DD15 is not doing a single bit of revision for GCSEs

I feel your pain. Similar situation. Did one GCSE last year, got an 8. Did ok-ish in year 10 mocks, a lower than could have done due to lack of revision. We agreed I would back off as he said he hated me asking what he is doing. Now he is doing nothing. Like yours he wants 8 and 9s (couple of 7s expected). So what do you do???? Agh. I’m at a loss

Her grades are amazing so she is clearly paying attention in class and working outside of class and what ever method she is following is working. Maybe you think studying looks like sitting at a desk for a certain amount of time and she is working in a different way. GCSEs are a marathon not a sprint (though they can have a sprint finish), so pushing her to work at full speed all the time is going to lead to burn out and stress. It is great that she has friends. It is great that she knows how to switch off. She is doing great. Provide support not stress.

I found bribery quite effective.

I'd focus on the GCSEs she needs for the next stage to be honest, they'll be doing mocks soon enough and that usually terrifies them into doing some work (this is largely the point of mocks)

If she's looking at law then she doesn't need the sciences. English language gcse is completely blagable with no revision - in fact because it mostly involves responding to an unseen piece plus creative writing it's largely intended to be unrevisable for.

Latin and French are quite similar as it's all about build up of knowledge although I have less than fond memories of my DD memorising the Latin translations of Tacitus the night before the exam, she got a 9.

It won't kill any of you for her to get a shock in the mocks.

I have quite a similar dc who has done reasonably well in GCSEs despite little work in years 9 and 10, and starting revision late in y11. but not the straight 9s his teachers thought he was capable of. Much begging cajoling persuasion incentives all in vain

I took him on an Oxbridge open day post GCSEs and he really sat up and was able to discuss about working for MAT and getting good A level mocks and predicted grades. I wondered whether I should have tried this earlier? who knows

I notice your DD is planning to take 10 GCSEs in one sitting. Is it possible for school to print off an example GCSE exam schedule for her subjects? I sat 9 O levels in one sitting and I still have the schedule; there were recovery gaps because, in my day, you typically sat two 3 hour papers for each subject.

These days you typically sit three shorter papers in each subject; the total examination time is approximately the same but there is little or no recovery time as there are single or multiple exams day after day.

Someone who plans to cram the syllabus prior to each exam as it comes up will struggle. Perhaps seeing an example exam schedule will make her realise that, at the very least, some concentrated revision is needed after Christmas of Y11 to consolidate learning and more easily recall during the GCSE exam 'blizzard'.

Y10 mocks are rarely like the real thing; they are more like doing half marathons as training for full marathons - so useful but ultimately not the real experience; important not to get lulled into a false sense of security.

Obviously these are tough messages to deliver. Can you juxtapose them with some discussions/exploration of end goals and work back to show each stage opens possibilities for the next? The types of uni/courses your DD aspires to are likely to want AAA minimum and, as A levels are a step up, so Astar (ie grade 8-9) at GCSE in the chosen subjects is the goal.

Was in the middle of typing up the same thing.

Walked my GCSE’s without a tap of revision. A-Levels came around and I had no inclination to revise and got mediocre grades. Got into second choice of Uni and came away with another mediocre grade.

I honestly don’t know what could have been done differently to help me knuckle down, because I think it’s something instilled into you from a young age. I was always praised for being naturally bright, but the hard work that’s needed to sustain it was never drilled into me because it came naturally.

Maybe trying to praise her revision time rather then the grades may help? A revision reward chart?

This.

Happened to me.

I also got to the point where I was worried I wasn't as bright as I thought I was.

Also ND and struggled with getting down to work (only found out in later life) and spent hours planning, not working & easily bored. Married a bloke who really works to get good at stuff and was utterly shocked at how he could just get down to work, be efficient, etc. Past papers ftw, apparently!

In school, she does not pay attention in lessons and has a laugh with her mates instead. She is well behaved I could not compute those two sentences which seem to me to contradict each other.

You can lead a horse to water .... and all that. You cannot make her work for her exams.

Also, you say she’s not doing any revision… isn’t it pretty much the first day of Y11?
She may well have friends who have revised in the summer… but I really don’t think that’s the norm.
Give her a chance to actually get back!
The behaviour of her peers now she’s actually in Y11 and teacher talks about this year are likely to be taken better by her than something from mum.

She sounds more likely to really put the effort in for GCSEs if she does crash and burn Y11 mocks.
With those grades - and a history of actually doing some work - I’d have a low pressure chat about revision = grades - but then leave her to it.
I also told mine that you never know when a global pandemic will lead to TAG, so it’s actually worth getting good grades on record in mocks.

Not necessarily. Yes, I theory hard work.pays off but if you don't need to put the effort in then why would you? Took until the 5th year of a medical degree for my dc to need to actually revise because they could no longer retain 4all the info needed ( memory) The being bright part meant they knew how to answer the questions in a relevant way

Being naturally bright when young means nothing without work tbh

She is naturally smart and always has been but she doesn't pay attention in lessons and doesn't do work at home - so it is impossible for her to do well in some as there is no knowledge in her brain

Kids that muck about and don't pay attention aren't 'naturally smart'.

If she's naturally bright but doesn't work hard she'll probably do OK in gcses without tons and tons of revision- but she will crash and burn at A level.

Thinking about it I genuinely don’t think I know how to revise. I did do flash cards, and brainstorms (I know they’re not called that now) but it didn’t feel helpful at all. It felt a bit like I was pretending, or just doing the motions? It felt pointless and a bit patronising/juvenile.

luckily, I managed to get decent grades at gcse, a-levels and uni, but thinking back I don’t think I really know what revising is supposed to be/ what it’s supposed to achieve, although if you’d have asked me I would have said yes of course I know how to revise, don’t be ridiculous!
Could it be your daughter feels the same? I think it might be more common than we think.

DD isn't academic, but I made it clear to her that she needed to be the best that she can be.

I also made it clear to her that the only person it would affect if she got low results, would be her. Not me, not the school, but her alone.

She needed 5 passes to get into College, and she passed 8/9 exams at a 4 or above so C's in old money, with 1 B.

It is still early in the school year, and the mocks will show what your DD really needs to work on.

I bought DD a lot of revision workbooks etc, and she made a lot of flashcards. Her school also ran a class on how to revise.

https://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/info/exams-or-demon-fighting/essential-revision-tips

For me cramming has always worked better. I don't retain the information otherwise. I don't really get how to revise either. I would just re read stuff the night before. Passed all my exams and 1st class hons at uni.

People do work differently and for some months of revision doesn't work. But at the end of the day it is her future and her decision really. She has to have the motivation.

So. I still don't know how to revise properly. Any ideas.

Talking about the future is a good tip.
At this stage I would be encouraging her to make sure she's not behind with her work and instead of revision, suggest she make sure she has any missing notes or work.
Does she have somewhere conducive to study? Look out for revision guides in charity shops. I bought prepared flashcards for DD which were pretty helpful.
Don't stress too much. The school will begin to ramp up the pressure and the teachers are well versed at planning revision.
Offer to take her shopping or fund some new stationery - basically make it as easy as you can for her to study. Make home the oasis.
The climate at school changes in yr11 and most kids start getting a bit more focused.

It seems early. How do you revise things you haven't learned yet?

I think people retain things in different ways. Ling term revision isn't really revision, more ensuring you fully understand the content/concepts.

Shorter term it is about being able to recall it quickly.

There are limits to the pace people can keep up. The danger of overloading the early part is that you are sick of it by the time the really critical period comes round.