Y07W15WR What I Need from a Mentor

Part 1

How to Write

Transactional – Needs statement

A needs statement explains, clearly and honestly, what support or resources a person or group genuinely requires and why. It is written for a decision-maker or coordinator who will use this information to design or allocate support. The tone should be direct, specific and practical — not vague or emotional.

  • Ideas & content: Be specific about what you need and why. Vague statements are less useful than concrete, honest ones. Focus on what would genuinely help rather than what might sound good.
  • Structure & cohesion: Organise your statement logically — start with the most important needs, explain each one clearly and close with a summary of what you are asking for. Keep it concise.
  • Voice & audience: Write clearly and professionally. Avoid being too formal or too casual. The reader is trying to help you — make it easy by being direct.
  • Language choices: Use specific, practical language. Avoid vague terms. Present your needs as real, informed observations rather than complaints or demands.
  • Conventions: Keep sentences clear and direct. Use commas and full stops to manage a clean presentation. Spelling should be accurate — this is a formal document.

Common pitfalls: Being too vague — a needs statement that says ‘I need more support’ is less useful than one that says exactly what kind of support would help and why. Writing in a way that sounds demanding rather than thoughtful and honest.

Part 2

Your Task Plan for Today

The brief

Question: Write a needs statement for the student mentoring program explaining what kind of support would be genuinely useful to you as a Year 7 student and what you would want from a mentor. Be honest and specific. Your statement will be read by the program coordinator and used to shape how the program is designed.

Stimulus: Your school is planning to introduce a student mentoring program in which Year 9 and 10 students are paired with Year 7 students for academic and social support. Before launching the program, the coordinator has asked Year 7 students to write a brief needs statement explaining what kind of support would actually be useful to them and what they would want from a mentor relationship. These statements will be used to design the program and match mentors appropriately.

Task Analysis: This task asks you to be honest and specific about what you genuinely need — not what you think the coordinator wants to hear. A strong response will identify real needs clearly, explain why each matters and show that you have thought about what a useful mentor relationship would actually involve.

Quick Plan

Before you write, plan:

  • The areas where you genuinely feel you could use support
  • What kind of mentor would be most useful — what qualities, approach or background?
  • What you would not find helpful — this is important information too
  • What you are hoping the program achieves for you

BLUF line

Open your statement with a clear, direct sentence about what kind of support you most need. Don’t build up to it gradually — the coordinator needs to understand your situation from the first sentence.

Key details to include

Be specific rather than general. “Help with my studies” is less useful than “support with managing multiple deadlines when things clash”. The more precise you are, the more useful your statement will be to the coordinator.

Tone & voice

Write clearly and directly. You do not need to be overly formal, but this is a professional document. Be honest rather than saying what you think the coordinator wants to hear — the point of the statement is to get the right support.