The United Kingdom: Past and Present👑
One page, two centuries. On the past side, the British Empire of 1921: the world’s largest empire, about one quarter of the Earth’s land, all in red on the map. On the present side, the United Kingdom of today, with an identity card to complete: official name, monarch, Prime Minister, capital, population, language and currency.
The students read the map, complete the sentences about the Empire, fill in the identity card, and finish with a THINK! question: one major difference between 1921 and today. The old guided version with watermark is free for everybody; the new version (A4 and US Letter), the answer key and the DOCX are for Premium members.
✨ What students practise
First, the eyes: the 1921 map shows the Empire in red, from Canada to Australia, and the vintage poster says it all — « One King, One Flag, One Fleet, One Empire ». Then the pen: four sentences about the past, seven lines of identity card about the present, and one THINK! paragraph to compare the two.
In short, a complete civilization session: reading a map, understanding a century of change, and writing a real comparison in English. And the vocabulary installs itself almost alone — empire, territory, monarch, prime minister, currency — because each word has a place on the page.
Study the 1921 map: the red areas are the Empire’s territories.
Fill the four sentences about the past: largest empire, one quarter…
Complete the identity card: monarch, PM, capital, population, currency.
Write one major difference between the Empire of 1921 and the UK today.
🏛️ What’s inside the worksheet
The 1921 map, the vintage poster, and four sentences to complete about the world’s largest empire.
The identity card of the UK today, with the Union Jack map and the pound coins as visual clues.
All the answers, including a model answer for the THINK! question — for a quick correction in class.
🔑 The key facts, past and present
A quick summary for the teacher — exactly what the answer key confirms:
🎁 The free old version, with watermark
The guided version, with the French hints (« C’est une image de l’empire britannique, en 1921 ») and plenty of writing lines. Free for everyone — a good way to try the activity before going Premium.
Preview: the old guided version, with hints and lines
🎁 Free PDF – old version, with watermark
The guided worksheet, free for everyone, ready to print.
🔓 Want the new version, the answer key and the DOCX?
Become a Premium member to unlock the redesigned worksheet and all the files.
💎 The new version + answer key (Premium)
The redesigned worksheet in A4 and US Letter, plus the full answer key. And for the teachers who prefer the guided layout: the editable DOCX and the clean old version are included too, just below.
Preview: the new version, map and identity card
🎯 Recommended level, and the next steps
❓ Frequently asked questions
📚 What level is this worksheet for?
Mainly A2-B1 in ESL, and any history or geography class working in English. The old version with French hints helps the weaker students.
🗂️ What does the worksheet contain?
A map task with four sentences about the British Empire in 1921, an identity card of the United Kingdom today with seven fields, and a THINK! comparison question. The answer key is included in the Premium files.
🆚 What is the difference between the old and the new version?
The old version is guided: French hints and many writing lines. The new version is cleaner: the 1921 map, the vintage poster, the identity card and the THINK! box on one page.
🎁 Which version is free?
The old version with watermark is free for everybody. The new A4 and US Letter PDFs, the answer key, the DOCX and the clean old version are reserved for Premium members.
🔑 Is there an answer key?
Yes: largest empire, one quarter of the land, red territories, Canada-India-Australia, King Charles III, Andy Burnham, London, about 69.5 million, English, pound sterling — plus a model THINK! answer.
