21 What was the main motivation for Veridia College to introduce peer mentoring?
A Poor academic results among freshmen
B High drop-out rates in certain faculties
C Social isolation among freshmen
22 Justin was surprised that the mentors selected were primarily
A final year undergraduates.
B postgraduate researchers.
C alumni volunteers.
23 How did the administrators measure the program’s success initially?
A Through anonymous surveys
B Using focus group interviews
C By tracking attendance records
24 What unexpected benefit of the scheme did Ariel highlight?
A Mentors improved their own grades.
B Mentees joined more social clubs.
C Teachers experienced a lower administrative workload.
25 Regarding future improvements, both students agree the scheme needs
A better online platforms for communication.
B more structured training for mentors.
C an increase in funding for social events.
Questions 26 to 30
What specific challenge did each of the following mentee groups primarily face?
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-G, next to Questions 26-30.
Specific Challenges
A Managing strict employment schedules
B Understanding institutional software
C Handling pressure from financial sponsors
D Interpreting assignment criteria
E Feeling different from younger classmates
F Missing advice from family members
G Finding local transport options
Mentee Groups
26 First-generation students
27 Mature learners
28 International scholars
29 Part-time enrollees
30 Scholarship recipients
Keys
21 C
22 B
23 A
24 A
25 B
26 F
27 E
28 D
29 A
30 C
Transcripts
Part 3: You will hear two university students, Ariel and Justin, discussing a case study about a peer mentoring program.
ARIEL: Right, Justin. Let’s prepare our presentation on the peer mentoring project at Veridia College. We have lots to review.
JUSTIN: Good idea, Ariel. What was the main motivation for the scheme? I assumed it was introduced to tackle poor academic results among freshmen.
ARIEL: I thought so too, perhaps to fix high drop-out rates. But their grades were actually well above average. The primary driver for the project was social isolation among freshmen. Faculty noticed that new arrivals were struggling to make friends on campus.
JUSTIN: That makes sense. Tackling social isolation was the main goal. Now, I was surprised by who they selected to lead the mentoring sessions.
ARIEL: Because they avoided using alumni volunteers?
JUSTIN: Yes, but I also expected them to recruit final year undergraduates, the standard practice. However, they deliberately chose postgraduate researchers to be the mentors instead.
ARIEL: Having postgraduate researchers gave it a professional feel. Now, how did they measure the program’s success initially? I saw focus group interviews mentioned.
JUSTIN: They did conduct those interviews eventually, but that was much later in the semester. To get immediate data right at the start of the initiative, they relied entirely on anonymous surveys.
ARIEL: Using anonymous surveys allowed the mentees to speak freely about their struggles without feeling embarrassed. That was a smart initial step.
JUSTIN: Definitely. And the published results highlighted some unexpected benefits. We know the mentees felt supported, and some teachers reported a lower administrative workload, but neither of those was the big surprise.
ARIEL: You are right. The fascinating outcome was actually for the guides themselves. The mentors improved their own grades significantly during that academic year.
JUSTIN: Spot on! By explaining complex concepts to younger students, the mentors reinforced their own academic knowledge, which boosted their own grades.
ARIEL: Looking ahead, what specific changes do the administrators agree are necessary for next semester? Do they want better online platforms for communication?
JUSTIN: They discussed upgrading the software, but ultimately decided the current digital tools are sufficient. Instead, they both agree they need more structured training for mentors.
ARIEL: That is logical. Giving them more structured training before they start will build their confidence.
JUSTIN: Perfect. Now, let’s map out the specific challenges faced by different mentee profiles. What about the first-generation students?
ARIEL: For that demographic, it was not a lack of academic ability. Their main hurdle was missing advice from family members.
JUSTIN: Right, because their parents had never attended university, they had nobody to guide them. What about the mature learners? I suppose they struggled with understanding institutional software?
ARIEL: That was only a minor issue. Their primary complaint was feeling different from younger classmates. The significant age gap made it quite hard for them to relate socially.
JUSTIN: Yes, feeling different from younger classmates was a clear theme. Then we have the international scholars. Did they struggle to find local transport options in a new city?
ARIEL: No, the campus shuttle buses are excellent. Their main obstacle was actually interpreting assignment criteria. The academic expectations here are quite unique compared to their home countries.
JUSTIN: Interpreting assignment criteria, got it. Now, the part-time enrollees had a predictable hurdle, didn’t they?
ARIEL: Definitely. It was all about managing strict employment schedules. Trying to fit mandatory lectures around their busy work shifts was exhausting.
JUSTIN: Yes, balancing those strict employment schedules is incredibly tough. Lastly, we need to cover the scholarship recipients.
ARIEL: They were terrified of underperforming and losing their funding. So, handling pressure from financial sponsors was without a doubt their biggest burden.
JUSTIN: That makes total sense. Handling pressure from financial sponsors can be overwhelming. Okay, I think we have a solid structure for the presentation.
