In response to a concern about the persistent underachievement in exams of Chemistry students in one school, a pilot study was carried out to see if mentoring-style intervention could improve exam performance. Individual personalised interviews were offered to a class, during which support for the development of the skills and subject knowledge for exam success was given. Student feedback indicated that they felt the individual support had assisted with their learning, but the benefit was not borne out by a statistically significant improvement in their exam results. Students reported that the gains were extended into other Science subjects, although again, this was not demonstrable from the analysis of exam results. Despite not giving a significant improvement in marks, mentoring was popular with students. The study points to a number of other, less easily quantifiable, gains that might enhance students' academic success in the medium term. The findings do, however, also raise questions as to whether mentoring represents an efficient use of resources for the purpose of raising attainment.
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