Physical Education

Exam Board: AQA

This course covers many aspects of Physical Education and Sport, which include:

• Applied anatomy and physiology
• Health, fitness and well-being
• Movement analysis
• Physical training
• Sports Psychology
• Socio-cultural factors in sport

Students will develop knowledge and understanding of:

• The key body systems and how they impact on health, fitness and performance in physical activity and sport.
• The benefits of participating in physical activity and sport to health, fitness and wellbeing.
• The basic principles of movement and their effect on performance in physical activity and sport.
• The principles of training and different training methods in order to plan, carry out, monitor and evaluate personal exercise and training programmes.
• The psychological factors that can affect performers in physical activity and sport.
• The socio-cultural factors that impact on physical activity and sport, and the impact of sport on society.
• How to analyse data in relation to key areas of physical activity and sport.

Alongside the knowledge-based learning a variety of wider skills are developed, such as:

• The ability to make informed decisions about further learning opportunities and career pathways.
• Perform effectively in different physical activities by developing skills and techniques and selecting and using tactics, strategies and/or compositional ideas.
• The ability to analyse and evaluate practical performance and how to improve it.

Assessment

The theory content of the GCSE is worth 60 % of the final grade and it is split up into 2 sections:

1. Physiology, movement analysis and training methods.
2. Health and well-being, psychology and socio cultural aspects.

There will be two exams to assess the 2 theoretical areas.

The practical and coursework content of the GCSE is worth 40% of the final grade.

In their practical performance (30 %) students will be assessed in 3 activities, 1 team, 1individual and 1 choice. For each of their three activities, students will be assessed in skills in progressive drills (10 marks per activity) and in the full context (15 marks per activity).

The coursework (10 %) involves analysis of and evaluation of a practical performance.

Requirements

Playing competitive sport at least club level in one sport is preferable.

Where can it lead?

A GCSE in Physical Education will develop a range of transferable skills including: decision making, psychological understanding of people, independent thinking, problem solving and analytical skills as well as thinking, acting and reacting under pressure. PE is a great subject to study if you want a career in a sports related field. This could be anything from a sports coach to a physiotherapist to a personal trainer. Science subjects fit well with PE, particularly if you are interested in studying sports science or psychology in the future. Other possible careers include:

• PE teacher
• Physiotherapist
• Professional sportsperson
• Sports coach/consultant
• Sports policy at local and national level
• Diet and fitness instructor
• Personal trainer