Top excuses teens admit using to get out of studying

Transcript

00:00Hello, my name is Amber Allett and I'm a journalist specialising in education.

00:04The summer GCSE and A-level exam season is currently in full swing,

00:09but a new survey of more than 1,000 secondary school students and their parents

00:13has found that 8 in 10 parents feel like their teen isn't prepared for their exams

00:17and they're arguing about it up to four times a day.

00:21Here are some of the top excuses teens in the poll admitted to using to get out of revision,

00:26straight from the horse's mouth.

00:28The most commonly given reason for not studying was having a headache,

00:34used by nearly half of all pupils, followed by being tired or having a stomach ache.

00:39One in five asked to be allowed to finish a TV show they were watching first,

00:43while almost as many claimed their laptop battery was dead or they needed to clean their room.

00:49About 15% of all teens had told their parents they had revised everything they needed to,

00:54while dead phones, missing charges and stationery, and faulty Wi-Fi claimed more of the top spots.

01:01Fewer teens, 5-6% in most cases, told parents they were about to go for a run or needed to wash their hair,

01:08while claiming they were about to vacuum rounded out the top 20.

01:11But Spencer Coles, CEO of Sixth Form College Group Mander-Portman Woodward,

01:17which commissioned the study, said these creative excuses just showed how revision creates real stress for young people.

01:24Many of the teens recognised they would benefit from more effective study techniques,

01:29or more structured schedules and support,

01:31something their parents might just be able to help with.