Physical Education

Level 3 Pathway - In order to enrol onto our Level 3 courses, students must have achieved a minimum of 5 grade 4s at GCSE Level across 4 different subject areas; this should ideally include a Grade 4 for English Language and Mathematics.

It is important that students also pay attention to any individual subject entry requirements.

It may be that a small number of students are recommended to sit AS qualifications at the end of Year 12 in order to inform decisions about progression into Year 13, however these AS examinations are standalone and do not contribute to the overall A Level qualification.

Why?

Studying A Level Physical Education will give you a fantastic insight into the world of sports performance. You will develop wide ranging knowledge of physical activity and sport. Physical Education is a pathway to PE, exercise, leisure and sport courses at university. It can also prepare you for interesting and worthwhile careers in the sport, leisure, health care and fitness industry. It will allow the development of transferable skills including: decision making, psychological understanding, independent thinking, problem solving, analytical skills and acting under pressure.

Course Structure

70% of marks will be allocated to three exam papers which will assess knowledge and understanding of the following:

Paper 1: Physiological factors affecting performance – 2 hours

• anatomy and exercise physiology
• biomechanical movement

Paper 2: Psychological factors affecting performance - 1 hour

• skill acquisition
• sport psychology

Paper 3 : Socio-cultural issues in PE and sport - 1 hour

• sport and society
• contemporary issues in PE

The remaining 30% of marks will be allocated to performance skills and the ability to analyse and evaluate performance. Students will be assessed in player/performer roles in one sport. This can be drawn from the list of sports to include football, rugby, netball, trampolining, swimming, basketball and cricket.

Extended Learning

Weekly tasks will be set from each theory area to include exam questions, research tasks and essay style questions. In addition, students are expected to practise their sport outside of Sixth Form on a regular basis by joining a club, if they are not already a member.

Ideally grade 5 GCSE PE