Do we pull DD out of her show to focus on GCSEs?

Where does that end? Someone getting 5s could work 6 hours every night and get 9s. It's not up to you to "tolerate laziness" or not, your DC will be who they are. You can harass them and push them at 15 but eventually they will move out and there'll be nothing you can do about them choosing to work hard or not at University. Their personality is determined already and pushy mums don't make self-motivated kids.

@MrsSunshine2b You are wrong and out of date. Look at current admissions info. Just because people multi task doesn’t mean that got most of your year into medicine or Oxford. That’s highly doubtful anyway. Oxford look at GCSE profile and Bristol do for many courses where it’s 20% of the profile. No one cares if you have grade 8 on the flute or play tennis if you apply for a history degree. What they want to know is whether your academic success is suitable and you have the attributes which support your history application.

@SeaSwim5 its not been established at all whether the child in question is bright but lazy. In GCSE biology laziness probably doesn’t come into it as she knew enough to secure a 7. Maybe there were other factors at play? Exam technique or pacing study equally across several exams, maybe she’d done another mock that day and was fatigued, maybe she had a headache?Why are you so insistent that it’s laziness on her part? One of the reasons for mocks is exactly this, to try and identify potential pitfalls. The teacher rang because they thought the dc may be disappointed not to lampoon her efforts. It was the call that surprised the OP not necessarily the grade. To be honest I would be surprised to receive a call at that level unless it was to specifically identify an area to improve on & even then with a top performing student I would expect that conversation to be between teacher and pupil not via their mum.

Please don't pull her out of the shower.
Exam time can be very stressful and I have seen too many young people burn out and become ill because of the pressure that they are living under. This will give her a healthy outlet for her stress.
You can ask her teachers to contact you if she is not putting the work in.

The problem with taking a half-assed approach to GCSEs is that it doesn’t built the good habits and work ethic necessary for A levels and beyond.

A 7 at GCSE is equivalent to a B or C in that subject at A level.

A student who has pushed themselves and worked really hard to get that 7 is likely to do much better at A level as they have the skills and self-discipline required.

Why on earth would you be surprised at teachers expressing concern about a student not achieving what they’re capable of?

I think they are referring to the fact the teacher phoned home so that OP's DD didn't hear about her 7 in front of the class. If teachers phoned parents for every child not achieving their potential....well they'd not get a lot else done, would they?!

One slip up and you want to pull away something she loves?

Why on earth would you be surprised at teachers expressing concern about a student not achieving what they’re capable of?

Teachers’ role is to help their classes achieve to the best of their abilities. I’m pretty sure you’d expect a teacher to be calling home if a DC capable of a 5 was arsing about and getting 3s?

Why should DC who are bright but lazy be allowed to not try their best?

Not; she would resent you and do worse. She knows what she needs to do to improve her marks hopefully

All GCSEs are is a tick box pathway to the next round. Her passion for performing arts is something that can bring her joy and solace all her life.

An A is a cracking grade.

I am surprised a teacher expressed concern. But I guess it depends on the school.

My yr11's teachers were super happy with his 7s at mocks and - although they obviously want him to pick up more marks where possible (and say that most students do) - it's more than enough for the outstanding 6th form college he is set on.

Please don't take what she loves away. It doesn't really encourage the idea that learning should be rewarding and enjoyable.

GCSEs are punishment enough at 16, in my view!

I think there are many reasons for accepting 'good enough', not just laziness and mediocrity.
My son's grades will be good enough. Compared to the raft of summer exams fails, this is a good goal.
He feels ambivalent towards school. This cohort started secondary during lockdown; the first two years of their secondary education were pretty crappy.
Any reason to close the school and it was his year that stayed at home so they could focus on the new year 7s or the exams years (10, 11 and 13). They also ensured the exam years got the best teachers, so he has supply after supply and presented with a powerpoint. They've got to year 11 and thought "shit....we'd better throw all the resources at this year group". He had come on in leaps and bounds having an interested, qualified & experienced stats teacher this year. It's too late though.
He does not feel motivated to fill the huge gaps by spending all his time revising (and in some cases...actually learning because they have not covered all the material). I support him, but it has to come from him. It's just me and him at home. If our relationship breaks down we're a bit stuck.

It is definitely a case of getting what he needs to take the next step. I really want him to find a love of learning and I hope he gets what he needs to sit A levels.

No one is advocating working all hours. It is perfectly possible to work hard for GCSEs and also have plenty of tome for other thing.

Your DD’s friends’ parents are wrong to give them into trouble if a 7 is what they are capable of. However, it seems perfectly reasonable to punish them if they are lazing about and not working hard to reach their potential.

They also bell curve as do GCSEs it causes issues at DDs Grammar as they often limit 9 to a top couple of marks or a small percentage similar to gcse but probably not the same grade boundaries

@SeaSwim5 but working all hours isn’t a feasible way to get through life either. Accepting your own limitations is fine. And the problem is we don’t know if the OP DD is capable of if thau is how the essay was marked

DD has friends who have really punishments for grtting 7s even though the grade boundaries are tough - made to work in their rooms all weekends with little breaks. It has massively put her off the sixth form

I agree to a point but you are only 16 once, there should be room for fun as well and if that means a perfectly good 7 rather than a 9 then thats fine

Every DC should be working as hard as possible to get the best GCSE grades they are capable of- whether that be 5s or 9s.

Accepting a 7 as ‘good enough’ when a student is capable of better is tolerating laziness and mediocrity, which does no one any good.

Hard enough for who?

If she's satisfied with a 7, who is her Mum to tell her it's not good enough?

Why would she want to give up her passions and spend 2.5 hours a night working so she can tick someone else's box about being "good enough"?

I think the teachers a overly harsh with mock marking to give kids a kick up the bum and a fright.

That's categorically not true and I'm not sure where you've made that up from.

Most of my year went on to Oxbridge or to study medicine or law at a red brick and the ones without hobbies, despite their straight A records, really struggled to get places on those competitive courses.

Dentistry students were also asked about hobbies requiring manual dexterity in particular; musical instruments, needlework, that sort of thing.

Oh no don’t take the performance away, it’ll be her outlet and her happiness and will encourage her with school work/life goals.
she got an A in biology, in a mock! Worse things have happened and she’ll know what areas to focus on now. Lots of carrots here and not sticks.

The DC’s school gets great GCSE results and is clear that all year 11s should be doing at least 3 hours of work a night and 5 hours a day at weekends in the few weeks before GCSEs.

Any DC not doing this has no right to complain about their results. It is still perfectly possible to maintain balance while doing this.

Severe pressure isn’t required. My DC are expected to work hard and achieve the best they can in all areas of life. If that means a 5, so be it.

However, I wouldn’t be happy with them being lazy and settling for a 7 when a 9 is achievable.

*Typo degree should wear my glasses!

And parenting me and parenting DD who certainly doesn’t do all of that and frankly doesn’t want to entertain the idea of Oxbridge! Good enough is personal not parentally driven.

and this thread again is a reminder of how awful the new numbering system is

Isn’t good enough for you perhaps, you DC must feel severe pressure.

You would have hated parenting me. Mediocre GCSEs then working, matured & realised what I wanted to do, first class desgree then postgrads at redbricks, work at Oxbridge. Thankfully my parents didn’t put unreasonable expectations on me but celebrated, supported and, when necessary, commiserated with me along the way. Sometimes as a parent it’s better to play the long game & not expect or demand perfection.

she should be doing 2.5-3 hours a night at this stage and more at weekends (4-5 hours a day)

For GCSEs? Christ.

I was a nerdy kid at school. Still had a lead role in the drama production during my A level year. I remember more of that than I do of Tacitus or organic chemistry.