economy?

[ ]	Industrialisation
[ ]	Reindustrialisation
[x]	Deindustrialisation
[ ]	Megaindustrialisation

The secondary sector is concerned with the manufacturing of goods

Which of the following terms indicates an industry that is not tied to a particular location?

[x]	Footloose
[ ]	Fancy free
[ ]	Non-geographic
[ ]	Nomadic

Many industries were established near supplies of their raw materials or near a port where their raw materials could be delivered. Footloose industries require few raw materials

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

[ ]	Science and business parks are often located on the edges of cities or near to motorway junctions
[ ]	Industries built on the edges of a city put pressure on green belt land as the demand for housing in the area is increased
[ ]	Quaternary industries require few raw materials therefore they can be sited anywhere
[x]	High-tech industries have the effect of reducing the price of nearby housing

High-tech and R&D businesses increase the demand for local housing, pushing up house prices

Which of the following is a negative impact of changes in modern industry in the UK?

[ ]	An increase in brownfield sites
[x]	An increase in commuting to work
[ ]	An increase in air and water quality
[ ]	All of the above

An increase in commuting increases traffic congestion and can increase certain types of air pollution such as low level ozone

The way people work has also changed along with the types of job people do. Which of the following statements is false?

[ ]	People are able to work from home using ICT to stay in contact with their workplace
[ ]	Some people do their work whilst travelling by train
[x]	A smaller percentage of the workforce work from home than they did in the 1950s
[ ]	Compressed hours and flexitime enables workers to have time off on normal working days

In the 1950s, very few people worked from home as there was no internet and no mobile phone networks. In fact, only the better-off families could afford a telephone. Working compressed hours and flexitime means that people work their full number of hours but by working longer days e.g. by working 10 hours a day instead of 8, they can have some time off each week

One effect of the changes to modern industry is the introduction of teleworking. Which of the following is not a benefit of teleworking?

[x]	Teleworkers earn more than others doing the same job
[ ]	Employees can have a job and look after their family aswell
[ ]	Teleworkers save time and money as they don't have to commute every day
[ ]	Employers can have a smaller office, saving money on heating, electricity, rent etc

Teleworkers are paid the same as they would be paid if they worked in an office every day

The digital economy is best described as being an economy based on...

[ ]	virtual money
[ ]	buying computers
[ ]	online banking
[x]	computing technologies

The three main aspects of the digital economy are the infrastructure (that's the computers, software, Internet and telecommunications networks), e-commerce (that's the buying and selling of items online) and e-business (that's how a business is run via computer networks)

Traditionally, which of the following areas of the UK were centres of heavy industry?

[x]	Northern England
[ ]	North Wales
[ ]	Northern Scotland
[ ]	All of the above

Other key areas were the Midlands and South Wales. These areas have all suffered greater unemployment problems as a result of the deindustrialisation of the British economy