The Benefits Of Having A Business Mentor & A Planning Process for Middle-Sized Projects - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS General Training Reading Test 1 · Part 2 · Questions 15–27
Reading Passage
Read the text below and answer Questions 15–20.
The benefits of having a business mentor
Introduction
If you're starting your own business, you probably need a mentor. This is a business person who volunteers to give their time to help somebody else with their work – particularly somebody who is new to business. They have a wealth of experience they are willing to share, perhaps from setting up and running their own company. The mentor's role is to support, develop, stimulate and challenge. However, business mentors won't solve your problems for you or tell you what to do: they will talk things over with you, rather than acting as consultants. Many people setting up their first business have found that a mentor can have a very positive effect on its success.
Why business mentoring is important
If you have a gap in your knowledge or experience, then mentoring could work very well for you. For example, you may have a great concept for a business but need a bit of assistance to turn it into a successful venture.
A mentor can provide you with a number of benefits, such as:
• guidance on developing and improving your business
• help with decisions – particularly difficult ones
• ideas for new products or services, or for working practices that will improve your efficiency
• tips for your business that are gained from practical experience
• access to a network of contacts with other business people
A business mentor can also help you to:
• develop key business skills
• improve your problem-solving abilities
• build confidence
• work on your personal development
Face-to-face business mentoring
If you decide that face-to-face business mentoring is right for you, mentor and mentee should decide in advance on the nature of the relationship.
You will need to agree on the degree of involvement that suits you both. Some mentors and mentees work extremely closely, keeping in touch with each other most weeks or even most days. In the majority of cases, however, a mentor will provide help every few weeks or months. In either case, they might meet, speak on the phone, or exchange emails.
You should also agree on a level of structure to suit you both. Mentoring can be a very formal process with regular meetings which follow a specific agenda and work towards a specific set of goals. It can also be quite a casual arrangement, where the mentee calls on the mentor as and when problems or questions arise.
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Read the text below and answer Questions 21–27.
A Planning Process for Middle-Sized Projects
Any business project – such as reducing energy costs, or improving efficiency – needs to be planned, and time spent planning will save far more time later on. The typical stages in this planning process are explained below.
• Your first task is to spot what needs to be done. Examine your firm's current position, perhaps making a formal analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. Then think about how you might improve that position: what opportunities are there for achieving this?
• The next step is to decide precisely what the aim of your plan is. This is best expressed in a simple single sentence, to ensure that it is clear and sharp in your mind. Doing this helps you to avoid wasting effort on irrelevant side issues.
• Next you should work out how to do it. It is tempting just to grasp the first idea that comes to mind, but it is better to consider a wide range of options: this way, you may come up with less obvious but better solutions.
• Once you have explored the options available to you, the selection of which option to use is the next step. If you have the time and resources, you might decide to evaluate all options, carrying out some planning, such as costing, for each. Normally you will not have this luxury.
• You already have a broad idea of what your project will consist of. Now is the time to work out the full details, identifying the most efficient and effective method of carrying it out, including answering the questions of ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘when’.
• The next stage is to review your plan and decide whether it will work satisfactorily. This evaluation enables you to change to another option that might be more successful, or to accept that no plan is needed.
• Once you have finished your plan and decided that it will work satisfactorily, it is time for implementation. Your plan will cover how this is to be done.
• Once you have achieved a plan, you can close the project. At this point it is often worth assessing the project to see whether there are any lessons that you can learn.
Questions
Questions 15–20 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
How can a mentor help somebody setting up a business?
A mentor 15 to help a new business person.
Mentors have a different role from 16
A mentor can:
- help you turn your idea into a successful business
- assist when you need to make 17
- suggest how your business can increase its 18
- introduce you to a business network
- help you to develop your skills, abilities and provide you with more 19
To be agreed:
- how much 20 the mentor should have
- how much structure the mentoring process should have
Questions 21–27 Flow Chart Completion
Complete the flow-chart below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
Suggested stages in a planning process
Start by identifying opportunities for making improvements to current situation.
↓
Decide and define the plan's exact 21.
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Identify and consider a 22 of possible solutions.
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Make a 23 from possible solutions.
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Plan all the 24 of every aspect of the project.
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Carry out an 25 of your plan before any action is taken.
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Carry out the 26 of your completed plan.
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Identify whether the project has provided any 27 for you.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q15 | volunteers | This is a business person who volunteers to give their time to help somebody else with their work – particularly somebody who is new to business | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that a business mentor is a person who chooses to give their time to help other people with their work, especially if those people are new to the world of business. Answer Explanation: The answer means that a mentor offers to help a new business owner by their own choice and without being forced or paid for that specific mentoring time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the text's definition of a mentor in the introduction. The passage states that a mentor is a business person who 'volunteers' their time. This matches the sentence structure in the notes which asks how a mentor behaves toward a new business person. To 'volunteer' means to offer help freely. |
| Q16 | consultants | However, business mentors won't solve your problems for you or tell you what to do: they will talk things over with you, rather than acting as consultants | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that mentors do not behave like consultants; they do not simply tell you what to do or fix every problem for you. Answer Explanation: The answer 'consultants' refers to professional experts whom people pay to get advice or have their business problems solved for them. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'consultants' because the text explains that a mentor's job is not the same as a consultant's job. While a consultant might give you direct orders or fix problems for you, a mentor prefers to talk with you so you can learn and solve things yourself. The passage specifically uses the phrase 'rather than acting as consultants' to show this difference in their roles. |
| Q17 | decisions | • help with decisions – particularly difficult ones | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage shows that one of the helpful things a mentor does is support you when you have to choose what to do, especially when the choices are not easy. Answer Explanation: The answer "decisions" refers to the choices a person makes for their business, especially when things are hard. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "decisions" because the passage lists specific benefits of having a mentor. In the section describing why mentoring is important, it explicitly states that a mentor can provide help with choices, particularly the difficult ones. This matches the prompt which asks what a mentor can assist with. |
| Q18 | efficiency | • ideas for new products or services, or for working practices that will improve your efficiency | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that a mentor can suggest new ways of working that help you get more things done using less time or effort. Answer Explanation: The answer "efficiency" means the ability to do something well without wasting time, money, or energy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "efficiency" because the text lists several ways a business mentor can help a new business owner. In the section describing these benefits, it mentions that a mentor can provide ideas for "working practices" (ways of working) that will "improve your efficiency." The word "increase" in the question is used as a synonym for "improve" in the text. |
| Q19 | confidence | • build confidence | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that one of the main goals of a business mentor is to help a person feel more sure of themselves and their work. Answer Explanation: The answer "confidence" means the feeling of being certain about your own abilities and feeling sure that you can do something well. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "confidence" because it is listed in the text as one of the specific areas where a business mentor can offer support to a new business owner. The text says a mentor can "build confidence," which matches the note's requirement for what a mentor provides to the business person. |
| Q20 | involvement | You will need to agree on the degree of involvement that suits you both | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that the mentor and the person being helped must decide together how much help and work the mentor will provide. Answer Explanation: The answer means the level of participation or how much a mentor helps with the business. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "involvement" because the text states that both people must agree on the "degree of involvement." In this sentence, the word "degree" has the same meaning as the phrase "how much" used in the question. The text explains that because some people work together every day and others only work together once a month, they must decide on the amount of time and effort (involvement) ahead of time. |
| Q21 | aim | The next step is to decide precisely what the aim of your plan is | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that once you have identified what needs to be fixed, you must pick a clear and specific goal for your project. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'aim', which means the goal or the main purpose of the project you are planning. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'aim' because the step-by-step instructions in the text state that after finding opportunities for improvement, the next stage is to 'decide precisely what the aim of your plan is'. In the question, the word 'exact' is used as a synonym for 'precisely' to describe this goal. |
| Q22 | range | It is tempting just to grasp the first idea that comes to mind, but it is better to consider a wide range of options: this way, you may come up with less obvious but better solutions | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that people often want to use the very first idea they think of. However, it is better to look at many different choices. Doing this can help you find better solutions that you might not have thought of right away. Answer Explanation: The answer 'range' refers to a group of many different choices or possibilities that you can look at. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'range' because the text suggests that you should not just use the first idea you have. Instead, it says you should think about a 'wide range' of options (choices) to help you find the best way to solve a problem. |
| Q23 | selection | Once you have explored the options available to you, the selection of which option to use is the next step | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that after you have looked at all your possible choices, the very next thing you must do is choose (make a selection) which one you will actually use for your plan. Answer Explanation: The answer "selection" means the act of picking or choosing one thing from a group of different choices. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "selection" because the text explains the step-by-step process of planning a project. After you have looked at many different ideas or choices (referred to as "options"), the next logical step is to pick the one you want to use. The text uses the word "selection" to describe this act of choosing from those options. |
| Q24 | details | Now is the time to work out the full details, identifying the most efficient and effective method of carrying it out, including answering the questions of ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘when’ | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that now you should find all the specific facts (the details) to decide the best way to do the project. Answer Explanation: The answer "details" means the small, specific pieces of information or parts that make up a whole plan. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "details" because the text explains that after choosing an option for your project, you must figure out the specific information needed to finish it. The phrase "every aspect of the project" in the question relates to the "full details" and the specific questions like "who," "what," and "when" mentioned in the passage. |
| Q25 | evaluation | The next stage is to review your plan and decide whether it will work satisfactorily. This evaluation enables you to change to another option that might be more successful, or to accept that no plan is needed | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that after creating a plan, you should check it to see if it will work. This check, which the text calls an "evaluation," allows you to make changes before you actually start the project. Answer Explanation: The answer "evaluation" refers to the process of looking at a plan or work carefully to judge how good it is or to see if it will be successful. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "evaluation" because the text describes a specific stage where you check your plan before starting the work. The author explains that you should look at the plan to decide if it is good enough to use. In the passage, this process of checking or reviewing is called an "evaluation." Key words like "review" and "satisfactorily" help identify that we are looking at the quality of the plan. |
| Q26 | implementation | Once you have finished your plan and decided that it will work satisfactorily, it is time for implementation | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that after your plan is complete and you believe it is good, it is time to start the "implementation" stage, which means actually doing the work you planned. Answer Explanation: The answer "implementation" means starting the work and putting your plan into action. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "implementation" because the passage lists the steps for finishing a business project. According to the text, once you have finished a plan and evaluated it to make sure it works well, you move to the stage called "implementation." This is the point where you actually do what you planned. |
| Q27 | lessons | At this point it is often worth assessing the project to see whether there are any lessons that you can learn | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that when the work is done, it is good to review the project to see if you can find important things you learned from doing it. Answer Explanation: The answer means things that you have learned from your experience or from completing a task. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is located in the final step of the planning process described in the text. This step suggests that when a project is finished, you should look back at it and evaluate if there are things you can learn from the experience to help you in the future. The text uses the word 'lessons' to describe these learning points. |