Exam revision isn't very festive, but should parents force their teenagers to study over Christmas? Raisingkids.co.uk's Education expert, Elizabeth Cook, offers advice and reassurance about getting ready for mock GCSEs.

Raisingkids member's problem
My teenager has mock GCSEs coming up in January and has left all of her revision to the last minute. I don't want to force her to study all the way through Christmas and New Year, but I don't want her to fail her exams either! What can I do?

Elizabeth's advice
I'm sure many parents are feeling just like you are - there are always more interesting things for teenagers to do than revise. You can't force your child to revise and I'm sure this would be counterproductive.

Your child knows only too well how important these mocks are - let her take some responsibility for her own achievements or lack of them. But don't worry too much. If she does badly then this will be a warning that she needs to work much harder for the real thing.

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