Questions 21–25 Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
21 Chloe is satisfied because A the number is lower than expected B there are too many to read C the quality seems good
22 Ben says it is difficult to judge A technical skills B availability for dates C motivation for the programme
23 They agree that in group interviews A some candidates may speak too little B the room can be hard to organise C candidates may copy each other’s answers
24 They decide the interview should mainly assess A how confident the candidate sounds B how well the candidate works in a team C knowledge about the company
25 Chloe also suggests asking about A salary expectations B workplace support needs C future study plans
Questions 26–30 Complete the flowchart below. Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–H, next to Questions 26–30.
Keys
21 C 22 C 23 A 24 B 25 B 26 A 27 E 28 G 29 C 30 B
Transcripts
Part 3: You will hear two staff members planning an interview process for a Women in Engineering internship.
BEN: Hi Chloe, do you have a minute? How are the internship applications going? CHLOE: Hi Ben. They are going pretty well. The number is not huge, but the quality looks strong, especially among the women applying for engineering. BEN: That is good to hear. Fewer strong applicants is better than lots of weak ones. CHLOE: I agree. Now we need to finalise the interview plan. BEN: Yes. At the application stage it is hard to judge motivation. People can write good statements, but you do not really know. CHLOE: Exactly. Some personal statements sound perfect, but you cannot tell how genuine they are until you speak to the person. BEN: Have you thought about group interviews? CHLOE: I did, but I am not convinced. In groups, some candidates do not speak much even if they are capable. They can be overshadowed by louder people. BEN: True. Then we might end up selecting confidence rather than ability. CHLOE: And for this programme, I want the process to feel fair and supportive. BEN: So what should we mainly assess? CHLOE: Teamwork matters most. We need to see how well they collaborate and communicate. They will be working with mentors and joining project meetings, so those skills are essential. BEN: I agree. Technical skills matter, but the internship is also about learning. Team behaviour is a strong predictor of success. CHLOE: I also want one question about support. I mean what kind of workplace support they might need to do their best. BEN: That makes sense. It shows we take inclusion seriously. We just need to word it well. CHLOE: Yes. We can ask what helps them perform at their best in a team environment. BEN: Good. Let us write the process steps so the team can follow the same structure. CHLOE: Please. Consistency is important. BEN: First, we review applications and create a shortlist. We use the same criteria for everyone, like eligibility, interest in engineering, and evidence of initiative. CHLOE: Agreed. We should also aim for a mix of backgrounds without lowering standards. BEN: Next, we email candidates an interview schedule with their time slot. We tell them what will happen and how long it will take. CHLOE: And we should give enough notice, plus mention they can request adjustments if needed. BEN: On the interview day, we start with a short practical task. It should be simple and relevant, not designed to catch them out. CHLOE: That would help. It shows how they think and it is not only about speaking. BEN: Then each candidate meets a two person panel. That reduces bias and gives two perspectives on each answer. CHLOE: The panel can be one engineer and one programme lead. We keep the questions consistent on teamwork, communication, motivation, and support. BEN: We should also allow time for candidates to ask questions. That can reveal what they care about. CHLOE: Yes, and it helps them feel comfortable too. BEN: Finally, we use a scoring rubric so decisions are consistent. The rubric should reflect our priorities, teamwork, communication, willingness to learn, and self awareness about support needs. CHLOE: Great. That will help us avoid relying on gut feeling. BEN: Exactly. We can still take brief notes after each interview, but the rubric will guide the final decision. CHLOE: So the steps are shortlist, email schedule, practical task, panel interview, then rubric scoring. BEN: That is it. I will draft the rubric categories and send them to you for edits. CHLOE: Thanks, Ben. Once we have that, we can move quickly and keep it fair. BEN: Also, we should keep the practical task the same length for everyone, about ten minutes, so it stays fair. CHLOE: Yes, and we can tell candidates in advance that it is a simple task, so they do not feel nervous. BEN: After the panel interview, we should score each section straight away, before we meet the next person. CHLOE: Agreed, that will keep our judgments consistent and stop us mixing candidates up. BEN: Then we can compare the rubric scores at the end and confirm the final shortlist for offers. CHLOE: Sounds good. Let us get it done.
