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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

13 yr old (not) revising for exams. What do you do?

41 replies

DopamineHit · 22/02/2013 10:54

Our older DD is a very bright girl, works hard, revises hard, does her best. 13 yo DS appears (in contrast at least) utterly unmotivated. Has exams coming up in March and then another lot in May/June.

Coming to end of HT week when he should have been revising. He won't do any revision at all unless he's absolutely forced to. Unless someone is physically sitting with him going through the work with him he simply won't do any. It's exhausting (but tbf mainly for DW who does 80% of it). Feels like we're back at school - thought we'd done all that.

Tried being nice parent / nasty parent - nothing seems to work. What do we do? Just let him flunk? He won't care. He is absolutely not an unpleasant boy - he's polite, good natured, kind, has a nice bunch of friends. He's averagely bright - mostly in middle sets at school. Just won't do a damn thing unless you nail him to the desk and watch him like a hawk.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

OP posts:

ThreeBeeOneGee · 23/02/2013 08:25

In an ideal world your son would be studying hard for its own sake, but not everyone finds fulfilment in that way. If he studies hard as a means to an end for the time being, then is that not acceptable too?

NotADragonOfSoup · 23/02/2013 08:40

As well as encouragement, I would tell him that there will be no XBox between the March exams and the ones in May/June if he does not perform at a suitable level in the March ones.

AT 13 he is not able to see the benefit of studying for its own sake - I have DSs of 14 & 12. I have already banned week day XBox sessions as a result of their end of term reports - they were rushing stydy in order to get to game time, this was a flaw in my original system!

Maryz · 23/02/2013 14:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

yellowbrickrd · 23/02/2013 15:44

Me too please!

Ds also 13. His school has a system of sitting GCSE's from year 9 onwards and he has been put in for 4. He is not academically gifted but considered a good bet for a solid 'c' which is all the school needs for the league tables.

I want him to get a good grade as I know he will be disappointed with c's but I can't get him to make the connection between getting a good grade and studying hard at home. He will only revise if I sit with him and supervise and he spends the whole time whining to be allowed back on Minecraft. He seems to think if they've covered it at school it will all be magically fine. Someone mentioned upthread that the school should also teach them the best way to revise but i've seen no evidence of that.

I've agonised over it and decided I can only cajole/encourage so much and i'm probably going to have to leave him to do badly in this first round of exams and hope that will encourage him to do better next year which is hardly ideal. My big worry is that it will damage his confidence and make him disengage from his education.

secretscwirrels · 23/02/2013 15:51

yellowbrickrd my comments up thread about early entry are aimed at those like your DS. Getting a C at 13 is good for the school but no benefit to the child who would likely get much higher grades with two or three more years study.
I hate to agree with Gove on anything but on the subject of early entry he is right IMO.
There is a plan I believe to measure league tables on average grade which might steer schools away from early entry.

yellowbrickrd · 23/02/2013 16:00

Yes, also find myself in the unique position of agreeing with Gove secretscwirrels! The school have already had to re-jig their position on Science GCSE's which they were trying to put him into early so that has been a partial weight off my mind but he still has to sit the 4 this year and at least 3 in yr 10.

I don't think he is being deliberately bolshy - as with the op, he is generally a lovely boy and enjoys school and learning - it really seems to be a question of maturity where the part of his brain that deals with consequences hasn't properly developed yet!

lljkk · 23/02/2013 16:13

I am probably an uncaring hard ass but I would explain clearly the consequences as I understood them and let him get on with it. I am pretty increasingly certain that nothing I can do can do beyond being generally supportive will affect DC grades.

(I already have a screen-time for homework incentive scheme, but that's for homework not revision, how do you measure revision done, anyway?).

From what I've read Gove's proposals do NOT prevent GCSEs completed at age 13, instead require that the exams are always sat in June as opposed to January. Could be June of yr8 or yr9, etc.

secretscwirrels · 23/02/2013 18:26

I think that schools are to rated by average grade achieved.
So a C grade would be of less value in league tables than the B or A that might be the child's true potential if they sat the GCSE at 16 which is the age they are meant for.
No incentive for early entry, though I agree not forbidden.

Maryz · 23/02/2013 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LynetteScavo · 23/02/2013 19:43

The only thing that makes my DS do any work/homework is the threat of being moved down a set.

I've never tired to make him revise. It would be pointless. (I'm just happy if he does his homework).

Emmy02 · 28/02/2013 11:34

My 13 year old DS is exactly the same. He will study if I sit down with him and go through the work and ask questions. I have found out he sat a couple of exams and didnt tell me, so he didnt do any study for them and his marks were not that great. I have told him he must look over his work and I will help him before an exam. Hes just not motivated. If there was an exam in xbos/minecraft he would pass with flying colours!!!

Cosmoqueen · 01/03/2013 06:57

First message on for on this site and I have logged in desperately looking for some answers (firstly what does DS &D mean, sorry I am new to this) I have a
14 year son who I love dearly but frankly find him hard to like sometimes (hate me if you want for saying that but have to be honest) . The school tell me he is one of their brightest students as he tests well but his class work and attitude are terrible, he refuses to complete work, puts minimal or no effort into studying and is often rude to teachers in a cocky sort of "can't be bothered" attitude, pretty much the same at home. The only time we really get to help with homework is at the weekend and it can take over our lives. All of the above comments suggest we are doing the same as every other family, good cop/bad cop/rewards/Xbox/Internet privileges etc. I worry that he will never take ownership or responsibility for himself or his actions. There is always a reason for not doing as he is asked and always someone else's fault. My parents never took an interest in my school work or homework. Perhaps we push too much but his latest school report again shows below target in all subjects and yet more emails from his teachers about his poor attitude and lack of work. We try to keep him organised and make sure he has everything he needs but we can't do that for ever. As parents we feel we are failing on every level and constantly putting out fires. I have another meeting with the head of year today to try and find another solution to help him get through year 10. He complains his teachers are "always on his case" he only sees the negatives and not that they are trying to help him. he wants to go on a school trip that will cost £750 can I really justify that money on someone who cant be bothered. I think he needs to contribute to it by showing a commitment to his schoolwork. Time to go and wake him for school. Funny he never wants to go to bed and never wants to get out of it the next day!

yellowbrickrd · 01/03/2013 15:07

The 'D' stands for Dear so DS=dear son but you will sometimes see people put the D in brackets when they are feeling particularly fed up with the dear one!

Times certainly have changed - like yours, my parents had no idea how I was doing in school and didn't have time for parent's evenings. Now you get reports and emails and meetings and parent-school contracts which all pile the pressure on without explaining exactly how you are supposed to motivate a teen who can't be bothered.

Did the head of year come up with any solution at your meeting? When you say 'get through yr 10' is there a danger they will exclude him?

Re the school trip - if it's something he really wants then it might give you some leverage. When is the trip and what is the latest time you can cancel?

Littleturkish · 01/03/2013 21:38

When you say Cosmo queen, that you've tried 'all of the above' exactly what did you try, for how long and with what success and why did you stop?

Hard to advise what to do without knowing what resistance you've faced.

sashh · 02/03/2013 06:18

Let him fail.

It's not GCSE, it's not going to stop him getting a career. This is the time to let him fail.

Chubfuddler · 02/03/2013 06:34

Leaving aside the wisdom of having mocks for in school end of year exams (sounds like madness to me) is day at this stage you can let him bear the consequences - if he does badly it doesn't really have serious consequences but he won't enjoy failure and hopefully will pull his socks up.

My brother was like this - clever, popular, funny, class clown. He didn't get with the picture until A levels but then did very well. He had to put a hell of a lot if work in late in upper sixth to make up ground but he did it.

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