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Original poster

DS won’t revise!

31 replies

winnieverlast · 31/12/2022 16:51

DS has GCSE mocks in three weeks but hasn’t revised at all basically. He’s very able and predicted mainly 9s but just won’t focus enough to revise and can’t be bothered. He would rather go for a run or read. I’m worried he’ll do this for the real thing as well. It’s not as if he’s going to fail anything so he hasn’t got to worry about that and his maths skills are great so he does fine in the science, but how on earth doi

OP posts:
Lottsbiffandsmudge · 31/12/2022 17:19

Tbh I'd leave him alone. He'll either not do as well as expected in his mocks and it'll shock him into revising for the real things.
Or he'll do fine anyway.
As long as he has a space to study, has some idea how to and your full support then it's down to him...

Sarahcoggles · 31/12/2022 17:17

Bribery!

PocketSand · 31/12/2022 17:16

I would advise downloading past papers with mark schemes. Similar questions come up again and again. He can easily learn how to answer them. Don't panic.

redskydelight · 31/12/2022 17:09

All you as a parent can do is provide a suitable study space and anything he might need (access to laptop/other device, printer, books, stationary, past papers, revision guides etc).
You can't physically force someone to work. At best you can force them to sit and look at their stuff for an hour and get resentful. You can also determine whether there is a reason he doesn't want to revise (doesn't understand how to, doesn't know where to start, doesn't think he should have to in the school holidays ..) - if there is, that's something you can help with.

If your child is predicted 9s, then he's being doing something right so far. And many students don't work as much as they perhaps could and take mocks as a wake up call.

PocketSand · 31/12/2022 17:05

IME ability means level 7 can be achieved without specific revision but exam technique is required for level 9. There may not be gaps in understanding but for GCSE it needs to be expressed in a particular way to gain full marks on the easier questions Eg the use of the word 'only' can make the difference between 1 mark and 2 marks. It all adds up.

Original poster
winnieverlast · 31/12/2022 16:54

-get him to revise??
(Accidentally pressed post!)
Anyway, I need simple revision strategies or things to tell him to motivate. I’m not holding his hand and doing it with him, I don’t have the time, and I don’t want him spending all of his time at his books, but at the same time, he’s done about two hours actual work since the end of school.
(It’s not the phone for anyone who suggests taking it away, he leaves his phone downstairs anyway and our wifi is too appalling for him to watch anything on his laptop in his room).
Any ideas?

OP posts: