A short story by W. Somerset Maugham, rebuilt as a Band 7 IELTS workout — Reading, Grammar, Writing Task 2 and Speaking
Read the passage once for general meaning. This is the original story by W. Somerset Maugham (1929) — the same text used elsewhere on the site, unchanged. The seven sections are labelled A–G so you can locate information quickly in the Reading Tasks tab. A Band 7 reader should aim to read it and answer all the questions in about 20 minutes — the time you would have per passage in the real Academic test.
AThere had been a christening that afternoon at St Peter's, Neville Square, and Albert Edward Foreman still wore his verger's gown. For sixteen years he had been verger of this church, and he discharged his duties with quiet dignity. He was a tall, spare man with dignified features, and his face was clean-shaven. In his long black gown he might have been mistaken for a bishop, or at the very least an archdeacon. He took a pride in his work.
BBut that afternoon the new vicar had asked him to remain behind. The vicar was a red-faced energetic man in the early forties, and Albert Edward still resented the change. He had served three previous vicars and had buried each one with the dignity due to his cloth. This new one was different.
The vicar entered the vestry with two churchwardens and closed the door.
"Foreman, we have something rather painful to say to you. You have been here a great many years and I think his lordship and the wardens will agree with me that you have fulfilled the duties of your office to the satisfaction of everybody concerned."
Albert Edward's heart began to beat a little quicker. There was clearly something wrong.
"But a most extraordinary thing came to my knowledge the other day. I discovered to my astonishment that you could neither read nor write."
CThe verger's face betrayed no sign of embarrassment.
"The last vicar knew that, sir," he replied. "He said it didn't make no difference. He always said there was a great deal too much education in the world for 'is taste."
The vicar and the wardens exchanged a glance.
"It is the most amazing thing I ever heard. Do you mean to say that you have been verger of this church for sixteen years and never learned to read or write?"
"I went into service when I was twelve, sir. The cook tried to teach me once, but I didn't seem to 'ave the knack for it. And then what with one thing and another I never seemed to 'ave the time."
The vicar drew himself up.
"I cannot allow it. I must ask you to make up your mind to learn. I will give you three months. If at the end of that time you cannot read and write I am sorry, but I shall have to let you go."
DAlbert Edward had never liked the new vicar. He had said from the beginning that they had made a mistake when they appointed him. He was not the kind of man one wanted at St Peter's, Neville Square.
"I'm very sorry, sir, I'm afraid it's no good. I'm too old a dog to learn new tricks. I've lived a good many years without knowin' 'ow to read and write, and without wishin' to praise myself, self-praise is no recommendation, I don't think I've done my duty in this position any the worse for it. If I could learn now I don't 'ardly think I would."
"In that case, Foreman, I'm afraid you must go."
"Yes, sir, I quite understand. I shall be 'appy to 'and in my resignation as soon as you 'ave found somebody to take my place."
EWhen Albert Edward had locked the church door behind him he walked slowly down the steps with a heavy heart. He did not know what he was going to do. It was true that he had saved a small sum of money, but to live on it he would have to be very careful. He sighed deeply.
Albert Edward was not a smoker. He did not drink beer. But he liked a cigarette with his evening cup of tea, and now he felt the need of one badly. It occurred to him that he had not bought any that morning, and as he had no tobacco in the house he thought he would go out and get some. As he passed shop after shop in search of a tobacconist, he noticed with surprise that there was not one on the whole length of this long street.
"That's strange," said Albert Edward, to put an end to the matter, "I can't be the only man as walks along this street and wants a fag. I shouldn't wonder but what a fellow might do very well with a little shop here. Tobacco and sweets, you know."
He gave a sudden start. The thought struck him like a thunderbolt. He turned, walked home, and had his tea.
"You're very silent this afternoon, Albert," his wife remarked.
"I'm thinkin'," he said.
FHe considered the matter from every point of view, and next day he went down the street and by good luck found a little shop to let that looked as if it would exactly suit him. Twenty-four hours later he had taken it. A month after that he resigned his post as verger. He set up in business as a tobacconist and news-agent.
The undertaking proved a success. In a year or so he thought he might venture on another shop, and he looked about for a long street that had no tobacconist in it. He started a second shop, then a third. In ten years he had acquired no fewer than ten shops, and he was making money hand over fist. He went round to all of them himself every Monday morning, collected the week's takings, and took them to the bank.
GOne morning when he was at the bank, the cashier told him that the manager would like to see him. Albert Edward was shown into the office. The manager shook hands with him.
"Mr Foreman, I wanted to have a talk to you about the money you've got on deposit with us. D'you know exactly how much it is? Just over thirty thousand pounds. It's a large sum to have on deposit, and I should have thought you'd do better to invest it."
"I wouldn't want to take no risk, sir. I know it's safe in the bank."
"You needn't have the least anxiety. We'll make you out a list of absolutely gilt-edged securities. They'll bring you in a better rate of interest than we can possibly afford to give you."
A troubled look settled on Mr Foreman's distinguished face.
"I've never 'ad anythin' to do with stocks and shares and I'd 'ave to leave it all in your 'ands," he said.
The manager smiled. "We'll do everything. All you'll have to do next time you come in is just to sign the transfers."
"I could do that all right," said Albert uncertainly. "But 'ow should I know what I was signin'?"
"I suppose you can read," said the manager a trifle sharply.
Mr Foreman gave him a disarming smile.
"Well, sir, that's just it. I can't. I know it sounds funny-like, but there it is. I can't read or write, only me name, an' I only learnt to do that when I went into business."
The manager was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair.
"That's the most extraordinary thing I ever heard."
"You see, it's like this, sir. I never 'ad the opportunity until it was too late, and then somehow I wouldn't. I got obstinate-like."
The manager stared at him as though he were a prehistoric monster.
"And do you mean to say that you've built up this important business and amassed a fortune of thirty thousand pounds without being able to read or write? Good God, man, what would you be now if you had been able to?"
"I can tell you that, sir," said Mr Foreman, a little smile on his still aristocratic features. "I'd be verger of St Peter's, Neville Square."
Four genuine IELTS Academic Reading task types, in the order they often appear. Do them with the passage open in the first tab, and time yourself: a Band 7 candidate completes a full set like this in about 20 minutes.
1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph D
5. Paragraph E
6. Paragraph F
7. Paragraph G
1. A → ii (a dignified servant of the church)
2. B → iii (a surprising and unwelcome discovery)
3. C → iv (an ultimatum: learn or lose the post)
4. D → vi (a quiet refusal, then resignation)
5. E → vii (an idea sparked on the walk home)
6. F → viii (building a chain of shops)
7. G → ix (an admission that recasts the whole story)
Not used: i, v, x — these are distractors. Note i ("poverty") and v ("the vicar's regret") describe things the passage never actually states.
After locking the church door, Albert wanted a (14) but found there was no (15) on the whole street. He decided that a small shop selling tobacco and (16) might do well there. The business proved a (17) , and within ten years he owned ten shops, taking the weekly (18) to the bank himself.
14. cigarette
15. tobacconist
16. sweets
17. success
18. takings
Every answer is a single word taken straight from the passage — that is the rule for summary completion. ("fag" also appears for Q14, but "cigarette" is the cleaner answer.)
Band 7 Writing and Speaking both require "a variety of complex structures" used with "frequent error-free sentences". This story hands you the perfect models. We will drill the conditionals the ending turns on, then the complex and cohesive sentences that lift a Task 2 essay.
The story's final exchange is a conditional: "What would you have become if you could read?" — "I would still be the verger." Use the third conditional (If + past perfect, would have + past participle) for an imagined, unreal past, and the mixed conditional (If + past perfect, would + base verb) when a past cause has a present result.
1. If Albert (learn) to read as a boy, he (never / leave) the church. (third)
2. If the new vicar (not / insist) on literacy, Albert (not / open) his first shop. (third)
3. If Albert had been able to read, he (be) a poor verger today, not a wealthy man. (mixed — present result)
4. He (not / be) so rich now if that street (have) a tobacconist. (mixed)
1. had learned / would never have left
2. had not insisted / would not have opened
3. would be (mixed: past condition, present result)
4. would not be / had had
Band 7 writing avoids strings of short sentences. Combine each pair into one complex sentence using a relative clause (who / which / whose / where) — and decide if it needs commas (non-defining) or not (defining).
1. Albert was a verger. He could neither read nor write.
→
2. He noticed a long street. The street had no tobacconist.
→
3. The bank manager was astonished. He had assumed Albert could read.
→
1. Albert was a verger who could neither read nor write. (defining — no comma)
2. He noticed a long street that / which had no tobacconist. (defining)
3. The bank manager, who had assumed Albert could read, was astonished. (non-defining — commas)
Coherence & Cohesion is a full quarter of your Task 2 mark. Rewrite each simple idea using the structure in brackets, so your essays read with flexible, accurate linking — not a list of "Firstly… Secondly… Finally".
1. He lost his job. He became rich. (Use "Despite + -ing")
→
2. He could not read. He still ran a successful business. (Use "Although")
→
3. The street had no tobacconist. He decided to open one. (Use "Since")
→
1. Despite losing his job, he became rich. / Despite having lost his job, he went on to become wealthy.
2. Although he could not read, he ran a successful business.
3. Since the street had no tobacconist, he decided to open one.
Notice how each version subordinates one idea to another — that is the grammatical "range" examiners reward at Band 7.
This story raises two classic IELTS topics: education & qualifications and work & success. Here are ten words and collocations pitched at Band 7 — less common items you can deploy accurately in Task 2 and Speaking. Tap each card to reveal the meaning and a model sentence.
In Reading you recognise paraphrase; in Writing and Speaking you produce it. Band 7 means a "good range of vocabulary used flexibly", so practise saying the same idea in a higher register.
| From the passage | A Band 7 paraphrase |
|---|---|
| He lost his position. | He was dismissed from his post / made redundant. |
| The business did well. | The venture flourished / proved remarkably successful. |
| He could not read or write. | He was illiterate / lacked basic literacy skills. |
| A setback became an opportunity. | An apparent misfortune proved to be a turning point. |
The story raises a real IELTS question about education and success. Plan and write a full essay of at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. The notes below show what a Band 7 response needs that a Band 6 one lacks.
This is a "discuss both views and give your opinion" essay. To reach Band 7 on Task Response you must do all three things well: present each view fairly and develop it with reasons and examples, and make your own position clear and consistent from introduction to conclusion. A one-sided answer, or an opinion that only appears at the end, caps you at Band 6.
| Paragraph | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Paraphrase the topic, outline both views, and state your own position in one clear sentence. |
| Body 1 | The case for formal education (job prospects, professional careers, social mobility). One central idea, fully developed, with a specific example. |
| Body 2 | The case for personal qualities (determination, entrepreneurial flair, spotting opportunities — like Albert). One central idea, fully developed, with an example. |
| Conclusion | Restate your position and synthesise both sides. Add no new ideas. |
| Function | Band 7 phrases |
|---|---|
| Introducing a view | It is widely held that… / Proponents of this view argue that… |
| Balancing | While there is some truth in this, … / This argument, however, overlooks… |
| Giving examples | A case in point is… / This is well illustrated by… |
| Stating your opinion | In my view, … / I would argue that… / My own position is that… |
| Concluding | On balance, … / Weighing both arguments, I am convinced that… |
It is widely assumed that formal education and qualifications are the decisive factor in a successful life, yet others maintain that personal characteristics such as determination and an eye for opportunity matter far more. While I acknowledge the clear advantages of education, I would argue that, without the personal drive to use it, qualifications alone rarely guarantee success.
Notice how this introduction paraphrases the prompt rather than copying it, signals both views, and states a clear, consistent opinion in advance. Now write the remaining three paragraphs.
The story's themes — work, education, success, money — are extremely common in IELTS Speaking. Work through all three parts. Band 7 means speaking at length, using a range of structures and some less common vocabulary, with only occasional hesitation. Use the timer for Part 2.
Answer in two or three sentences each — never one word. Add a reason or example to show range.
Describe a person you know who became successful without traditional qualifications.
You should say:
Take one minute to plan (use the 1-minute timer), then speak for the full two minutes without long pauses. Aim to use past tenses, at least one conditional ("If she hadn't taken that risk…"), and a couple of items from the Vocabulary tab.
These questions are more abstract. Develop each answer: state a view, justify it, then add an example or a contrasting idea.