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It’s funny living with a teenager learning model anwers by rote in preparation for their Mocks.

At dinner, when I pointed out their parents are not complete illiterates, they look this as a challenge.

“Okay then, let me test you,” they said. There followed a sample exam question extracted straight from their forelock.

I proffered what I thought was an acceptable answer, decorated in humour to disguise the weariness caused by ten hours working at a computer.

But no. “Wrong!” they proclaimed, shaking their head profusely. With smug glea, they then recited back to me their prepared answer.

Fact heavy, it was an impressive response for sure, although I wasn’t quite sure it was an answer to their actual question.

I didn’t say that though. In any case, my exam was not yet over. Another question, sure to flummox me, quickly followed.

I offered a more plausible answer this time, but they still quibbled with my recollection of the details.

Maybe it was true: dad is a total ignoramus. What about mum? Here, I have to step in when they mock her stumbling over a pronunciation.

“You do know English is your mum’s third language,” I point out. But alas this is not a time for humility.

No, we must defer to the wisdom of a teenager taking their revision in their stride. Let’s not discourage them.

“Keep up the good work,” we say instead. That’s our model answer.