To give a cash reward to the twin who gets the best GCSE results?

[Stackss]

DS and DD are both in year 11 so have their GCSEs coming up shortly. Both are bright and of very similar if not identical academic ability and are predicted very similar grades.

Both are relatively hard working (although with a tendency to coast) but DH and I would really like them to knuckle down and push themselves to get the best grades possible.

We therefore came up with the idea of an effort-based reward scheme allowing them to earn treats for completing revision- e.g. 75 hours= a meal out, 150 hours= a night away etc.

However, both twins have suggested that instead, the twin who gets the best results should receive the whole cash reward. They are both competitive with each other and have said this would give them greater incentive to work harder.

My concern is that the twin who doesn't do as well will be doubly disappointed on results day as they will also get no reward. Should I go with the twins' suggestion?

@imaginationhasfailedme
🤣😅 but equally I do hope this isn’t a genuine thread ☹️

Awful awful awful idea. Please don’t do this.

Why do you think the high grades aren’t ‘reward’ enough? My kids worked because they wanted a full set of 9 grades. They didn’t need financial bribery. Are all your kids’ friends like this too? I find it so very strange.

I would award 50 per A 25 per B 15 per c to both of them. Definitely don't just reward one.

No. Don't encourage them to compete against each other.

Can't you just reward individual grades?

As a highly competitive twin this is all kinds of fucked up. I hope this isn't true. Your kids are going to burn out.

That’s an awful idea. You could go with giving them £9 if they get a 9, £8 for 8 etc…

Just tell them you’re going to do that to get them to work and then give them both the same 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’m a parent to a year 11 and a year 10. This whole £100 for a 9 etc is ridiculous 🙄

I would do it. And then give them both the reward anyway as long as they truly tried their best. Afterall the real “prize” is their grades.

And Stackss, them paying you for a 6 as if a 6 is terrible 🙄 a 6 is a B! It’s a ridiculous attitude to have. Some children will be over the moon to get a 5 or a 6 then your children will be saying it’s not good enough 🙄

@Wombatbum

The DC asked to pay us if they get a 6 to give them an extra incentive to work hard as a 6 would not be a good grade for them.

🙄

On the hand, could they be encouraged to help each other and collaborate to revise rather than competing?

Jesus, parenting sense seems to be operating at the same level as your twins. No. Just no.

Base the rewards around predicted vs actual grades. You will have to adapt this idea if they achieve any 9's that they are predicted, but at the very least you are rewarding their individual strengths Also if one is predicted more lower grades and then pulls it out of the bag, in the final stretch, then their sibling could claim some sort of mock exam laziness to profit more, but there must be a way to reward without further pitting themselves against each other than they already do naturally.

You're obsessed with money.

It doesn't matter. They already know who is the favourite. Nothing you can do now will change that. Damage is done!

@Vates

It's nothing to do with favourites- the DC suggested this idea themselves. Both are almost identical when it comes to academic abilities.

In any event, they will now both receive a reward based on grades and revision hours.

Why do you think your children don’t value education for education’s sake? If you value education as parents, why have you not passed that ethos down to your kids? Why is getting the top grades not a sufficient motivator in itself?

I am not against cash rewards based on grades put paying them to revise seems wrong. What incentive will they have to work hard throughout their a level course if they can coasts and then get paid to cram at the end.

what will you do at a levels if one of them ends up having to do way more revision as they did less work over the rest of the course? Will that one end up financially better off?

As soon as I seen the word twins I knew this was a wind up thread… OP we all know you’re a troll, give it up

DC did her GCSE's last year. She worked hard (after a bit of a tricky time in covid) was motivated and did really well- enabling to get into the college she wanted where she is thriving. This was her reward and she is proud of herself (although she knows we are all proud of her as a family- she suffered the loss of one parent during her childhood and had to work through this as well). Some aunts/uncles sent a token amount but I cannot overstate how much I disagrre with the 'pay each A' or whatever mentality. It is a really questionable way of motivating young people who are at an age when they need to start understanding what they 'put in' and their behaviours will have consequences from forward.

DD had friends who were paid for grades but agrees it is not logical. Putting aside that this undermines the message of personal responsibility and an early understanding of consequences for actions, it is just not a level playing field. Some subjects are just much easier for some children- however hard one works, for example, in Maths, their getting a C (in old money) will be a far more significant achievement than a child who has always 'got' the subject from year 1 and is naturally talented and was always destined to get grade 9.

Subjects such as drama, health and social care etc. have very different demands to languages and history/geography etc. There is also the issue that every year there seems to be a particular subject that seems to have a very difficult paper/marking. DD was predicted a 9 in history ever since she took it as an option(year 8 in her school). She got a 7 which is amazing- but teaching staff were very surprised by the marking by the exam board this year. Not really an issue going forward because she has her place for A-levels and it is already forgotten

This is so messed up. It’s been a while since I came across such intense helicopter parenting as OP is displaying.

Your children should not need financial incentive to work to the best of their ability. Surely the grades should be sufficient incentive. If they’re naturally competitive (which may or not be true but has almost certainly been encouraged by the parenting they’ve received, based on your replies to this thread), simply getting better grades than their sibling will motivate them enough.

Oh, and unless you’re sitting with them while they revise which would be utterly bizarre at their age, you will have no idea how much revision they’re doing. My mother was sure I was working hard in my room. I coasted to straight As at GCSE. Bright kids can often get away with it at that level. It can catch up with you at A-level, though.

@Stackss DD set the revision timetable / plan herself at the very beginning. So then to earn the reward it was just to stick to her own plan and importantly never have electronics during the scheduled study time - unless on the planned break

The removal of the electronics changed her work ethic dramatically